Do you know that the United Nations has declared 2021 as the International year of peace and trust?
It was
proclaimed in resolution A/RES/73/338, which was adopted on September 12, 2019.
The UN General Assembly has adopted this resolution initiated by Turkmenistan. It
is done to promote peace and trust among nations, to make harmonious relations based
on political dialogue, mutual understanding and cooperation, to settle disputes
through peaceful means.
So, let’s
have a small talk about it.
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| 2021: International Year of Peace and Trust |
Need
Our world
is a better place, a lot better than the previous era when there was a lot of
war and hostility all around. The relations between nations are improving and
becoming more harmonic than before. But still, continued efforts need to be
made to establish healthy and peaceful relations.
These
International organizations were made after the second world war, only for establishing
peace, removing the hatred, for creating harmony between nations, for stopping
the war and the destruction it caused. Many lives have been lost in
establishing this very notion of peace. But still, we have got a long way to
go.
According
to the Uppsala Conflict Data Program(UCDP), more than 2.5 million people were
killed from 1989 to 2019 in the conflicts. According to the International
Crisis Group, more than 70 conflicts are going on in 2021. It has observed
deteriorations in 9 countries and conflict areas in March. The conflict in
Myanmar, Ukraine, Niger and 6 more areas have worsened.
Thus, it
seems very appropriate the declaration of 2021 as a year for promoting and
reestablishing peace and trust.
Peace and Trust
Peace is a
state when people can resolve their conflict without violence and can work
together to improve the quality of their lives. It is a belief that instead of
solving disputes or disagreements through war, we should solve them through
peace treaties. No matter how bad the situation is, violence should not be used
ever.
“It is far
better if we use our words to fight rather than our weapons.”
Trust is
our belief in someone or something for their reliability. It is built with
time, with effort. As goes the saying “Whatever we give, comes back to us.” So, to
be trusted, we should first be loyal to others and gain their trust step by
step. If we betray someone, we will get betrayal in return. Maybe not by the
same person but someone else or something else or in some other way. If a
nation betrays another, then the trust is broken which results in conflicts and
more chaos which in turn cause the loss of the nation's people.
Peace and
trust go hand in hand. Peace and trust involve accepting differences and be
able to respect, recognize and appreciate others. For developing peaceful
relations, trust needs to be developed first. We can be less aggressive and hostile
and more of a listener when we trust our opponent. We will be ready to
understand each other’s points of view and will also be able to express
ourselves more effectively. We will be open for discussion.
The same
goes for international relations, trust between nations develops harmony and
peace. It is built through treaties and deals and various other means. Trust is
built on trust. It is like a brick wall where bricks are laid over each other
and each brick plays an important role in developing it. Just like this, each
dialogue, each conversation acts as a brick and make the wall of trust, on
climbing which nations get new understanding, a growing environment, that
enhances the quality of life of people and reduces the miseries of poor.
Peace and
trust are the things we need the most at present when the world is going
through this tough and vulnerable phase. We all need to become support systems
for our people, for everyone. We should forget the mini conflicts and raise our
standards and encourage peace and trust among each other. We, being social
animals need to confide in others. Those others need to be people whom we can
trust. So, it's better if everyone can be trusted. We trust doctors with our
health, we trust security forces for our security, we trust teachers for our
education, we trust policymakers for better policies. This trust needs to be
there. If it is not there, conflict will arise. Hence, peace and trusts are
interlinked.
Maintaining Peace and
Trust
There are
various ways for maintaining peace and trust between nations. Some of them are
solving disputes through multilateralism, diplomacy, disarmament, countering
terrorism, peacebuilding and peacekeeping, etc. These can be effective in
resolving issues through non-violence and sensitivity.
Multilateralism
It is the
policy of making multilateral agreements i.e., in which three or more groups,
nations, etc. take part to find a common solution. The UN in its resolution
acknowledges that this approach could help in encouraging the culture of peace
and advancing the UN's three pillars, namely, sustainable development, peace
and security, and human rights.
Diplomacy
Diplomacy
is the practice of influencing and convincing the decisions of foreign
governments or organizations through dialogue, negotiation, and other
non-violent means. The UN wants to encourage this preventive diplomacy for conflict
prevention and to avoid wars for the benefit of mankind.
Disarmament
The
conflicts can be prevented by eliminating and avoiding the use of nuclear
weapons and other weapons that cause mass destruction. The regulation of arms
can prevent conflicts such as in Myanmar.
Countering terrorism
Proper
strategies and techniques are adopted to counter-terrorism by the member states
of the UN. Implementation of these would be a step towards establishing peace
in terrorists hijacked areas.
Peacebuilding and
Peacekeeping
The countries
emerging from conflict are more likely at risk of relapsing into conflict
again. The organization thus maintains peace and security by helping in
constitutional processes and elections and protection of human rights and
starting its goals of sustainable peace and development.
So, are you willing to convey this notion forward?
Will you
try to resolve your conflicts with words or will you stick to your weapons?
About The Author:
I'm Chanchal Yadav. Well, I am a daydreamer who can be as practical as possible. I love drawing, sketching, reading fiction, and writing. I believe in the importance of emotional well-being more than anything.
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