United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (Front) addresses the peace bell ceremony on the occasion of the 37th anniversary of the International Day of Peace at the UN headquarters in New York, on Sept. 21, 2018. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Friday that "peace is the unifying concept that brings us together at the United Nations." (Xinhua/Li Muzi)
UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Friday that "peace is the unifying concept that brings us together at the United Nations."
Addressing the peace bell ceremony held at the UN headquarters in New York on the occasion of the 37th anniversary of the International Day of Peace, the UN chief said that "we see conflicts multiplying everywhere in the world. We see links between conflicts and terrorism. We see insecurity prevailing. We see people suffering. But we don't give up."
Noting that the 2030 Agenda, which is the "struggle for a fair globalization," the secretary-general said that "there is no development without peace but there is also no peace without development."
"When we are celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we know that human rights are violated in so many parts of the world, we even know that the human rights agenda is losing ground. But we don't give up because respect for human rights and human dignity is a basic condition for peace," he said.
"It is true that extreme poverty is being reduced but we see inequality growing. But again we don't give up because we believe inequality is one of the most important factors of instability and conflict," the secretary-general noted.
Noting that "peace is violated in so many places," the UN chief pledged that the United Nations "will not give up" in pursuing sustainable peace.
The International Day of Peace ("Peace Day") is observed around the world each year on Sept. 21. Established in 1981 by unanimous UN resolution, Peace Day provides a globally shared date for all humanity to commit to peace above all differences and to contribute to building a culture of peace.
