International Day of Peace: 2022
“Racism continues to poison institutions, social structures, and everyday life in every society. It continues to be a driver of persistent inequality. And it continues to deny people their fundamental human rights. It destabilizes societies, undermines democracies, erodes the legitimacy of governments, and… the linkages between racism and gender inequality are unmistakable.”
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres
Each year, on the 21st of September, the International Day of Peace is observed. The International Day of Peace was established in 1981 by the United Nations General Assembly. Two decades later, in 2001, the General Assembly unanimously voted to designate the Day as a period of non-violence and cease-fire.
On the day, The United Nations invites all nations and people to honor a cessation of hostilities during the Day, and to otherwise commemorate the Day through education and public awareness on issues related to peace.
The 2022 theme is “End racism. Build peace.”
The removal of racial inequalities and prejudice as one of the impediments to a peaceful society is one of the thematic focused of the Bahá’í Chair. Within this research theme the focus is on structural racism and the ways in which the oppression and suppression of any one people in any society ultimately leads to the oppression of everyone in that society. Poverty, discrimination, segregation and all forms of inequality hold back the advancement, prosperity, and well-being of the whole.
At the Bahá’í Chair for World Peace, our approach is based on an understanding that the complex topic of peace calls for a comprehensive approach and intervention. This requires addressing the many underlying issues involved and employing perspectives from diverse cultures.
As the United Nations outlines in the 2022 International Day of Peace theme
“It requires the building of societies where all members feel that they can flourish. It involves creating a world in which people are treated equally, regardless of their race.”
Structural racism limits us all and without addressing the fundamental inequalities caused by the structure of our society there is no hope for improving community relations, national relations, and international relations. By investigating the underlying structural challenges to equality, and equal opportunity for all, the Chair continues to ask what is required for us to collectively remake and restructure a more just and equitable society?
By exploring these questions, Professor Hoda Mahmoudi, the program’s faculty, and invited scholars, explore the role that social actors and structures play in removing obstacles and creating paths to peace.
You can view all of the events the Chair has hosted, focused on Structural Racism and the Root Cause of Prejudice on our youtube channel here.
About the Author
Kate Seaman is the Assistant Director to the Bahá’í Chair for World Peace where she supports the research activities of the Chair. Kate is interested in understanding normative changes at the global level and how these changes impact on the creation of peace.
You can find out more about the Bahá’í Chair by watching our video here.