“There will be no peace on this planet as long
as human rights are violated somewhere in the world.”
On this International Day of Peace,
the words of René Cassin, one of the architects of the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights in 1948, remind us that peace will remain an unattainable ideal as
long as fundamental human rights are not respected. They are a prerequisite for
a peaceful society in which the dignity of all individuals is respected and
everyone can fully enjoy equal and inalienable rights.
These words remind us of our duty of
solidarity towards our fellow human beings: peace is imperfect and fragile
unless everyone benefits from it; human rights are either universal or they are
not. This intrinsic link between peace and respect for human rights is the
theme of this year’s International Day of Peace, as this year we celebrate the
seventieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The ideals of peace and universal
rights are challenged and violated on a daily basis. There are numerous
obstacles to their realization. All kinds of challenges test our ability to
build a world of harmony, understanding and peaceful coexistence: social and
economic inequalities, which lead to distress and poverty; climate change,
which gives rise to new conflicts; and the population explosion, which creates
new tensions. Forms of populism and extremism are also spreading all over the
world.
To overcome these challenges, we
must act collectively and build the edifice of peace brick by brick. That is
the whole aim of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,
which calls for concerted action to achieve 17 Sustainable Development Goals,
all of which contribute to a more just and peaceful world by, inter alia,
combating poverty, hunger and gender inequality, promoting education, defending
justice and committing to a healthy environment.
Every day, UNESCO, through its
programmes and action on the ground, reaffirms its original commitment,
enshrined in its Constitution: to construct the defences of peace in the minds
of women and men. As the lead agency responsible for the International Decade for
the Rapprochement of Cultures 2013 – 2022, UNESCO is fully engaged in
developing a worldwide culture of prevention through education, international
cooperation and intercultural dialogue.
The road to peace is long, but it is
up to each and every one of us to influence its course by committing ourselves
on a daily basis to a society that is more inclusive, more tolerant and more
just.