International Day of Living Together in Peace

  The principle of subsidiarity reorients relations between local actors and other power centres following the logic of "as local as possible, as global as necessary". It places a central focus on national, subnational and local leadership to drive peace processes that are responsive and accountable to the needs of local communities. Subsidiarity involves new ways of understanding accountability and responsibility for the successful outcomes of any peace process . Who responsible for making peace sustainable? How can they be held accountable and to whom? Ultimately, local actors and individuals , including political elites, social groups and business actors , are responsible for the sustainabilityof peace processes . Each must also acknowledge that they are part of larger political, socio-economic and gendered dynamics that fuelled conflict and tensions in the first place, and that local conflicts and insecurities do not exist in isolation nor emerge in a vacuum. The id...

  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...

 Living in freedom from fear is a basic human need and right. There can be no peace without security. A stable and secure political order requires accountable security institutions to provide security as a public good, to respect Humanrights Law and Humanitarian Law and to follow agreed principles governing the use of force in society. Security institutions and forces must have sufficient capacity, clear mandates and missions, and regulatory oversight to meet the evolving security needs of a population moving towards sustainable peace . Ending violent conflict and creating a secure and safe environment for political, social and economic life to flourish are vital for meaningful and durable peacemaking efforts to take root and should be the primary goal of peace operations. Development and military assistance should respect the dignity of affected populations and align with concrete, locally led efforts to address the underlying drivers of violence, including social and economic is...

Enhancing the long-term legitimacy of peace processes - and of the actors involved in peacemaking - is a primary the objective for successful, sustainable and effective peace . Legitimacy is not static or given but emerges and is shaped simultaneously by how political settlements are arrived at, who was involved in designing the peace, what agenda for change it articulates, what it delivers to conflictaffected societies and communities, and what kinds of relationships it embodies. Peacemaking builds institutional legitimacy by transforming coercive capacity and personalised influence into formal and informal acceptance of transparent and agreed-upon laws, institutions and power holders. Peace processes and outcomes that support the effective participation of all social groups in public life, and in particular of women and other marginalised groups, are more legitimate. Ultimately, the goal is to generate sustainable political relationships and respect for the rule of law through tr...

 In December 11th, of the Year 2017, by Resolution 72/130 , the United Nations General Assembly  proclaimed May 16th as 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

  Humility : International actors should adopt the role of midwives, not "architects" or "designers" of peace, proactively enabling peacemaking processes while ensuring the well-being and security of all. Peacemaking is open-ended, dynamic, adaptive and unpredictable and needs to be approached with humility. All peacemakers, both insiders and outsiders, must be empathetic, compassionate, open to alternative perspectives and respectful of the efforts of others, in their deeds as well as in their words . They must also be aware of the limitations of programmes and policies to achieve change in a complex environment.  - Implications and recommendations - National actors, including political, economic and social elites, power holders, and security actors should formally acknowledge the legitimate aspirations of the population, the limits to their power and influence, and their responsibility to act for the common good. International actors must be highly - and visibly ...