IDP 2025: UN -Eminate Dr. Ballison Dunason Snr, Calls for Courage and Shared Responsibility on Achieving Global Peace.
By Raymond Enoch
| In a striking message marking this year’s International Day of Peace, Dr. Ballison Dunason Snr, UN-Eminate and prominent global peace advocate, has urged the international community to demonstrate courage, collective responsibility, and sincere cooperation in confronting the challenges threatening global peace and sustainability.
In a statement he made available today,in Abuja Nigeria Dr. Dunason said the 2025 observance, themed “Acting Together for a Sustainable Future,” arrives at a pivotal time for humanity. According to him, the world is facing an unprecedented convergence of crises — from armed conflicts and climate change to systemic inequality and mass displacement — all of which continue to test the moral and political resolve of nations. He noted that peace cannot be separated from the urgent need for justice, equality, and environmental preservation. “There can be no peace without justice, no justice without equality, and no equality without a healthy planet to sustain us all,” he stated.
Dr. Dunason described peace not merely as the absence of war, but as the active presence of opportunity, dignity, and justice. He said individuals across the world, particularly young people, women, and grassroots communities, are already showing what it means to be peacebuilders by demanding change and innovating local solutions to global problems. Their actions, he noted, serve as a powerful reminder that sustainable peace requires inclusive participation and that real peace must be rooted in fairness, compassion, and shared effort.
He warned that distrust and division are eroding societies from within, making cross-cultural dialogue and cooperation more urgent than ever. According to Dr. Dunason, the rise in global tension and political fragmentation can only be countered through the deliberate building of trust — trust that grows when leaders truly listen to their people and when individuals choose empathy over prejudice. “Dialogue is not optional — it is essential,” he said. “Peace thrives where there is trust, and trust begins when we listen to one another.”
Importantly, Dr. Dunason emphasized that the responsibility for peace does not rest solely with heads of state or international institutions. He argued that each individual must recognize their role as a peacemaker, adding that the decisions people make daily — in their homes, schools, workplaces, and communities — help shape a global culture of peace. Acts of kindness, he said, no matter how small, are the seeds from which lasting peace can grow.
Dr. Dunason concluded his statement with a passionate appeal to humanity to move beyond symbolic gestures and embrace real, courageous action. “Let us resolve to build bridges instead of walls, to create hope instead of despair, and to hand over to the next generation not the scars of conflict but the promise of unity,” he said. “Peace is our common inheritance — and our shared responsibility.”
As the world pauses to reflect on the meaning of peace in 2025, Dr. Dunason’s message serves as a clear reminder that achieving a sustainable and peaceful future will require not just ambition, but unity, empathy, and collective resolve.
