Doha, September 20 (QNA) - The world observes the International Day of Peace every September 21, an occasion designated by the United Nations to reiterate its commitment to the principles of peace, repudiate violence, and promote dialogue, understanding and cooperation among peoples and nations.

This comes at a time when the need is growing to address the causes of conflicts and invest in conditions that enable communities to achieve stability and development.

This year's observance comes under the theme, "Invest in Peace - For Everyone, Everywhere, Every Day" underscoring that peace isn't merely the absence of war, but an all-encompassing environment built on security, dignity, opportunity and cooperation that requires sustained political, economic and social investment.

 The United Nations stresses that peace is an essential foundation for collectively addressing the challenges facing humanity.

Against this backdrop, the substance of this year's message takes on particular importance as crises and conflicts continue in different parts of the world, leaving humanitarian and socioeconomic fallout in their wake.

This, in turn, brings to the fore the importance of preventing conflicts, settling disputes through peaceful means, and strengthening institutions capable of building and sustaining peace.

Since the occasion was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on Nov. 30, 1981, the United Nations has continued to focus each year on peacebuilding efforts and call on governments, organizations, communities and individuals to help consolidate a culture of dialogue, tolerance, respect for diversity and human rights, and to make the occasion a global clamor for ceasefires and the rejection of violence in all ongoing conflicts.

  Meanwhile, the United Nations emphasizes in its message for this day that the concept of peace goes beyond the mere absence of war to encompass safety, dignity, opportunity and cooperation in daily life.

It also stresses that peacebuilding doesn't take place only in negotiation rooms and conference auditoriums, but also begins in schools, neighborhoods, local communities and everyday relationships among people.

In his message marking this day, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres pointed out that peace isn't made only at conference tables, but also in classrooms, neighborhoods and everywhere people meet with open minds and hearts, calling for day-to-day efforts to build a more just world grounded in compassion, equality and dignity for all.

In this context, the importance of investing in peace stands out as a long-term process encompassing support for dialogue, strengthening the rule of law, protecting human rights, providing access to education, employment and basic services, and addressing inequalities that can contribute to the emergence of tensions and conflicts.

Achieving enduring peace is also tied to addressing the root causes of conflicts rather than merely dealing with their consequences after they erupt, making conflict prevention, mediation and dialogue essential tools in international efforts to advance peace.

Meanwhile, international actors are reemphasizing that peacebuilding is a responsibility that doesn't fall on any one party, but rather requires the combined efforts of states, international and regional organizations, civil society, educational and media institutions, local communities and individuals.

  This responsibility requires respect for international law and human rights, providing space for dialogue, supporting mediation and reconciliation efforts, protecting civilians, and strengthening communities' resilience, alongside providing the resources needed for humanitarian and development efforts in conflict-battered areas.

The United Nations' role in supporting mediation efforts, peacekeeping and humanitarian assistance is also gaining prominence at a time when peacekeeping operations face challenges stemming from the intractable conflicts and the need for enduring resources and political support.

The United Nations has affirmed that investing in peacekeeping is part of investing in a more secure future.

As part pf this, the concept of investing in peace has taken on dimensions that go beyond direct spending on peacekeeping operations or political mediation. It includes investing in people, communities and institutions, as well as in education, health, poverty reduction and expanded employment opportunities- factors that can bolster communities' ability to withstand crises.

Conversely, the message calls for drawing inspiration from the courage of people who work for peace in their local communities, schools and neighborhoods, and calls on world leaders to invest in a future in which all people can live in congeniality.

According to specialists in security and peace issues, peace is closely intertwined with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 16 on promoting peaceful and inclusive societies, providing access to justice for all and building effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.

Regarding the foremost challenges facing efforts to prevent conflicts and resolve disputes, international relations expert and consultant Dr Ahmed Ghaith Al Kuwari, told Qatar News Agency (QNA) that the problem lies not so much in the absence of peace tools as in the lack of political will to use them at the right time.

 Indeed, this is the most important issue, he said, stating that the world possesses a broad international system for mediation, negotiation and conflict prevention, but it oftentimes moves only after war breaks out, whereas it needs to act beforehand.

