UN Photo/Mark Garten Secretary-General António Guterres rings the Peace Bell during the ceremony held at UN headquarters in observance of the International Day of Peace 2024 (21 September).

By Vibhu Mishra

Amid escalating global conflicts, deepening divisions and mounting crisis, the UN Secretary-General on Friday urged everyone around the world to “cultivate a culture of peace”.

Speaking at the annual Peace Bell Ceremony, António Guterres warned that war is spreading, inequalities are growing, and new technologies are being weaponized without safeguards.

“International institutions must be better positioned to respond,” he stressed.

The Secretary-General’s appeal comes ahead of a pivotal moment for global cooperation.

Later this month, world leaders will gather for the Summit of the Future, a landmark event aimed at tackling pressing challenges impacting human rights, climate change and security, military technology – and efforts to get the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) back on track.

“We have a chance for change…in short, we must ‘cultivate a culture of peace’,” he emphasized.

International Peace Day

That, Mr. Guterres continued, is also the theme of this year’s International Day of Peace, which will be marked on 21 September.

“It is a cause all us devotees of peace and justice must rally behind, this day and everyday – through the Summit of the Future and beyond,” he said.

Establishing the International Day in 1981, the General Assembly declared that it should be devoted to commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace both within and among all nations and peoples.

Two decades later, in 2001, the General Assembly further designated the International Day as a time of non-violence; calling for ceasefires worldwide.

Work for tolerance

Also speaking at the ceremony, Philémon Yang, President of the 79th session of the General Assembly, underscored the need to restore trust and solidarity among nations.

He noted conflicts and crises mounting - from Ukraine and Gaza to Sudan, Myanmar, Haiti and elsewhere - adding that people are “desperately looking for a glimmer of hope”.“Let us ring the Peace Bell today and send a message of hope for peace. Let us work towards tolerance and dialogue,” he urged.

In so doing, we can also accelerate progress towards sustainable development and ensure universal respect for the human dignity of everyone, everywhere, he added.

UN Photo/Loey Felipe A view of the Peace Bell at the UN Headquarters, in New York.

Bell rings out

The ceremony included the traditional ringing of the Peace Bell, which was cast in the 1950s from coins and medals donated by people all over the world, including the Pope, as a symbol of hope for peace.

The Bell is rung twice a year: on the first day of spring, at the Vernal Equinox, and to commemorate the International Day for Peace.

The Peace Bell has also sounded on other special occasions, such as on 26 April 2011 to mark 25 years since the devastating Chernobyl nuclear reactor accident.