By DPA
Kabul : The United Nations called for a global ceasefire on Friday’s ‘International Day of Peace’ as it concentrates this year’s observance on Afghanistan.
Friday should be “a 24-hour respite from fear and insecurity,” UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said in a press statement released Wednesday from UN headquarters in New York.
“As the guns fall silent, we should use this opportunity to ponder the price we all pay due to conflict, and we should resolve to vigorously pursue ways to make permanent this day’s pause,” Ban said.
He also called for people around the world to observe a moment of silence at noon for the Day of Peace, observed every year on Sep 21 by UN member countries.
The UN’s major target for this year’s observance is Afghanistan, which has seen violence dramatically escalate this year. The UN called on all parties to the conflict there to lay aside their weapons Friday.
“To save even a single life is a success,” Bo Asplund, Ban’s deputy special representative for Afghanistan, said in Kabul.
The Day of Peace in Afghanistan is also to be marked in Afghanistan with prayers, media programmes, humanitarian drives and cultural activities.
On Wednesday, UN workers began a three-day polio immunization drive in restive areas of southern and eastern Afghanistan because the Day of Peace should also be used to reach children in need, the world body said.
The campaign has grown to encompass every region of the country with activities ranging from prayers in mosques to cultural events, such as poetry readings, painting exhibitions and writing competitions. Radio and television stations are also programming round-table discussions and call-in shows to discuss peace.