Peace is the North Star During and the Post COVID-19 Pandemic

A landmark handshake-former Prime Minister Raila Odinga & President Uhuru Kenyatta bridge their differences and sign a declaration of peace between the two political leaders. March 9, 2018. Credit: State HouseBy Siddharth Chatterjee and Walid BadawiNAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 21 2020 (IPS) Amid various global conflicts in the 1980s and 1990s, the International Day of Peace (IDOP) was established to commemorate the strengthening of the ideals of peace globally. Today, peace is not just the absence of conflict, but a key prerequisite for development. It is in recognition of the crucial linkages between peace, respect for human rights and sustainable development that more than 36 indicators for peace were included across the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Just like charity, peace begins at home. Kenya stands out as a paradigm of locally crafted peace processes and cross-border initiatives with Ethiopia and Uganda that are gaining global visibility. March 9, 2018 will go down in Kenya’s history books as one of many defining moments when the country took a step closer towards peace. On this day, on the steps of Harambee House, President Uhuru Kenyatta and Rt Honorable, Raila Odinga, shook hands. This averted a major political crisis that was characterized by calls for regional secession, economic boycotts and mobilization for civil unrest. The theme of this year’s IDOP is ‘building peace together’ which reminds us of what has been achieved, and what remains to be done ...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tags: Africa Armed Conflicts Development & Aid Economy & Trade Featured Headlines Health Human Rights Humanitarian Emergencies Inequity Peace Poverty & SDGs Sustainability TerraViva United Nations Source Type: news