NEW YORK, Sep 13 (IPS) – This opinion piece is being revealed precisely on the date when twenty-five years in the past at present the UN took its most forward-looking stride in guaranteeing a peaceable planet for all of us because the signing of the Constitution of the United Nations in 1945.
The UN Constitution arose out of the ashes of the Second World Warfare and the UN Declaration and the Programme of Motion on a Tradition of Peace emerged within the aftermath of the long-drawn Chilly Warfare.
On this very day, the United Nations adopted by consensus and with out reservation a monumental doc on the Tradition of Peace that transcends boundaries, cultures, societies, and nations.
Arduous journey
It was an honour for me to Chair the nine-month lengthy open-ended negotiations that led to the settlement on that historic norm-setting doc which is taken into account as one of the important legacies of the United Nations that will endure generations.
I launched the agreed textual content of that doc (A/RES/53/243) on behalf of all Member States for adoption by the Meeting with its President Didier Opertti of Uruguay chairing the assembly. Via this landmark adoption, the Common Meeting laid down humanity’s constitution for the brand new approaching millennium.
This doc explains, outlines, and defines all the things that the worldwide neighborhood has agreed on as the main target of the tradition of peace. I might at all times treasure and cherish the chance to steer the method in its adoption and in its subsequent advocacy.
For me this has been a realization of my private dedication to peace and my humble contribution to humanity. For greater than two and a half a long time, my focus has been on advancing the tradition of peace and I’ve continued to dedicate appreciable time, power, and energy to try this.
It has been a protracted, arduous journey – a journey ridden curiously with each obstacles and indifference. Since July 1997, once I took the initiative to jot down to our much-loved and extremely revered Secretary-Common Kofi Annan to create a separate merchandise of agenda of the Common Meeting, the trail and progress of the tradition of peace at UN have been uneven to say the least. For being part of this journey, I pay tribute to Bangladeshi diplomats who’ve been true co-travellers.
My life’s expertise has taught me to worth peace and equality because the important elements of our existence. They unleash the constructive forces of fine which might be so wanted for human progress. It’s important to keep in mind that the tradition of peace requires a change of our hearts, change of our mindset.
The target of the tradition of peace is the empowerment of individuals. We must always not isolate peace as one thing separate. It is very important notice that the absence of peace takes away the alternatives that we have to higher ourselves, to arrange ourselves, to empower ourselves to face the challenges of our lives, individually and collectively.
Transformation is the essence
The essence of the tradition of peace is its message of self-transformation and its message of inclusiveness, of world solidarity, of the oneness of humanity. These parts—particular person and world, particular person to world—represent the best way ahead for the tradition of peace.
‘Transformation’ is of probably the most important relevance right here. The Programme of Motion identifies eight particular areas which encourage actions in any respect ranges – the person, the household, the neighborhood, the nationwide, the regional and, in fact, the worldwide ranges.
Although the Declaration and Programme of Motion is an settlement amongst nations, governments, civil society, media, and people are all recognized on this doc as key actors.
The tradition of peace begins with every certainly one of us – except we’re able to combine peace and non-violence as a part of our every day existence, we can not count on our communities, our nations, our planet to be peaceable. We ought to be ready and assured in resolving the challenges of our lives in a non-aggressive method. In at present’s world, extra so, the humanity’s creed ought to be primarily based on inside oneness and outer range.
Enhancing Member States engagement
To accord an enhanced profile to the idea of the tradition of peace, since 2012, successive UN Common Meeting Presidents convened an annual UN Excessive Stage Discussion board on The Tradition of Peace to supply an inclusive, participatory platform for UN Member States, civil society, media, non-public sector and different events to trade concepts on the implementation of the Declaration and Programme of Motion.
Since 2012, when the primary UN Excessive Stage Discussion board was convened by the President of the 66th Session of the Common Meeting Ambassador Nassir Al-Nasser, the UNGA mandated this annual Discussion board as “a chance for renewing the commitments to strengthen additional the worldwide motion for the tradition of peace.”
