As UN Session Opens, Peacebuilders Call on Governments to Move from Commitments to Action on Peace
Over 100 organizations release statement for International Day of Peace
Over 100 international and domestic peacebuilding organizations, including Global Ministries, have joined together to release a statement in advance of the International Day of Peace, which falls on September 21. The statement, which comes ahead of the opening of the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly, calls on governments and the international community to: move from commitments to action on peace in the 2030 Agenda; align crisis response with longer term prevention and peacebuilding efforts; protect and support civil society; and recommit to multilateralism as a safeguard for the most vulnerable.
“By the end of 2018, over 70 million individuals were forcibly displaced worldwide as a result of persecution, conflict, violence, or human rights violations, and the annual global economic cost of violence now exceeds $14 trillion USD per annum,” said Andrew Tomlinson, director of the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) in New York. “We need to redouble our collective efforts to prevent violent conflict by addressing its roots, and to structure our response to crisis in ways that support local capacities, respect human rights and align with long-term plans to build sustainable peace.”
The Quaker United Nations Office – an organization that represents Quaker concerns for global peace and justice at the United Nations – played a key role in drafting and circulating the statement. The signatories include organizations dedicated to peace from throughout the world, including faith-based groups, international development agencies, policy organizations, and others.