NGO Committee at UN Calls for Dynamic Commitment to Peace
- khwang562
- Sep 19
- 2 min read
New York, United States –The NGO Committee on Spirituality, Values and Global Concerns-NY (CSVGC-NY) celebrated the UN International Day of Peace on September 19, 2025, at the Church Center for the United Nations in New York; the event was co-sponsored by UPF. The program opened with a moment of silence, followed by a moving prayer for peace by Dr. Joni Carley, keeper of the sacred, global advisor on values-driven leadership and cultural development, and representative of Pathways to Peace at the United Nations.
Agenda highlights included a presentation by Ms. Monica Willard, representative of United Religions Initiative at the UN. Ms. Willard has championed interfaith and peace initiatives at the UN since 1997, and co-chairs the International Day of Peace NGO Committee. She spoke about the history and importance of the International Day of Peace, which was established in 1981 by the UN General Assembly. Two decades later, in 2001, the General Assembly unanimously voted to designate the day as a period of non-violence and ceasefire.
The theme for this year’s campaign is “Act Now for a Peaceful World.” UN Secretary-General António Guterres referred to the present era of crisis in his statement: “Around the world lives are being ripped apart, childhoods extinguished, and basic human dignity discarded, amidst the cruelty and degradation of war.” He emphasized that in a time of turbulence, tumult, and uncertainly, it is critical for everyone to take concrete action to mobilize for peace. Peace is not just a vision, it is a call to action that each of us can answer by promoting understanding, respect, and justice in our daily lives. All must speak up against violence, hate, discrimination, and inequality; practice respect and embrace the diversity of our world.
Prof. Dr. S. N. Jacobs-Abbey, resource advocate of CSVGC-NY, emphasized that peace is not passive, not merely the absence of conflict – it is an active, dynamic force requiring deliberate engagement, conscious choices, and sustained commitment to transformative action. It demands that we move beyond rhetoric to embrace the difficult work of building bridges where walls exist, extending hands where fists have been raised and choosing dialogue where silence has reigned. He called on all participants to mark this day as a turning point in their collective commitment to inevitable peace, saying, “The future of peace is in our hands.”