On the world stage, the International Motion for The Tradition of Peace (GMCoP), a coalition of civil society organizations, have been spearheading advocacy initiatives successfully since 2011 in addition to in organizing the annual Excessive-Stage Boards on The Tradition of Peace convened by the President of UN Common Meeting.
Peace and Tradition of Peace
Many deal with peace and tradition of peace synonymously. Once we converse of peace, we count on others particularly politicians, diplomats, or different practitioners to take the initiative whereas after we converse of the tradition of peace, we all know that preliminary motion begins with every certainly one of us.
SDGs and the Tradition of Peace
The UN Common Meeting selected the tradition of peace earlier than the Millennium Improvement Objectives. SDGs got here 15 years later. Many would recall that Objective 16 – the so-called peace objective – was nearly dropped when the growing nations wished to incorporate a reference to the tradition of peace.
A compromise excluded it in order that the negotiated Objective 16 might be agreed with out it. Bangladesh introduced the reference to the tradition of peace in Objective 4 in its goal 4.7 which recognized tradition of peace and non-violence in addition to world citizenship in academic context.
All eight areas of motion within the tradition of peace programme are mirrored in varied SDGs. I can nonetheless say with satisfaction that the Tradition of Peace would outlast the SDGs and make extra deep-rooted and longer-lasting contribution to a sustainable and peaceable planet of ours when the UN observes the thirtieth anniversary of The Tradition of Peace.
Let me finish by outlining the three built-in mainstream for the approaching years bolstering the worldwide motion for the tradition of peace.
Training for world citizenship
Primary: schooling. All academic establishments want to supply alternatives that put together the scholars not solely to dwell fulfilling lives but additionally to be accountable and productive residents of the world. This could extra appropriately be known as “schooling for world citizenship”. If our minds might be likened to a pc, then schooling offers the software program with which to “reboot” our priorities and actions for transition from drive to cause, from battle to dialogue.
Equality of ladies’s participation
Quantity two: girls. As I at all times say emphatically – “With out peace, improvement can’t be realized, with out improvement, peace shouldn’t be achievable, however with out girls, neither peace nor improvement is feasible.”
Youth and kids
And quantity three: youth and kids. It’s important to acknowledge the empowerment of younger individuals as a significant ingredient in constructing the tradition of peace. Younger individuals of at present ought to embrace the tradition of peace in a manner that may not solely form their lives however can even form the way forward for the world.
For this, I consider that early childhood affords a window of alternative for us to sow the seeds of transition to the tradition of peace from an formative years.
Method ahead
As former Secretary-Common of the United Nations and Nobel Peace laureate Kofi Annan had profoundly mentioned, “Through the years we now have come to comprehend that it isn’t sufficient to ship peacekeeping forces to separate combatants. It’s not sufficient to have interaction in peace-building efforts after societies have been ravaged by battle. It’s not sufficient to conduct preventive diplomacy. All of that is important work, however we would like enduring outcomes. We want, briefly, the tradition of peace.”
How can we construct and promote the tradition of peace? To show the tradition of peace into a world, common motion, probably the most essential ingredient that’s wanted is for each certainly one of us to be a real believer in peace and non-violence. So much will be achieved in selling the tradition of peace by way of particular person resolve and motion.
By immersing ourselves in a tradition that helps and promotes peace, particular person efforts will–over time–mix and unite, and peace, safety and sustainability will emerge. That is the one manner we will obtain a simply and sustainable peace on the earth.
The tradition of peace shouldn’t be a fast repair. It’s a motion, not a revolution.
The seed of peace exists in all of us. It should be nurtured, cared for and promoted by us all to flourish. Peace can’t be imposed from exterior – it should be realized from inside.
Ambassador Anwarul Okay. Chowdhury, is Former Everlasting Consultant of Bangladesh to the UN; President of the UN Safety Council (2000 and 2001); Senior Particular Adviser to UN Common Meeting President (2011-2012) and Former Underneath-Secretary-Common and Excessive Consultant of the UN.
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