Celebrating Friendship, Cultivating Peace ~ SMART AND CASUAL

Celebrating Friendship, Cultivating Peace

By: Shanya Mair Laureen D. Pajao

Last July 30, 2015, our IRFS 141 class celebrated the International Day of Friendship in JW 440, Downtown campus at 3:00 to 4:30 in the afternoon. The programme started with the singing of the Philippine National Anthem and the United Nations Hymn. Next was the report about the International Day of Friendship, which was reported by the representatives of the different groups in class. After that is the most awaited part of all, the food. We had a delicious cake decorated with different country flags. We also had chips paired with iced tea.

What is the International Friendship Day? It is a celebration of local friendship customs and international bonds. It was proposed by Dr. Ramon Bracho in Paraguay on July 20, 1958 through the Cruzada Mundial de la Amistad or the World Crusade of Friendship.

In 2011, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the International Day of Friendship. They believe that friendship between people, countries, cultures and individuals can inspire peace efforts and build bridges between communities. It puts emphasis on involving young people, as future leaders, in community activities that include different cultures and promote international understanding and respect for diversity. To celebrate the International Day of Friendship the UN invites and encourages governments, international organization, and civil society groups to hold events, activities and initiatives that contribute to the efforts of the international community towards promoting a dialogue among civilizations, solidarity, mutual understanding and reconciliation.

One of the purposes why we celebrate the friendship day is to support the goals and objectives of the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace and the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World. Furthermore, it also stresses the importance of having a Culture of Peace, a set of values, attitudes and behaviors that reject violence and endeavour to prevent conflicts by addressing their root causes with a view to solving problems. This is because enormous harm and suffering are caused to children through different forms of violence. The promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence should be instilled in children through education because if children learn to live together in peace and harmony that will contribute to the strengthening of international peace and cooperation.

Moreover, there is also a Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace, there are eight areas of actions for nations, organizations, and individuals to undertake for a culture of peace to prevail, these are, foster a culture of peace through education, promote sustainable economic and social development, promote respect for all human rights, ensure equality between men and women, foster democratic participation, advance understanding, tolerance, and solidarity, support participatory communication and the free flow of information and knowledge, and promote international peace and security.

“Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that defences of peace must be constructed.” It is of great importance that the people around the world recognize the relevance of friendship as a noble and valuable sentiment in the lives of human beings around the world. It is through friendship, unity, and cooperation that we cultivate peace.