International Day of Peace – September 21, 2009

Background

Since 1982, people around the world have celebrated the annual International Day of Peace.  Each year events are organized to reaffirm a commitment to creating a more peaceful and just world.  Events range in scale from private gatherings to public concerts and forums where hundreds of thousands of people participate.

The Role of Social Workers

Working towards peace and social justice has always been central to the profession of social work.    Jane Addams, one of the founders of social work, is credited with contributing to the founding of the United Nations, and was the first woman from the United States to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931.  The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) has also been involved in promoting peace and social justice since its founding.  The NASW Code of Ethics provides a broad mandate for promoting these core values. Standard 6.01, NASW Code of Ethics, states, “Social workers should promote the general welfare of society, from local to global levels, and the development of people, their communities, and their environments...and should promote social, economic, political, and cultural values and institutions that are compatible with the realization of social justice.”

Peace Day offers the opportunity to highlight the role of social workers and others who promote peace and address structural and cultural sources of violence that affect communities and individuals every day. 

Take Action

Get informed!

• For further information on Peace Day, click here
• For information on NASW’s Peace Policy Toolkit, click here
• For the International Federation of Social Workers Statement on Peace and Social Justice, click here

Get involved!

The International Day of Peace offers an opportunity to increase pressure on policy makers, governments and international organizations around the world to actively work for peace.  It is also an opportunity for peaceful gatherings to celebrate peace building and conflict prevention. 
Click here for ideas about how to get involved.