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)