Moreover, competition among major powers, conflicting interests and the use of crises as part of influence calculations have made some conflicts longer-lasting and more complex, weakening the ability of international institutions to address them, Dr. Al Kuwari added.

Dr. Al Kuwari stated that the entry of external parties into local conflicts transforms an internal crisis into a theatre of regional or international competition. Therefore, the real challenge is not merely how to stop a war after it erupts, but how to make the cost of a political settlement lower than the cost of prolonging the conflict in the calculations of the parties involved.

Dr. Al Kuwari remarked that the world spends lavish sums managing the consequences of conflicts, while far less is spent politically or economically on preventing their causes.

Therefore, investing in diplomacy doesn't simply mean holding negotiations after war breaks out, it also means building enduring channels of communication and figuring out the grievances, interests and fears that gave rise to a conflict before they turn into weapons, he pointed out.

Dr. Al-Kuwari applauded Qatar's mediation experience in various conflicts, which had demonstrated that keeping channels of communication open even under the most difficult circumstances can create an opportunity that didn't exist on the ground.

Yet the success of mediation is measured not only by reaching a ceasefire, but also by its ability to answer a more difficult question: What will dissuade the parties from returning to arms a year or five years from now, he wondered, stating that this is where peace moves from a temporary agreement to a viable political, and socioeconomic project.

Regarding what is required of the international community and multilateral institutions to enhance the prospects for political settlements and build enduring peace that is acceptable to the parties to a conflict, Dr. Al Kuwari said the international community first and foremost needs to restore trust. That trust cannot be restored through statements, but through consistency in positions and the enforcement of international law without selectivity.

It is pretty difficult to convince peoples of the value of the international system if they feel that principles change depending on the country, the crisis or political interests, he underlined.

Dr. Al Kuwari contended that settlements reached without the involvement of affected communities may bring about a ceasefire, but they don't necessarily produce sustainable peace.

Therefore, he noted, community forces, women, young people and those affected by conflict must be involved in building the post-conflict order. At the same time, mediation and preventive diplomacy should be given greater resources and political authority, rather than waiting for catastrophe and then spending many times those resources on relief and reconstruction.

Sustainable peace, ultimately, isn't merely an agreement signed by governments, it is a condition in which people feel they have a genuine stake in ensuring that war doesn't return, Dr. Al Kuwari suggested.

Lastly, Dr. Al Kuwari said peace doesn't begin when an agreement is signed, rather, the real test of peace begins the day after it is signed. Its requirements are grounded in justice, security, development, respect for human dignity and the rule of law, alongside institutions capable of managing disagreements without allowing them to turn into violence.

He added that lasting peace can't be built while a sense of injustice, exclusion or lack of opportunity persists, because these factors leave the causes of conflict simmering beneath the surface even when the guns fall silent temporarily.

Therefore, reconstruction shouldn't be confined to roads and buildings but should also encompass rebuilding trust between people and the state and among the various components of society themselves, Dr. Al Kuwari continued.

He stressed that the best practical definition of peace lies not only in ending war, but also in building a reality in which people have no reason to return to it.

For his part, Dr. Hassan Al Haj Ali, a professor of political science at Lusail University, stated to QNA that entrenching the concept of peace within the institutions of the family, school and community is achieved through the daily conduct modeled by those who lead these institutions, including through discussions of issues they raise and reconciling the views that emerge from those discussions.

He added that educational institutions can contribute through the curricula they offer, including courses on a culture of peace, while encouraging research and deliberations that reinforce this culture and offering academic awards aimed at advancing a culture of peace.

Dr. Al Haj Ali added that there is a need to pursue public policies focused on advancing sustainable development in communities. In this regard, national and international institutions must work in unison, while the public and private sectors join forces to develop individuals' capacity to achieve their goals and provide opportunities that enable them to reach those goals.

He emphasized that international institutions could provide national institutions with best practices pursued in different parts of the world to facilitate the achievement of peace through sustainable development.

Dr. Al Haj Ali stressed that what matters most is to turn the observance of this day from a symbolic occasion focused on celebrating for a single day into a vehicle for programs devoted to spreading a culture of peace throughout the year, with the participation of official and civil-society institutions and culminating in the celebration of this day.

Examples of such programs include staging theatrical activities and book exhibitions, he said. (QNA)