science

Global ceasefire

Global ceasefire is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Global ceasefire rather than just read about it. In short: A global ceasefire is a temporary stoppage of war on a planetary scale, i.e., by every country. A global ceasefire was first proposed by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday, 23 March 2020, as part of the United Nations' response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Key takeaways

Global ceasefire belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Global ceasefire to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Global ceasefire from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

A global ceasefire is a temporary stoppage of war on a planetary scale, i.e., by every country. A global ceasefire was first proposed by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday, 23 March 2020, as part of the United Nations' response to the COVID-19 pandemic. On 24 June 2020, 170 UN Member States and Observers signed a non-binding statement in support of the Appeal, and on 1 July 2020, the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding a general and immediate cessation of hostilities for at least 90 days and requesting that the UN Secretary-General accelerate the international response to the coronavirus pandemic.

2020-2021 global ceasefire

Appeal United Nations Secretary-General António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres issued the 'Appeal for Global Ceasefire' in a verbal statement delivered on March 23, 2020. The statement declared COVID-19 to be a common enemy, highlighted that the world's most vulnerable, such as women and children in conflict zones, were at most risk, noted that health systems had collapsed in conflict areas, emphasized the folly of war, appealed directly to warring parties, and called for an immediate global ceasefire.

To warring parties, I say: Pull back from hostilities. Put aside mistrust and animosity. Silence the guns; stop the artillery; end the airstrikes. This is crucial…The Appeal quickly accumulated support in the General Assembly, resulting in 172 UN Member States and Observers signing a non-binding statement in support. UN Security Council (UNSC) support was complicated by the issue of non-state actors and great power conflicts but after just over three months resulted in a UNSC resolution (S/RES/2532 (2020)) in support of the Appeal.

Timeline 23 March 2020: UN Secretary-General Guterres issues the 'Appeal for Global Ceasefire', also stating that he communicated with the leaders of the G20 on the same day. 29 March 2020: Pope Francis issues statement in support of UN Secretary-General Guterres' call for a global ceasefire. 2 April 2020: A Russian resolution to back a global ceasefire and end trade wars and sanctions is rejected by a western alliance in favour of a more general commitment, General Assembly resolution A/RES/74/270, calling for international cooperation, global solidarity, and multilateralism in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. 3 April 2020: UN Secretary-General Guterres reports approximately 70 UN Member States were supporting the Appeal, of which 11 were locked in long-term conflicts, with the appeal also being supported by civil society networks, non-state actors, and regional partners. 8 April 2020: The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis in the Yemeni conflict states that it is halting military operations. 14 April 2020: French President Emmanuel Macron declares support for the ceasefire appeal and states that he has also secured support from three of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (China, Great Britain, and the United States) and appears optimistic of securing the support of Russian President Vladimir Putin. 24 June 2020: Led by Malaysia, 170 UN Member States and Observers sign a non-binding statement calling on all actors to support the ceasefire appeal, rising to 172 on 25 June 2020. 1 July 2020: The UN Security Council passes resolution S/RES/2532 (2020), demanding a "a general and immediate cessation of hostilities in all situations on its agenda" and expressing support for "the efforts undertaken by the Secretary-General and his Special Representatives and Special Envoys in that respect." The resolution also calls for "all parties to armed conflicts to engage immediately in a durable humanitarian pause" of at least 90 consecutive days and requests that the Secretary-General enhances the United Nations' response to the pandemic, particularly in conflict zones." The Security Council... Requests the Secretary-General to help ensure that all relevant parts of the United Nations system, including UN Country Teams, in accordance with their respective mandates, accelerate their response to the COVID-19 pandemic with a particular emphasis on countries in need, including those in situations of armed conflict or affected by humanitarian crises...

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Global ceasefire

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Global ceasefire claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Global ceasefire before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Global ceasefire ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Global ceasefire

In research: Global ceasefire appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Global ceasefire in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Global ceasefire is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Ceasefires, Military diplomacy, Military strategy, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Global ceasefire outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Global ceasefire in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Global ceasefire means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Global ceasefire out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Global ceasefire in simple terms?

Why does Global ceasefire matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Global ceasefire?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Global ceasefire.