United Nations Non-Violence Day

On June 1st, 2007, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution naming October 2nd, which is Mohandas Gandhi’s birthday, an “International Day of Non-Violence.” This is obviously laughable in light of Gandhi’s undeniable racism and promotion of violence as documented in his own words.

The United States did not help pass this resolution. However, you should contact the United States Mission to the United Nations to urge them to protest its passage.

To protest this resolution, please contact the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Zalmay Khalilzad. You can contact him through his website.

You can also contact the office of the United States Mission to the United Nations.

(212) 415-4050
Press and Public Affairs Section
United States Mission to the United Nations
140 East 45th Street
New York, N.Y. 10017

Text of the Resolution

Sixty-first session
Agenda item 44
Culture of peace

The General Assembly,

Reaffirming the Charter of the United Nations, including the principles and purposes contained therein,

Recalling its resolutions 53/243 A and B of 13 September 1999, containing the Declaration on a Culture of Peace and the Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace, 55/282 of 7 September 2001 on the International Day of Peace and 61/45 of 4 December 2006 on the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World, 2001-2010, as well as other relevant resolutions,

Bearing in mind that non-violence, tolerance, full respect for all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, democracy, development, mutual understanding and respect of diversity, are interlinked and mutually reinforcing,

Reaffirming the universal relevance of the principle of non-violence and desiring to secure a culture of peace, tolerance, understanding and non-violence,

1. Decides, with effect from the sixty-second session of the General Assembly and guided by the Charter of the United Nations, to observe the International Day of Non-Violence on 2 October each year, with the International Day being brought to the attention of all people for its celebration and observance on this date;
2. Invites all Member States, organizations of the United Nations system, regional and non-governmental organizations and individuals to commemorate the International Day of Non-Violence in an appropriate manner and to disseminate the message of non-violence, including through education and public awareness;
3. Requests the Secretary-General to recommend ways and means by which the United Nations system and the Secretariat of the United Nations could, within existing resources, assist Member States, upon request, in organizing activities to commemorate the International Day of Non-Violence;
4. Also requests the Secretary-General to take, within existing resources, necessary measures for the observance by the United Nations of the International Day of Non-Violence;
5. Further requests the Secretary-General to keep the General Assembly informed at its sixty-third session on the implementation within the United Nations system of present resolution as regards the observance of the International Day of Non-Violence.

Nations Sponsoring the Resolution

Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
Angola
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Armenia
Austria
Bangladesh
Belarus
Benin
Bhutan
Bolivia
Botswana
Brazil
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cambodia
Cameroon
Chile
China
Colombia
Costa Rica
Côte d’Ivoire
Croatia
Czech Republic
Denmark
Dominica
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Eritrea
Estonia
Ethiopia
Fiji
Finland
France
Gabon
Germany
Ghana
Grenada
Guatemala
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Honduras
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iraq
Ireland
Italy
Jamaica
Lebanon
Lesotho
Lithuania
Madagascar
Malaysia
Maldives
Mali
Mauritius
Mexico
Micronesia (Federated States of)
Monaco
Mongolia
Montenegro
Morocco
Mozambique
Myanmar
Nauru
Nepal
Netherlands
Nicaragua
Nigeria
Oman
Palau
Papua New Guinea
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Romania
Russian Federation
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Samoa
Senegal
Serbia
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
South Africa
Spain
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Sweden
Switzerland
Thailand
The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
Timor-Leste
Tuvalu
Uganda
Ukraine
United Kingdom
United Republic of Tanzania
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)
Viet Nam
Zambia
Zimbabwe