International Day of Living Together in Peace

  In 2017, the United Nations declared 16 May the International Day of Living Together in Peace, to promote peace, tolerance, inclusion, understanding, and solidarity across the world. Each year on this day, we reaffirm our commitment to international cooperation as our approach to solving challenges of an economic, social, cultural or humanitarian character and in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all. Today, we are facing the most challenging crisis since the Second World War. COVID-19 poses a serious threat to maintenance of international peace and security - potentially leading to an increase in social unrest and violence that would undermine our ability to fight the disease. The United Nations has called for an immediate global ceasefire to work together on the actual fight – defeating the pandemic. It is time to silence the guns and bring hope to those who are most vulnerable. Over 100 Member States, diverse regional organizations...

  Promoting pluralism and embracing diversity across communal, political, social, economic and gender divides, ensuring Fair and equal participation inpublic life and providing equitable access to institutions and services , are key foundations for sustainable peace . A pluralistic approach will not strive to eliminate differences and produce uniformity, or to simply promote tolerance in cold coexistence , but to accept differences as enriching for society and reinforcing a sense of belonging for all social groups. The Peacemaking Covenant sees pluralism as a tool that empowers everyone to participate meaningfully, including those who otherwise remain at the margins, to cocreate outcomes that respect the dignity of all. Pluralism shifts from inclusion as token representation to authentic political processes that value the contributions of all, support the expression of diverse views and priorities for society, and create a fair space of influence for diverse groups. Inclusio...