International Peace Day 2010 on Tuesday:

Peace is the future

By Pramod DE SILVA

The International Peace Day was first celebrated in 1982 by the United Nations, though the resolution to this effect was passed a year earlier. To inaugurate the day, the Peace Bell is rung at the UN Headquarters in New York by the UN Secretary General. The bell is cast from coins donated by children from all continents. Given as a gift by the Japanese Parliament to the UN, it is referred to as “a reminder of the human cost of war.” The inscription on its side reads: “Long live absolute world peace.”

Sri Lanka has not known peace for 30 long years. Terrorism ravaged the land, snuffing out precious lives and creating a climate of fear and suspicion. Peace looked elusive.

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial

It was only last year that Sri Lanka crushed terrorism unleashed by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. With no major incidents since then, Sri Lankans have experienced what peace is all about. Peace is not only a status that one can experience, it is also a state of mind.

But peace keeps eluding many nations, many peoples. There are protracted conflicts all over the world, where not only combatants but also innocent people lose their lives everyday. Efforts are being made to resolve these conflicts and bring peace, which could be a long haul in some cases.

But when peace dawns at the end of it all, there is no doubt that it is worth celebrating. This is precisely the aim of the International Day of Peace, also known as the World Peace Day, which occurs annually on September 21. The International Day of Peace sees millions of people worldwide coming together to highlight the need for peace and to resolve ongoing conflicts around the world.

The Peace Day is dedicated to peace or specifically the absence of war. Although absence of war per se does not always mean total peace, it is a beginning on the long road to lasting peace and reconciliation. Such a process is in fact under way in our country as evidenced by the work of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission, rapid resettlement and development in Northern areas, language integration and the rehabilitation and education of ex-combatants, among other far-reaching measures.

First celebrated in 1982

The International Peace Day was first celebrated in 1982 by the United Nations, though the resolution to this effect was passed a year earlier. To inaugurate the day, the Peace Bell is rung at the UN Headquarters in New York by the UN Secretary General. The bell is cast from coins donated by children from all continents. Given as a gift by the Japanese Parliament to the UN, it is referred to as "a reminder of the human cost of war." The inscription on its side reads: "Long live absolute world peace."

Apart from the event at the UN, the Peace Day is marked by most of its Member States at national level. Many organisations also arrange events to mark Peace Day. Many organisations use these observances as an opportunity to promote their year round Peace Building efforts, whether their focus is on human rights, the environment, education, humanitarian relief, poverty, health care, disarmament or international cooperation. This creates long term impact, beyond the annual observance.

Another focal point for the event will be a global minute of silence at 12:00 noon on Sept. 21, but events started on the anniversary of Sept. 11, and conclude on Oct. 2, Gandhi's birthday and a holiday in many parts of the world.

A unique event conducted for the first time this year is the Peaceweek Summit culminating on September 21. It is however not a physical summit - it is a telesummit conducted entirely in cyberspace. It is billed as the "largest virtual peace summit" ever. The PeaceWeek Summit consists of live teleseminars, all accessed online, hosted by an international roster of speakers ranging from politicians and ambassadors to musicians and people who abhorred violence in their communities and brokered local peace initiatives. The organisers of PeaceWeek want attendees to interact with one another - regardless of where they live on the planet. Over 14,000 people from 114 countries have registered for the PeaceWeek event.

Peaceweek elaborated on its aims: "In the years ahead, we have the opportunity to help wean the world of its addiction to violence by harnessing best practices, deepening our personal commitments, healing ancient wounds, building bridges between cultures, advancing the science of peace, and teaching our children to live peacefully. The broad trend of human evolution is to move beyond violence. Given the scale of global crises, we must accelerate that evolution and learn to live, collaborate, and create in a more harmonious way."

To mark peace day

Other events and groups set to mark Peace Day include International Positive Week, Circle of Peace, The Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict, Service for Peace, Pinwheels for Peace, The Global Peace Film Festival, ENO (Environment On Line), PeaceJam, Paz con Todo, The Odyssey Networks, Mayors for Peace, The Global Mala, Celebration Earth, the 11 Days of Global Unity, the London Week of Peace and more.

