IAWPA Honours Yushau Sallau as Eminent Peace Ambassador on International Day of Peace By Raymond Enoch
The International Association of World Peace Advocates (IAWPA), a global peace advocacy organisation committed to promoting peace, dialogue, diplomacy, reconciliation and peaceful coexistence, on Monday, September 21, 2026, joined the international community in marking the International Day of Peace in Jalingo, Taraba State.
The International Day of Peace, observed under the theme “Invest in Peace: For Everyone, Everywhere, Every Day,” highlighted the importance of sustained individual, community and institutional action in building peaceful societies.
The United Nations has used the 2026 theme to recognise the role of “everyday architects of peace” working at grassroots and institutional levels to create stability and lasting peace.
Against this global backdrop, IAWPA honoured Dr. Yushau Sallau with its prestigious Eminent Peace Ambassador Award under the category of Global Diplomat, in recognition of his contribution to peace advocacy and diplomacy.
The award ceremony, held in Jalingo, brought together eminent Tarabans from different walks of life, alongside members and representatives of IAWPA, providing a local platform for reflecting on the global message of peace while recognising individuals whose public engagement is associated with dialogue, reconciliation and peaceful coexistence.
Receiving the honour, Sallau expressed deep appreciation for the recognition, describing it not simply as an award but as a renewed responsibility to continue working for peace.
He said he was “deeply honoured” to receive the Eminent Peace Ambassador Award from IAWPA under the Global Diplomat category.
“I receive this recognition with profound humility and gratitude,” Sallau said, stressing that the honour represented a greater responsibility to remain committed to peace advocacy and the promotion of harmonious relations.
“For me, this is not merely an award; it is a clarion call and a greater responsibility to continue promoting peace advocacy, dialogue, reconciliation, mediation, and peaceful coexistence in our communities and beyond,” he added.
The significance of the recognition was further underscored by its timing, coming on the same day the international community marked the 2026 International Day of Peace.
The Jalingo ceremony therefore connected the international message of the United Nations with community-level recognition of peace advocacy, as participants reflected on the role of individuals, institutions and communities in preventing conflict and strengthening social cohesion.
The presence of eminent Tarabans from diverse sectors, together with IAWPA members, underscored the broad societal responsibility required to sustain peace beyond formal diplomatic engagements.
The 2026 International Day of Peace campaign places particular emphasis on the idea that peace is not built only in diplomatic conference rooms but also through everyday actions in neighbourhoods, classrooms, communities and institutions.
For Sallau, the Eminent Peace Ambassador honour now carries an expanded call to service — using dialogue, mediation, reconciliation and diplomacy as instruments for building bridges and strengthening peaceful coexistence.
The Jalingo event consequently ended not merely as a ceremony of recognition, but as part of the wider global call for individuals and communities to become active participants in the architecture of peace — for everyone, everywhere, every day.
Meanwhile, the Taraba State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to peace and security, stressing that the protection of lives and property remains central to the state’s development agenda. The government said it had continued to strengthen peacebuilding and conflict-management mechanisms, support security agencies and promote collaboration with traditional and religious leaders, while urging youths, women and civil society groups to reject hate speech, intolerance and other actions capable of undermining social cohesion. It further called on Tarabans to move beyond commemorating the International Day of Peace to making peace a daily responsibility through dialogue, tolerance, reconciliation and peaceful coexistence.
