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António Guterres speaks at the annual ceremony at the Japanese Peace Bell on the grounds of the UN Headquarters in New York.
“Every year, the ringing of the Peace Bell reminds us of the most important and important task we have: building peace,” he said.
Peace is in danger
He emphasized that “peace is never a passive achievement” and requires hard work and action, but action for peace remains shaky.
“Violence and division are tearing the community apart,” he said. “Conflicts are expanding and deepening. Communities are suffering. And the dialogue and solidarity needed to find solutions are missing from action.”
The Secretary General’s application is submitted first International Day of Peace on September 21, which is celebrated under the theme ‘Investing in Peace: For Everyone, Everywhere, Every Day.”
Follow the leaders
He highlighted the volunteers, advocates, civil society leaders, peacekeepers and peacemakers around the world who bring this theme to life.
He noted that “when the government failed to bring about peace, the people showed another way” by voicing their opinions, bridging divisions and healing communities.
The Secretary-General urged world leaders preparing to gather at the UN in the coming weeks to follow their lead by investing in health, education, nutrition and social protection, as well as by building institutions and systems that people can trust.
Solidarity, action and investment
They must also safeguard human rights and dignity, recommit to “the proven tools of peace – diplomacy, dialogue, negotiation and peacekeeping, and ending war and conflict.
“Today, I call on world leaders to stand with us: take action; invest in solutions; and do the hard work to build lasting and sustainable peace.”
A symbol of eternal peace
The Japanese Peace Bell is served to the UN by the Japanese UN Association on June 8, 1954.
The bells are made from coins donated by delegates from 60 countries and individual contributions from various types of metal, and are housed in a wooden structure that resembles a traditional Shinto shrine.
Speaking at the time, Renzo Sawanda, a Japanese UN observer, said that “the bell symbolizes the aspiration for peace not only of the Japanese people but of all peoples of the world. Therefore, the bell symbolizes the universality of the United Nations.”
The bell is rung twice a year on the first day of spring, on the vernal equinox, and to commemorate the International Day of Peace.
“This is the last time I will ring the Peace Bell,” said Guterres, who will leave the UN at the end of the year, but stressed that “I will always support peacemakers around the world.”
