National Peace Council Commemorates Peace Day with Call for Daily Investment in Peace

The National Peace Council (NPC), in collaboration with its partners, has commemorated the 2026 International Day of Peace with a call on students and citizens to make practical, everyday investments in peace and become champions of peaceful coexistence in their schools and communities.

The commemoration, held on Monday, 21 September 2026, at the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT in Accra, was organised under the theme, “Invest in Peace – For Everyone, Everywhere, Every Day.”

The event brought together representatives of government institutions, diplomatic missions, development partners, civil society organisations, youth groups, traditional and religious leaders, the media and other peacebuilding stakeholders.

Delivering the keynote address, the United Nations Resident Coordinator, Mr Zia Choudhury, described peacebuilding as slow, steady and continuous work rather than a one-time event. He commended the NPC for its sustained contribution to Ghana’s peace architecture and called for stronger private-sector participation in peacebuilding, in line with Sustainable Development Goal 17 on partnerships.

Mr Choudhury cautioned against complacency, citing violence in senior high schools, poverty, inequality, hate speech and growing global polarisation as issues that require sustained attention. He also noted that developments in neighbouring countries, including Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire and Mali, should concern Ghana because of shared borders and interconnected security and development challenges.

Drawing on a personal experience from his childhood in Glasgow, Scotland, where football allegiances sometimes reflected wider religious divisions, Mr Choudhury encouraged students to practise respectful public debate, embrace dialogue and reject hate speech.

He stressed that peacebuilding is not the responsibility of the State, the National Peace Council, traditional authorities or religious institutions alone, but a shared responsibility of every citizen.

The NPC Governing Board Chairman, Most Rev. Emmanuel Kofi Fianu, called for sustained national investment in peacebuilding, cautioning that Ghana’s reputation for peace and democratic stability should never be taken for granted.

He noted Ghana’s 76th position in the 2026 Global Peace Index, describing it as a reminder of the need for continued vigilance and deliberate action to preserve social cohesion and democratic stability.

“Peace is not a permanent inheritance, but a public good that must be renewed through deliberate action,” Bishop Fianu stated.

The Chairman further disclosed that between January and September 2026, the National Peace Council had undertaken eight major mediation and fact-finding interventions across six regions, as part of its preventive peacebuilding mandate.

He also noted that during the first two quarters of 2026, the Council’s school engagement initiatives reached 118 schools nationwide, with messages on peaceful coexistence, tolerance, non-violence and the Vigilantism and Related Offences Act, 2019 (Act 999).

Speaking at the event, Bishop Victor Osei, a member of the NPC Governing Board, urged the students of Accra High School and Accra Girls Senior High School to take responsibility for the kind of school and society they want to build.

Sheikh Armiyawo Shaibu also called for strengthened counselling services in schools, noting the important role of guidance and counselling in preventing and addressing violence among students.

The students participated actively in the commemoration, reinforcing the central message that peace must be practised not only at the national level but also in classrooms, homes, communities and on digital platforms.

NPC appreciates partners

The National Peace Council expressed its deep appreciation to the Government of Ghana, civil society organisations and development partners for their continued support for the Council’s peacebuilding mandate.

The Council made special mention of Catholic Relief Services (CRS), GIZ and TUDEC for their timely support following the flooding of the National Office on 29 June 2026. Their assistance contributed to efforts to respond to the impact of the incident and support the Council’s continued operations.

The NPC reaffirmed that strong partnerships remain essential to sustaining Ghana’s peace infrastructure and strengthening the country’s capacity to prevent, manage and transform conflicts.

The commemoration ended with a renewed call for Ghanaians, particularly young people, to make peace a daily responsibility and to invest in dialogue, tolerance, respect and non-violence.