On 2 October, the world marks the International Day of Non-Violence, observed each year on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Established by United Nations General Assembly Resolution A/RES/61/271, adopted on 15 June 2007, the day honours the life and legacy of the man who demonstrated that moral force can overcome oppression.
In his message for this day, United Nations Secretary General António Guterres pays tribute to “the extraordinary life and legacy of Mahatma Gandhi,” recalling that he set an inspiring example of how to create deep, lasting change while holding fast to the principles of peace . For Gandhi, the best way to counter injustice was never to mirror the cruelty of discrimination and oppression, but to employ dialogue and non-violence to build bridges of understanding, deliver dignity and create lasting change.
The Secretary General’s message is sobering. In a time of rising division, tension and conflict, people are suffering, poverty and inequality are driving a wedge between the haves and the have nots, and the very foundations of peace and development, the UN Charter, human rights, international law, diplomacy and dialogue, are being ignored and flouted with impunity . Against this backdrop, he calls on everyone to summon the courage, empathy, dignity and shared humanity that Gandhi exemplified throughout his life, and to heal divisions through genuine dialogue and diplomacy .
Gandhi’s philosophy rested on ahimsa, non-violence understood as an ethical principle and a way of life rather than the mere absence of physical violence, and on satyagraha, the pursuit of truth through non-violent resistance and moral force . From the Salt March of 1930 to his campaigns of civil disobedience, he showed that disciplined, peaceful mobilization could challenge an empire. His example later inspired movements far beyond India, including the Civil Rights Movement led by Martin Luther King Jr .
On this International Day of Non Violence, the message of the Secretary General is also an invitation to each of us: in highly charged times, choose courage over fear, empathy over hatred, and dialogue over violence. A peaceful world is not a naive dream. It is a practice, renewed every day.
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