A
GLOBAL CALL FOR CONDEMNATION OF HOSTILITY AND CONFLICT AS THE WORLD MARKS THE
2014 INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE, TOMORROW SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 21
Hostility is an unfriendly or
aggressive behaviour/feelings towards people from other backgrounds. It can
also be described as a strong opposition against an idea, a plan or a
situation. In the same vein, conflict is a situation in which people, groups or
countries are involved in a serious disagreement or argument which often
results to violence; it can simply be defined as a state of complete confusion
and disorder.
On the other hand, peace is a situation or a period of time in which there is no enmity, violence or war in a certain locality or country. More so, it is the state of being calm or quiet, or living in mutual friendship with others.
Hostility and conflict, or lack of peace, which has subjected mankind to a state of mockery, has indeed arrested the developmental thrives of most nations in the world thereby constituting a severe and uncontrollable poverty among the populace.
Conflict, which is as old as the world, has succeeded in rendering the socio-economic
growth of many countries incapacitated due to its cruel and dastardly nature. Conflict
or crisis through the emergence of terrorist activities such as assassination,
kidnapping, massacre, genocide and what have you, has not only brought endless
anxiety to the people, but has contributed immensely to the degradation of the
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the countries involved. Above all, the dangers
of war or the level of the post-traumatic stress disorder attributed to it
cannot be overemphasized.
Statistics show that the root cause of several conflicts are directly
related to valuable natural resources such as gold, diamond, oil and gas,
diesel, coal, kerosene, timber, water and so on. Needless to say; addressing
the ownership, control and management of natural resources or endowments is
crucial to maintaining peace and security thereby sustaining an ideal
development.
Surely, peace and security are essential foundations for social progress
and sustainable development. Thus, we must quench the fire of extremism among
us in order to tackle the root causes of conflict, because peace is definitely
a long journey that we are bound to collectively embark on. Suffice to say
that, we are expected to hold peace in our hearts and minds, and tenderly
nurture it so it would grow and blossom.
Regarding the effect of peace to humanity, in 1981, the United Nations
(UN) General Assembly through a resolution established the International Day of
Peace. The Assembly mandated the UN Member States to observe September 21 of
every year as Int’l Day of Peace. The first International Peace Day was
celebrated on Tuesday September 21, 1982; the first commemoration was meant to
coincide with the anniversary of the United Nations’ opening session, which was
held annually on the third Tuesday of September.
In addition to the commemoration, in 2001, the UN General Assembly by unanimous votes adopted resolution which established 21st September of every year as an annual day of non-violence and ceasefire. By this resolution, the United Nations invites all nations and people to honour a cessation of hostilities, and to otherwise commemorate the Day through education and raising of public awareness on issues related to peace.
It is no longer news that, armed conflict causes untold grief and
hardship to families, communities and the entire countries involved. Indeed,
too many are suffering today at the brutal hands of war-mongers and terrorists.
This is why, from the onset, we must learn to teach our children and wards the
essence of tolerance and mutual respect. Let’s invest in the schools and teachers
that will build a fair and inclusive world that embraces diversity; fight for
peace at all cost, and defend it with all our might.
Therefore, from time to time, we are meant to sensitize our children,
relatives, friends, colleagues and associates towards emulating the habit of
the UN Messengers of Peace, or the likes of Princess Haya, Daniel Barenboim,
Paulo Coelho, Michael Douglas, Jane Goodall, Edward Norton, Steve Wonder, Charlie
Theron, Elie Wiesel, just to mention but a few, whom remain distinguished
individuals carefully selected from the fields of art, literature, science,
entertainment, sports and other fields of public life, who have agreed to help
focus worldwide attention on the work of the United Nations as regards
promotion of peace. These prominent personalities or icons volunteer their
times, resources, energies, talents and passions to raise awareness of United
Nations’ tireless efforts to improve the lives of billions of people worldwide.
The International Day of Peace offers people globally a shared date to think about how they can contribute towards ensuring that natural resources are managed in a mature and sustainable manner, thus reducing potential for disputes as well as paving ways for a sustainable future, which is no doubt the future we want.
As the world over commemorates the Int’l Day of Peace tomorrow, I’m using this avenue to call for a global condemnation of hostility and conflict lingering all over the world in order to sustain a formidable peace needed for both individual and national developments.
COMR. FRED NWAOZOR
Public
Affairs analyst & Social Crusader
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+2348028608056
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