The International Day of Peace 2022 with the theme: End Racism, Build Peace was observed to celebrate peace on the Plateau. The topic that was considered is, Fostering Social Cohesion & Mutual understanding for Sustainable Peace in Plateau State: The Role of Local Communities. The event was celebrated in grand style in Jos, Plateau State on 20th and 21st September, 2022 with a Peace march on 20th and a Town Hall meeting on 21st September, 2022, held at Crispan Hotel and Event Center. Sponsors of the program, Tearfund, NRC and Mercy Corps and all their implementing partners, in conjunction with the Plateau State Peace Building Agency brought together all Civil Society Organizations in Plateau to celebrate the day with the people of Plateau State, especially people from local communities that have gone through one crisis situation or the other who are now living peacefully with their neighbors. The Plateau State Governor H.E Simon Bako Lalong who was represented by the Commissioner of Information attested to the fact that there is now peace on the Plateau compared to the way it was some years back. He said the peace being enjoyed today is as a result of the relentless efforts of the State Government and the CSOs working tirelessly to ensure that peace is restored to the state. The governor in his speech made it known that the state can only grow and touch the lives of individuals when there is peace, he said without peace, there will be no meaningful development. He enjoined everyone to live in peace with each other and report any activity that will truncate the peace of the land that everyone is enjoying at the moment. Some implementing partners of Tearfund on the JISRA project were given the opportunity to talk about the project and the communities where it is implemented. SUWA Advocacy Officer, Mr. Emmanuel Ochala gave a brief insight into SUWA’s work in Plateau and Kaduna States and how many lives the JISRA project has touched in these states. He said many success stories have been recorded in the communities where the JISRA project is being implemented.
