Every year on October the 2nd, the UN commemorates the works and teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, on the International Day of Non-Violence. This vital component of Gandhi’s teachings which was also the foundation for the Indian Liberation Movement rejects the use of physical violence in movements trying to achieve social and political change. It has since Gandhi’s time been intertwined closely with many movements for social justice, to the extent that it is now often described as “the politics of ordinary people”.

Non-violence as a basic tenet is the foundation of many organizations and institutions. The UN itself was founded as a means of preventing war through dialogue, mediation and arbitration, with the first line of the UN charter reading “WE THE PEOPLES OF THE UNITED NATIONS DETERMINED: to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war”. The General Assembly then in 2007 reaffirmed this in their resolution asking all members of the UN to commemorate Gandhi’s philosophy in “an appropriate manner and disseminate the message of non-violence, including through education and public awareness.”

UNPO, as an organization, has from its very inception adopted the idea of non-violence as one of its basic principles, and as adhered to the philosophy of non-violence as “an active and potent force for attaining certain goals”. UNPO’s activities in the past years have been aimed chiefly at education and raising public awareness, because it is only through these two acts that we can foster the growth of a fair society.

Therefore UNPO asks that this day be used to commemorate the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, on his 144th birthday, and to remember the non-violent activists around the world. Their actions, their endurance, and in some cases, their sacrifices serve as an example of how everyone can engage in non-violent activism, and how the road to enduring social change can only come from non-violent means, as, in the words of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., “the means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek”.

(Photo by: Bee721)