Guterres urges world to heed Gandhi as conflict and division rise
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on the international community to draw on the empathy and courage exemplified by Mahatma Gandhi, saying his lessons carry renewed urgency at a time of rising division, tension and conflict. In his message for the International Day of Non-Violence, observed every year on Gandhi's birth anniversary on October 2, Guterres paid tribute to Gandhi's life and legacy and said his example remains relevant in confronting injustice and suffering.
At a special event at the United Nations organised by India's Permanent Mission, India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni, said Gandhian thought continues to offer guidance on inclusive development, climate concerns, self-reliance and peaceful coexistence. He also linked those values to India's priorities for its UN Security Council seat for 2028-29.
"On this International Day of Non-Violence, we pay tribute to the extraordinary life and legacy of Mahatma Gandhi," Guterres said. He said Gandhi set an inspiring example throughout his life of how to bring about deep and lasting change while remaining committed to peace.
Guterres said Gandhi showed that the best way to counter injustice is not to mirror the cruelty and violence of systemic discrimination and oppression, but to use dialogue and non-violence to build understanding, uphold dignity and create lasting change. "In this time of rising division, tension and conflict, Gandhi's lessons speak to us with renewed urgency," he said.
"People are suffering. Poverty and inequality are driving a wedge between the haves and have-nots. And the very foundations of peace and development - the UN Charter, human rights, international law and diplomacy and dialogue - are being ignored and flouted with impunity," the UN chief said. He added: "In these highly charged times, let's summon the courage, empathy, dignity and shared humanity that Gandhi exemplified throughout his life. Let's work to heal divisions through genuine dialogue and diplomacy, end suffering, and build a peaceful world through non-violence."
The event hosted by the Indian mission was titled "Non-violence as a means to Peace and Development". Addressing UN envoys and officials, Parvathaneni said Gandhi's vision of development through the idea of Sarvodaya speaks to the current need for inclusive, equitable and sustainable development. He said Gandhi's environmental consciousness, reflected in his observation that the Earth provides enough for every person's need but not every person's greed, remains strongly relevant to climate concerns and calls for sustainable living and responsible stewardship of the planet.
Parvathaneni said Gandhi's advocacy of self-sufficiency and self-reliance prepares societies for a world facing disruptive shocks. He said Gandhi's vision of an open society, in which cultural influences from all lands are welcomed without losing one's footing, offers guidance for respecting and living together in multicultural and diverse societies while preserving cultural identity.
He said that in a period shaped by armed conflict, climate crisis, rising extremism and radicalism, technological disruption and deepening inequality, the Gandhian principle of non-violence offers guidance on conflict resolution, social cohesion, environmental conservation and global solidarity. "These values translate into our priorities also, for our own UN Security Council seat for 28-29, whose motto is SHANTI, which in Hindi means peace, standing for securing holistic advancement through norms, trust and integrity, which are fundamental elements in today's world marked by chaos and instability," he said.
Parvathaneni also referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's conversation with Flydubai pilot Smit Machchar, whom he described as brave for risking his life to save the aircraft and a very large number of passengers, enabling the flight to land safely at Tabuk in Saudi Arabia. Modi said that because it was Gandhi Jayanti and the International Day of Non-Violence, Machchar's act "represented a true embodiment of the principle of Ahimsa, or nonviolence, where though he was under attack, he not only endured but showed bravery and courage in ensuring that the flight reached a safe destination and all the passengers under his charge were safe and sound".
"I think in our daily lives here at the United Nations as we grapple with various issues that are enjoined upon us, the message of Mahatma Gandhi acts as a beacon," Parvathaneni said. Earlier, he paid homage at the bust of Gandhi on the northern lawns of the UN headquarters and said, "There is no way to peace, because peace is the way." He added that the line captures the spirit in which the United Nations works for multilateralism, as the observance at the UN brought together calls for dialogue, peace and development through non-violence.
