The UN Declares the International Day of Conscience
Achieving Peace with the Power of Hope and Actions
Dr. Hong, Tao-Tze
Zhang-men-ren of Tai Ji Men
Vice President of the Association of World Citizens,
NGO in Consultative Status with ECOSOC and Associated with the UN DPI
President of the Federation of World Peace and Love
July 25, 2024
Distinguished guests, dear friends, ladies and gentlemen,
Good day!
On July 25, 2019, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution titled “Promoting the Culture of Peace with Love and Conscience,” declaring April 5 as the “International Day of Conscience.” This day underscores the importance of conscience, aiming to harness the positive energy of love and conscience from people worldwide to collectively promote a culture of peace globally. The resolution emphasizes that by promoting the “International Day of Conscience,” global citizens can practice conscience together, embodying tolerance, inclusion, understanding, and solidarity to build a peaceful, harmonious, and sustainable world.
In the blink of an eye, this July marks the fifth anniversary of the UN's adoption of the International Day of Conscience. Observing the current global situation, we see how technological advancements have increased the destructive capabilities of weapons, escalating tensions between nations. Geopolitical crises, fraught with military conflict, have the potential to spread globally, making relationships among people and between nations fragile and precarious. As highlighted in the resolution, the International Day of Conscience constitutes a means of fostering peace. All countries are urged to make good use of education and civic power to accelerate the development of conscience education in accordance with local conditions and cultural practices, and to raise public awareness of the objective of the International Day of Conscience. The day aims to inspire people to utilize the positive power of conscience in their lives and to face their conscience bravely before acting. With conscience, they will be able to tell right from wrong, truth from falsehood, and good from evil.
The preamble of the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights” states: “Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind.” I sincerely remind the people of the world that what is needed to stop a war is not stronger and more powerful weapons, but conscience, which is loving and tolerant towards all human beings. Our world desperately needs empathy among people, and we hope that global citizens no longer suffer from pain, famine, or fear, or lose their lives because of war. May everyone harbor hope for the future, unleash their potential, and create personal value within the finite span of life. Instilling the values of a culture of peace and global sustainability should begin in early childhood, just as a proverb suggests, “It takes ten years to nurture a tree but a hundred to educate a person.” Through the education of conscience, the power of conscience will guide people’s actions, and people's kind hearts and good deeds can effectively prevent disasters, end wars, overcome hatred, negativity, and extremism, and avoid misfortunes while actively improving welfare for all.
The culture of peace is a force that leads us to see hope for the future, making us willing to unite and help each other. Love and conscience are the foundations for peacemaking, helping humanity achieve sustainability and prosperity, and displaying vitality and vigor. Love and conscience are also key to fostering wisdom and creating opportunities for life. With good culture comes good education; with good education comes a good economy; and with a good economy, naturally, peace and prosperity are created.
Since 2014, I have been promoting the movement of “An Era of Conscience,” and we initiated the advocacy for the “International Day of Conscience” as a civic society organization. I thank the United Nations General Assembly and all member states for making the UN’s designation of the International Day of Conscience possible. I hope that with our collective power of hope and actions, we can accelerate the convergence of the power of conscience, intensifying the gathering of kind intentions and good deeds worldwide, to secure more time and hope for the survival of future generations, so that we can create a world of peace that is genuinely true, good, and beautiful.
With conscience comes a peaceful world.
With happiness come joyful families.