“There will be no peace on this planet as long as human rights are violated somewhere in the world.”

On this International Day of Peace, the words of René Cassin, one of the architects of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, remind us that peace will remain an unattainable ideal as long as fundamental human rights are not respected. They are a prerequisite for a peaceful society in which the dignity of all individuals is respected and everyone can fully enjoy equal and inalienable rights.

These words remind us of our duty of solidarity towards our fellow human beings: peace is imperfect and fragile unless everyone benefits from it; human rights are either universal or they are not. This intrinsic link between peace and respect for human rights is the theme of this year’s International Day of Peace, as this year we celebrate the seventieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The ideals of peace and universal rights are challenged and violated on a daily basis. There are numerous obstacles to their realization. All kinds of challenges test our ability to build a world of harmony, understanding and peaceful coexistence: social and economic inequalities, which lead to distress and poverty; climate change, which gives rise to new conflicts; and the population explosion, which creates new tensions. Forms of populism and extremism are also spreading all over the world.

• Complete message at: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0026/002656/265663e.pdf
• Read more about the International Day at: https://en.unesco.org/commemorations/peaceday