United
Nations Resolutions
The International
Day of Peace, established by a United Nations resolution in 1981 to
coincide with the opening of the General Assembly, was first inaugurated
on the third Tuesday of September, 1982. Beginning on the 20th
anniversary in 2002, the UN General Assembly set 21 September
as the now permanent date for the International Day of Peace.
In
establishing the International Day of Peace, the United Nations General
Assembly decided that it would be appropriate
"to
devote a specific time to concentrate the efforts of the United Nations
and its Member States, as well as of the whole of mankind, to promoting
the ideals of peace and to giving positive evidence of their commitment
to peace in all viable ways… (The International Day of Peace) should
be devoted to commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace
both within and among all nations and peoples."
The
Assembly's resolution declared that the International Day of Peace
"will
serve as a reminder to all peoples that our Organization, with all
its limitations, is a living instrument in the service of peace and
should serve all of us here within the Organization as a constantly
pealing bell reminding us that our permanent commitment, above all
interests or differences of any kind, is to peace. May this Peace
Day indeed be a day of peace."
(Quotes
excerpted from the United Nations General Assembly Resolution UN/A/RES/36/67)
The amended Resolution
adopted in 2001 permanently fixed the date of the International Day
of Peace to September 21.
“The
Assembly, reaffirming the contribution that the observance and celebration
of the International Day of Peace make in strengthening the ideals
of peace and alleviating tensions and causes of conflict, (decided
that) beginning with the fifty-seventh session, the Day should be
observed on 21 September each year, with this date to be brought to
the attention of all people for the celebration and observance of
peace.”
The
new Resolution added the call for the International Day of Peace to
be a Global Ceasefire:
"Declares
that the International Day of Peace shall henceforth be observed as
a day of global ceasefire and non-violence, an invitation to all nations
and people to honour a cessation of hostilities for the duration of
the Day..."
(Quotes
from the amending UN resolution UN/A/RES/55/282
which fixes the date of the International Day of Peace on 21 September
and calls for a Global Ceasefire on that Day.)
UN
Res 55/282 - Arabic (PDF)
UN Res 55/282 - Chinese (PDF)
UN
Res 55/282 - English (PDF)
UN Res 55/282 - French (PDF)
UN Res 55/282 - German (PDF)
UN Res 55/282 - Russian (PDF)
UN Res 55/282 - Spanish (PDF)
May
Peace Prevail On Earth!
