UN Day of International Peacekeepers
Reflection
There is a desire for peace in the hearts of all people. In wars it is not the leaders or deciders for war that suffer. It is the innocents, the men and women who are called to the military, the women and children who are caught in the violence and destruction of war. War spells disaster, not just for all the countless human victims, now and of yet unborn generations, but for the earth as well.
the theme for Peacekeepers’ Day 2020 is “Women in Peacekeeping – A Key to Peace.” Women peacekeepers are essential for promoting sustainable peace and help in improving overall peacekeeping performance.
UN Peacekeepers are facing one of their greatest challenges yet – the COVID-19 pandemic. Peacekeepers are assisting governments and local communities in the response to the pandemic and are continuing to adapt their activities to execute their mandates, including protecting vulnerable communities. Women peacekeepers are on the front lines in this fight.
Prayer
Make us instruments of your peace.
Action
Acquaint yourself with the efforts of the UN to unite the international community.
Think of the Peacekeepers who have given their lives in the service of international work for peace. Support the UN as an effort to bring nations to a unity beyond their individual national interests.
Suggested Reading
They shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
Isaiah, II:4
Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children (sons) of God.
Matthew 5:9
But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High.
Luke 6:35
Peace builds bridges, whereas hatred is the builder of walls. You must decide, in life: either I will make bridges or I will make walls.
Pope Francis
Peace does not mean an absence of conflicts; differences will always be there. Peace means solving these differences through peaceful means; through dialogue, education, knowledge; and through humane ways.
Dalai Lama XI
It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it.
Eleanor Roosevelt
If you want to end the war then Instead of sending guns, send books. Instead of sending tanks, send pens. Instead of sending soldiers, send teachers.
Malala Yousafzai
I do not want the peace that passeth understanding. I want the understanding which bringeth peace.
Helen Keller
Peace cannot be kept by force, it can only be achieved by understanding.
Albert Einstein
There is no trust more sacred than the one the world holds with children. There is no duty more important than ensuring that their rights are respected, that their welfare is protected, that their lives are free from fear and want and that they grow up in peace.
Kofi Annan
A truly free society must not include a “peace” which oppresses us. We must learn on our own terms what peace and freedom mean together. There can be no peace if there is social injustice and suppression of human rights, because external and internal peace are inseparable. Peace.is not just the absence of mass destruction, but a positive internal and external condition in which people are free so that they can grow to their full potential.
Petra Karin Kelly
But peace does not rest in the charters and covenants alone. It lies in the hearts and minds of all people. So let us not rest all our hopes on parchment and on paper, let us strive to build peace, a desire for peace, a willingness to work for peace in the hearts and minds of all of our people. I believe that we can. I believe the problems of human destiny are not beyond the reach of human beings.
John F. Kennedy
United Nations peacekeepers are not the remedy for COVID-19, but in many places they are a part of the treatment plan.
Jean-Pierre Lacroix
Peace is the only battle worth waging.
Albert Camus
The structure of world peace cannot be the work of one man or one party or one nation. It must be a peace which rests on the cooperative effort of the whole world.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt