INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE

By Sanela Nikolic

-Around the world, September 21 is celebrated as the International Day of Peace.

By the resolution of the United Nations (UN) in 2001, that date was designated as the day of non-violence and cessation of hostilities at the global level.

The International Day of Peace was founded by the UN General Assembly in 1981 in order to mark and strengthen the ideal of peace among all nations and states.

The International Day of Peace enables all individuals, organizations and nations to jointly spread the message of peace through their simple actions.

Its purpose is to "provide a globally common date for all humanity to commit to peace above all differences and to contribute to building a culture of peace."

Each event has a different theme. In 2020, the theme was "Shaping Peace Together", while in 2021, the theme was "Better recovery for a just and sustainable world". The theme of the 2022 International Day of Peace is "End Racism. Build peace'.

The United Nations wants to tackle hate speech and violence directed at racial minorities. They aim to speak out against hate speech and promote the message of anti-racism through education. Peace implies mutual understanding and working together to find solutions to problems. Any other approach to solving difficult issues causes pain and suffering, so the International Day of Peace works to facilitate the conditions in which peaceful solutions can be reached.

Racism is the unfair treatment of people of a certain race in society, especially in favor of people of another race and the belief that certain races of people are superior to others.

Racial discrimination involves treating someone differently because of their race, ethnicity, nationality or skin color. Any type of racism or racial discrimination is offensive and distressing to children and young people who experience or witness it.

Support is needed not only today, but every day, through education and various workshops, so that children learn to build peace instead of violence, especially not to reject other children because of different nationality and skin color. Children learn from us and they should be raised and taught that we all have the same rights.

Millions of people around the world face racism and racial discrimination, which is a threat to human security and global peace. Racism affects the well-being of an individual or a group. This could lead to denied job opportunities or advancement, as well as limited access to services such as health care and education. Violent extremist groups could exploit this marginalization, perceived injustice, and exclusion to recruit, radicalize, and perpetuate violence. We should work together to overcome stereotypes so that we can cooperate with each other as individuals and promote cross-cultural exchange towards building peaceful societies where we live well with others, no matter where they come from or who they are.

And not only today but to constantly remind ourselves of the need to strengthen peace messages and ideas among all people and nations.

By Sanela Nikolic, Police Officer, Crime Analyst

General Director of IPO Headquarters &

IPO LED - Law Enforcement Department