THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE TO BE OBSERVED WORLDWIDE

Global and Local Observance Planned in Every UN Nation State

This year's annual global observance of the International Day of Peace, September 21, [2009] is capturing the attention of people, communities and nations worldwide. Based on last year’s reports, it is estimated that there will be over 10,000 events on the planet this year, sponsored by thousands of organizations, and that over 200 million people will participate. These will range from ceasefires, during which humanitarian aide is administered, to religious and interfaith services. They will include educational activities and volunteer programs; government proclamations, media events, and many types of activities by human rights, environmental, cultural and civic groups to draw attention to their particular aspect of ‘peacebuilding’; there will also be numerous private observances and events by many businesses and professionals. Noted celebrities as well as religious and government leaders historically speak out on behalf of this occasion. There will be vigils, performances, workshops, ceremonies, fundraising events, peace parties, community service projects, exhibits, walks, films, letter writing campaigns, peace fairs and much more.

There will be large-scale celebrations in cities such as Sydney, Okinawa, Amsterdam, Tehran, Geneva, Paris, London, Montreal, Havana, Buenos Aires, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Honolulu as well as in countries as diverse as Costa Rica, Dubai, India, Uganda, Lebanon, Turkey, Argentina and The Philippines. In addition, this year, for the first time ever, hundreds of calendar publishers all over the world have printed the International Day of Peace on their calendars; this initiative alone will reach a billion people. Together, these efforts can have both global impact and historical significance as our children observe ‘Peace Day’ annually and incorporate it’s meaning into their lives - year round.

Created in 1981 by unanimous resolution of the United Nations, the fixed calendar date of September 21 was adopted in 2001. The observance of the International Day of Peace has grown exponentially in recent years and now reaches every level of society. One way that anyone can participate is to observe a minute of silence at noon in all time zones worldwide, as requested by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. The UN also arranges ceasefires, during which humanitarian aide is provided to civilian populations affected by conflicts. There are ceremonies at UN Headquarters and all facilities worldwide. This year the UN has created the WMD Campaign to call awareness of the need for reducing weapons of mass destruction as well as nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. The UN promotes this occasion via e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, YouTube, text messages, radio, TV, print and public service announcements.

In addition to UN activities, thousands of international and grassroots organizations create events to promote their particular aspects of peacebuilding - whether they address human rights, the environment, education, health care, poverty, hunger, fair trade, or any of a number of other such worthwhile causes. Many of these organizations work with The Culture of Peace Initiative (CPI); a UN designated Peace Messenger Initiative with over 3,000 affiliated organizations. For more information CPI maintains the following websites: www.cultureofpeace.org and www.internationaldayofpeace.org. On these websites people can learn more about this occasion; they can locate events worldwide; and they can post their own events. Note, events posted on the Culture of Peace website automatically show up on the International Day of Peace website, which receives millions of visits during the month of September each year.