SEPTEMBER 21 IS INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE

The International Day of Peace is a United Nations sanctioned holiday that is observed annually. This is a day that is dedicated to world peace, specifically the absence of war and violence. First celebrated in 1981, the International Day of Peace observes 24 hours of non-violence and cease-fire.

The 2023 theme for this holiday is Actions for Peace: Our Ambition for the Global Goals. This is a call to action that recognizes our individual and collective responsibility to foster peace. Fostering peace contributes to the realization of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs—link to learn more below). The UN believes that achieving the Sustainable Development Goals will create a culture of peace for all.

Many SDGs align well with our DEI committee goals and with the services WET provides, including the following:

• Good health and well-being
• Gender equality
• Clean water and sanitation
• Decent work and economic growth
• Industry, innovation, and infrastructure
• Reduced inequalities
• Sustainable cities and communities

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said, “Peace is needed today more than ever. War and conflict are unleashing devastation, poverty, and hunger—and driving tens of millions of people from their homes. Climate chaos is all around. And even peaceful countries are gripped by gaping inequalities and political polarization.” These are problems which many of us are aware of and may feel strongly about and the UN hopes that the International Day of Peace unites people to commit to peace above all differences.

How can WET and WET employee owners adopt these principles?

• Promote a culture of peace and acceptance
• Speak out about inequalities you may see or experience on the job and in everyday life
• Cultivate a mindset of cooperation and working together with those around you to solve problems at work or even life’s biggest, seemingly insurmountable problems
• Work towards a societal shift in traditional ways of thinking to be more equitable, fair, and open-minded
• Practice nonviolence in work situations, such as peaceful behavior during conflict and awareness of inner violence and eliminating its negative effects upon our own intentions
• Use your influence and power to help those with less of a voice than you may have
• Hire across societal lines—this builds good relations between communities
• Avoid becoming cynical about the state of the world
• Join the Peace Wave today at noon
• Take a minute of silence and maybe reflect on inner and external peace practices you can adopt