Published on: 2026-09-09
Source: United Nations
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September 9, 2026 Peace and Security
On Wednesday, the traditional Peace Bell ringing ceremony was held in the Japanese garden at the UN headquarters in New York. Secretary-General António Guterres, whose term ends at the end of the year, conducted it for the last time. He urged world leaders, who will gather at the UN in the coming weeks for the High-Level Week of the General Assembly, to undertake the “hard work” of building lasting peace.
“Every year the sound of the World Peace Bell reminds us of our most important and responsible task – building peace,” Guterres said.
Peace, he emphasized, is never a passive achievement: “Peace is hard work. Peace is action.”
However, today, warned the head of the UN, efforts for peace are stalling: violence and division are destroying communities, conflicts are expanding and deepening, people are suffering, and there is a desperate lack of dialogue and solidarity, without which it is impossible to [find effective] solutions.
People themselves show the way
Where governments are unable to provide peace, people show another way, noted the Secretary-General. Around the world, volunteers, activists, civil society leaders, and peacekeepers bear the main burden of this work. Through their actions, according to the Secretary-General, they embody this year’s International Day of Peace theme – ‘Invest in peace, for all, everywhere, every day.’
Guterres called on world leaders to follow the example of those who stand for peace: to invest in sustainable development – healthcare, education, nutrition, and social protection; to strengthen institutions that people can trust; to safeguard the rights and dignity of every person; to return to proven tools of peace – diplomacy, dialogue, negotiations, and peacekeeping – and to immediately put an end to wars and conflicts.
“Today I urge world leaders to stand shoulder to shoulder with us: to act, invest in solutions, and do the hard work of building a strong, sustainable world,” he said.
“This is the last time I am calling the Peace Bell. But I will always support peace advocates around the world,” the Secretary-General added.
Peace in the whole world
The Peace Bell was gifted to the United Nations in 1954. It was cast from coins donated by delegates from 60 nations who attended the 13th General Conference of the United Nations Association, held in Paris in 1951.
The bell is suspended on a wooden structure reminiscent of a traditional Shinto shrine. On its side are depicted eight Japanese characters meaning “long-term absolute peace throughout the world.”
The Japanese Peace Bell is traditionally rung on the occasion of the opening of the General Assembly in September, which coincides with the International Day of Peace observed on September 21.
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