Every year on December 12, people around the world celebrate the International Day of Neutrality. This day is very important for supporting peace, sovereignty, and peaceful solutions to conflicts.

The United Nations has named this day to bring attention to how important it is for countries to stay neutral in international matters in order to be fair and help keep the world safe.

neutrality

How to Understand Neutrality:

As the UN explains it, neutrality is a legal position that a country gets when it decides not to get involved in wars between other countries. It means not taking sides in disagreements and remaining neutral toward those who are fighting. The goal is to promote peace.

How the International Day of Neutrality came to be:

You can track the history of the International Day of Neutrality back to Turkmenistan, a country in Central Asia that has been a permanent neutral state since December 1995.

On February 2, 2017, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) agreed with Turkmenistan’s plan. As a result, December 12, 2017, was officially named the International Day of Neutrality. This was done to bring attention to the link between efforts to maintain peace and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Neutrality and What It Means:

Boosting Global Peace and Security: Neutrality is a key part of boosting peace and security around the world. Nation states help protect principles like sovereignty, territorial integrity, self-determination, and not meddling in the internal issues of other states by staying out of conflicts.

To Encourage Good Relations Between Countries: The day brings attention to how neutrality policies can help countries get along. It recognizes that neutrality could help keep the world safe and peaceful and encourage friendly relations between countries.

Finding peaceful ways to settle disagreements: Neutrality supports finding peaceful ways to settle international disagreements, which protects peace and safety around the world. The UN wants to end conflicts without putting the world’s peace at risk, so this fits with their mission.

Humanitarian Considerations: The International Day of Neutrality is a time to remember how important neutrality is for helping people in times of war. NGOs and humanitarian groups can only do their jobs well if they stay neutral. This way, they can help people who have been hurt without getting involved in the fight.