The International Day of Peace was unanimously established by the General Assembly of the United Nations, in 1981, to designate September 21st as a day to work toward strengthening the ideals of peace through education and serve as an advocacy tool. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the UN Resolution on the Program of Action on a Culture of Peace, a list of action items aimed at fostering a culture of peace. Some of the action items include: fostering a culture of peace through education; promoting sustainable economic and social development; promoting respect for all human rights; and promoting international peace and security.
This year, the theme for the International Day of Peace is “Climate Action for Peace.” This theme leverages the work of the “17 Sustainable Development Goals” which were adopted by the United Nations Member States in 2015 as a path toward a better world for everyone, which includes peace. Sustainable Development Goal 13, “Climate Action”, is “a call to lower greenhouse emissions, build resilience and improve education on climate change.” At a cursory glance, it may seem unusual to link climate change with peace, climate change is an immediate threat to international peace and security. “Natural disasters displace three times as many people as conflicts, forcing millions to leave their homes and seek safety elsewhere.” One only need look at the daily news to see the impact migrating populations are having around the world. Climate change causes natural disasters which displace people who must migrate to survive but, migrants are not always welcome and issues involving migrant populations may lead to civil unrest if not outright war.
To learn more about how climate change impacts peace and what you can do to help, click through the links above or check out the website for International Peace Day. This year, on September 23rd, the United Nations is taking action by convening a Climate Action Summit to develop clear plans to implement the Paris Agreement by focusing on the activities that create the most greenhouse gas emissions where change could result in the greatest impact worldwide.
Additional info:
Find out more at http://www.un.org/en/events/peaceday/index.shtml and https://internationaldayofpeace.org/get-involved/
Twitter: #peaceday #ClimateAction