UNIS/SGSM/1346
19 September 2023
As we mark this International Day of Peace, people and our planet are in crisis.
Conflicts driving record numbers of people from their homes.
Deadly fires, raging floods and soaring temperatures.
Poverty, inequalities and injustices.
Mistrust, division and prejudice.
This year’s theme reminds us that peace is not automatic.
Peace is the result of action.
Action to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals and ensure that no one is left behind.
Action to end the war on our planet and its natural gifts.
Action to uphold and protect the human rights and dignity of every person — especially as we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Action to use the timeless tools of diplomacy, dialogue and collaboration to defuse tensions and end conflict.
And action for those millions of people living through the horrors of war.
Peace is not only a noble vision for humanity.
Peace is a call to action.
Let us commit to build, drive and sustain peace for all.
* *** *
"The world is going through an unprecedented environmental emergency which poses an existential threat to this and future generations." — António Guterres
The new Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations (Vienna), Shambhu S. Kumaran, presented his credentials today to the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV), Ghada Waly.
"Dialogue, diplomacy and multilateral solutions provide the surest path to a peaceful and just world." — António Guterres
Human trafficking and migrant smuggling are multi-billion-dollar businesses that have changed dramatically in recent years, driven by global challenges such as war, large migration and refugee flows, cybercrime, climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic.