AlHijjah 08, 1436, September 22, 2015, SPA -- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon marked the International Day of Peace Monday by appealing to all warring parties to lay down their weapons and observe a global ceasefire and "stop the killings and the destruction, and create space for last peace." "Just as surely as striking this bell makes a sound, we will continue to hammer this point and demand peace," Ban said during the Peace Bell ceremony at U.N. headquarters in New York. "We live at a moment of peril," but also "an era of great promise." "In a matter of days, leaders from across the globe will gather at the United Nations to adopt the 2030 Agenda, our 15-year plan to achieve sustainable development," Ban said. "This is fundamental to ushering in a life of dignity for all, where poverty is history and peace is paramount." The International Day of Peace was established in 1981 by the General Assembly to coincide with the opening of its session, which was held annually on the third Tuesday of September. "On the International Day, as we mark the seventieth anniversary of the United Nations, let us seize the opportunity to achieve the organization's founding purpose: to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war," the U.N. chief said.