The Peace Day has a theme every year. The theme for International Day of Peace 2010 is "Youth for Peace and Development" with the added slogan "Peace=Future - the math is easy".

This year, young people are being encouraged to consider what they are doing for peace, individually and collectively. The UN's emphasis is very clear - there cannot be a bright future without peace. The theme also coincides with the International Year of Youth 2010 - Dialogue and Mutual Understanding. On June 13, 2010, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon launched the 100-day countdown to the International Day of Peace, calling on young people around the world to submit their stories via social media, detailing what they do for peace.

"Youth, peace and development are closely interlinked: Peace enables development, which is critical in providing opportunities for young people, particularly those in countries emerging from conflict. Healthy, educated youth are in turn crucial to sustainable development and peace. Peace, stability and security are essential to achieving the Millennium Development Goals, aimed at slashing poverty, hunger, disease, and maternal and child death by 2015. The incredible potential of youth must be tapped to ensure these goals are met in their lifetimes," says the UN.

This is a timely theme, because it is youth who are mostly affected by wars and conflicts. Most of the combatants in any given war are youth and in some cases, even children. The loss of the youth population can severely affect a country. They also happen to be breadwinners in most of the families. Thus battlefield deaths have a negative effect on the whole of society. We have experienced this over a period of 30 years in this country.

Youth for peace

And it is youth who can raise their voice for peace and exert pressure on policy-makers to pursue peace. Wars and conflicts deprive youth of educational, social and vocational opportunities usually available in a climate of peace. Wars also have an adverse impact on development, which in turn leads to loss of employment opportunities for the youth.

Peace and development go hand in hand. Development or progress is not possible without peace and vice versa. For example, the conflict in the North and the East of Sri Lanka stifled development in that region and it is only now that development projects are shaping up there.

Youth have a vital role to play in both peace and development. Both factors cannot realise their full potential without the participation of youth. Moreover, youth are not inhibited by feelings of enmity or discord - they embrace amity and reconciliation easily. Youth who are united, regardless of communal, religious and political divisions can make a difference in terms of achieving peace and development for all. Given that the majority of the population in most countries comprises youth, they can make a very significant contribution to the economies of their regions and countries, developing or developed.

These ideas are encapsulated in the UN Secretary General's message for Peace Day 2010: "This year, Peace Day is dedicated to young people. This month marks the beginning of the International Year of Youth. Its theme of dialogue and mutual understanding captures the very essence of peace.

Young people today are at home with global diversity; comfortable in an interconnected world. Yet they are also vulnerable to the forces of extremism. So I say to all governments and our partners: let us do more for young people. Let us give them a world of peace and tolerance.

And I say to all young people: join us. Help us work for peace. You are impatient. You see what we, your elders, allow to persist, year after year: poverty and hunger; injustice and impunity; environmental degradation."

With just five years remaining to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, I ask all, young and old, to help us to find global solutions to these global problems. Share your plans and ideas, act with creativity and passion. Help us fight for peace and prosperity for all."

Huge challenge

This is a huge challenge at a time when the world has become "marginally less peaceful" according to the World Peace Index 2010. But if the world cut down on war expenditure, the Millennium Development Goals would be well within reach. Overall, the economic cost of violence to the global economy is an estimated US$ 7 trillion annually. If there could be even a 25 per cent reduction in global violence, a total of US$ 1.5 trillion could be freed up for use in addressing major issues facing humanity, including financing the Millennium Development Goals for one year.

What the world needs is the determination and willpower needed to veer away from war and violence. Conflicts reverse our forward march, whereas peace accelerates it. If we can think anew, cast aside petty differences and resolve conflicts, a brighter future awaits the whole world. Our hearts and minds are good places to start this transformation. Peace in our inner selves and peace at home can translate into global peace. Unity and peace are the keys to prosperity. Peace has the potential to end the global North-South divide. Peace is the future, the math is indeed easy.