On 21 September 2026, the 13th Peace Garden Peace Festival was held in Beijing under the theme "New Silk Road, New Thinking Route: International Network Dialogue, Resolutions of Divergences and Conflicts." The event was timed to coincide with the International Day of Peace.
SCO Secretary-General Nurlan Yermekbayev sent a greeting to the participants, which was read out by Deputy Secretary-General Sohail Khan. "The SCO proceeds from the premise that the diversity of civilizations and cultures is an important resource for international cooperation. At the same time, culture remains a universal language of communication that helps maintain dialogue and form a solid foundation for peace, good-neighbourliness and sustainable development. That is precisely why the Organization's member states are steadily expanding interaction along the cultural and humanitarian track," the Secretary-General stated.
© Zhou Guozheng
In 1981, by its resolution 36/67, the General Assembly proclaimed the Day of Peace and set its observance for the third Tuesday of September. Twenty years later, in 2001, it unanimously adopted resolution 55/282, deciding that, as of 2002, the International Day of Peace would be observed annually on 21 September as a day of global ceasefire and non-violence.