Celebrated every year on January 1, Global Family Day starts the new year with a positive message of unity to the world. Yes, believe it or not, we are all one! Cultures and religions across the world may be different but, the truth is, all of mankind is a large family that can survive and succeed only if united. And yes, this is a goal that can be achieved — all that is required is spreading the message of peace and unity.
HISTORY OF GLOBAL FAMILY DAY
Global Family Day, also known as World Peace Day, is celebrated every year to promote the concept of harmony and unity in the world. Furthermore, it emphasizes the idea of the world as a global village in which we are all family, regardless of citizenship, borders, or race.
It all started in 1997 when the United Nations General Assembly launched the International Decade for the Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World — as of the first day of the new millennium. Linda Grover was a key figure in promoting this in the U.S. and other efforts to promote it included books such as “One Day in Peace – January 1, 2000”. This book revolved around the concept of a day in the future where there is only peace and no war.
However, this was just the beginning of a new peaceful world and, in 1999, all U.N. member states received an invitation to formally dedicate the first day of that particular year to develop strategies towards peacebuilding. Seeing the positive impact of the day, Global Family Day was declared an annual event by the U.N. in 2001.
GLOBAL FAMILY DAY TIMELINE
117–138 A.D.: Roman Times
Emperor Hadrian introduces the term ‘peace’.
3rd Century: Advocating for Peace
Religions and philosophies promote the concept of peace.
1945: Effects of World War II
The United Nations is founded to ensure wars between countries don’t happen so easily again.
1960s: A New Concept
Johan Galtung speaks of ‘positive peace’, a concept that encourages a modification in social attitude towards accepting peace.
GLOBAL FAMILY DAY FAQS
What is a global family?
‘Global family’ refers to the concept of a global village where different parts of the world are seen as one community.
Why do we celebrate Global Family Day?
It’s an international day celebrated to promote world peace.
How do we celebrate Global Family Day?
Events are often conducted by organizations and the importance of a united world is emphasized.
HOW TO OBSERVE GLOBAL FAMILY DAY
- Arrange an informative webinar for your community
- Find intellectual academics and hold an hour-long webinar on peace and its importance. The webinar should have a discourse regarding methods that can be adopted to influence the next generation towards peacebuilding.
- Create a petition to stop wars/conflicts
- This will be super easy since all you need is the internet to create a petition. Here’s what you need to do: Pick a specific ongoing conflict, research it, reveal the atrocities being committed, and ask people to join in on the cause. A petition with a large number of signatures can actually convince powerful peace-building organizations to take a stand.
- Study peacebuilding
- Watch a movie or documentary on peacebuilding or read up on it in the library or on the internet.
5 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT PEACE
- The philosophy of nonviolent protests
- Martin Luther King was a civil rights leader recognized for fighting for human rights through peaceful protests.
- The world spends more on war
- Yearly, $1.8 trillion is spent on arms globally — the U.N. peacekeeping system costs $50 billion.
- The Global Peace Index
- According to the result of 2020, Iceland is the most peaceful country in the world.
- The war zone
- Afghanistan is number 163 in the Global Peace Index.
- Working towards a better future
- 184 organizations in the U.S. are working towards peacebuilding.
WHY GLOBAL FAMILY DAY IS IMPORTANT
- It reminds us that we are one big family
- No matter which part of the world we reside in, the fact is, we are all human beings with hearts flooded with love. Our differences have been created by politicians and it’s days like Global Family Day that remind us how connected we are.
- It works towards ending discrimination
- Global Family Day is essential since it highlights that people of all races, religions, and countries are one. By celebrating it every year, we ingrain a message of peace in the younger generation.
- It can ensure World War III never takes place
- By constantly drumming the message of peace into the youth, we are raising leaders who will oppose war and, in effect, ensure the mistakes of the past are never repeated.
Source: nationaltoday