International Day of Peace Image: World Peace Day is observed on September 21 every year
International Day of Peace 2020: Being the country of Mahatma Gandhi, India has a huge legacy of contributing to world peace. In a world troubled with conflict, a day dedicated to peace reminds us of Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy of Ahimsa or non-violence. International Day of Peace is observed every year on September 21. It is a United Nations-designated day, established in 1981. In 2001, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) voted to call for "non-violence and cease-fire" on world peace day. The UN encourages countries to observe the day by adhering to "24 hours of non-violence".
The theme for International Day of Peace 2020 is "Shaping Peace Together." The world body encourages people to "celebrate the day by spreading compassion, kindness and hope in the face of the (COVID-19) pandemic." The pandemic has emerged as a common enemy of the world today.
International Day of Peace 2020: 10 quotes of Mahatma Gandhi to remember
- "Peace will not come out of a clash of arms but out of justice lived and done by unarmed nations in the face of odds"
- "Not to believe in the possibility of permanent peace is to disbelieve in the Godliness of human nature
- "Without prayer there is no inward peace"
- "Poverty is the worst form of violence"
- "An India awakened and free has a message of peace and goodwill for a groaning world"
- "There is no path to peace, peace is the path"
- "If we wish to create lasting peace we must begin with the children"
- "Intolerance is itself a form of violence and an obstacle to growth of a true democratic spirit"
- "Indeed a civilian resister offers resistance only when peace becomes impossible"
- "The one condition for fighting for peace and liberty is to acquire self-restraint"