KABUL - In United Nations-backed radio and television broadcasts and community events to mark this year’s International Day of Peace, Afghan women, men and children came together in a spirit of solidarity to make their voices heard on peace, development and a conflict-free Afghanistan.

The theme of this year’s Peace Day – ‘Partnerships for Peace, Dignity for All’ – was at the forefront of the events organised by the United Nations in partnership with Afghans around the country, to highlight the commitments, purposes and principles upon which the world body was founded.

The General Assembly established the International Day of Peace in 1981 to coincide with its opening session. In 2001, the Assembly unanimously voted to establish 21 September as an annual day of non-violence and cease-fire – a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples.

Across Afghanistan, participants in UN-backed events leading up to Peace Day, and held on the day itself, talked about the dire consequences of conflict, the desperate need for durable peace and their necessary role, as individuals, in laying the foundations for a conflict-free Afghan society.

As one example of a UN-supported Peace Day event, community leaders told an audience of more than 700 people gathered in Kandahar that Afghan youth are crucial for stability and peace in Afghanistan. The programme, backed by the regional office of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), was broadcast on television and radio to an estimated audience of 300,000 people.

Additional activities in the UNAMA Peace Day series are scheduled for Nuristan, Laghman, Balkh, Jawzjan and Samangan provinces. They include debates and discussions, as well as live radio and televised roundtables on the role of youth in building peace in Afghanistan.

“This year’s International Day of Peace comes at a time of deadly violence and destabilizing conflicts around the world,” said United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in his message for the day. “I call on all warring parties to lay down their weapons and observe a global ceasefire; to them I say: stop the killings and the destruction, and create space for lasting peace.”

Meanwhile, in Kabul today, an estimated 300 people attended a Peace Day event that included music and the spreading flowers on city streets to illustrate that the ground is paved for those who want to join the peace process.

“We have come here to raise our voices for peace and want others to join us,” said Sami Darayee, a civil society activist and the event’s organizer. “Afghans have suffered a lot and they need peace as a priority.”