UN International Day of Peace 2011
The theme chosen by the UN for 2011 was "Peace and Democracy: Make Your Voice Heard." For a PowerPoint overview of UPF observances, click here.
- Written by: Oliver Lane, UPF-Perth, Scotland
Perth, Scotland - UPF-Scotland held a UN International Day of Peace event on September 20 in Queen’s Hotel in Perth.
- Written by: UPF - Slovenia
Ljubljana-Škofljica, Slovenia - On September 21, UPF-Slovenia celebrated the International Day of Peace with a discussion of the peace principles and mission of the Universal Peace Federation was followed by music.
- Written by: UPF - Honduras
Tegucigalpa, Honduras - Ambassadors for Peace met inTegucigalpa to commemorate the International Day of Peace on September 21.
- Written by: UPF - Brazil
Sao Paulo, Brazil - Three International Day of Peace events took place in Sao Paulo: a celebration at the Pateo do Colegio on September 21, the inauguration of a Peace Monument at the Youth Park on September, and a Festival of Nations on September 24.
- Written by: UPF - Nigeria
UPF-Nigeria organized commemorations of the International Day of Peace in the states of Plateau, Taraba and Abuja in the latter part of September 2011, seeking to defuse the violence that has plagued areas of the nation.
- Written by: UPF - Guyana
Georgetown, Guyana - There was standing room only as more than 100 persons attended the International Day of Peace Program hosted by the Guyana Chapter of UPF. Prime Minister Samuel Hinds gave the keynote speech.
- Written by: UPF - Canada
Montreal, Canada - UPF-Canada's commemoration of the International Day of Peace in Montreal on Sept. 22, 2011, featured readings and reflections from several religious traditions.
- Written by: UPF - Slovakia
Nitra, Slovakia - UPF-Slovakia organized a program with students in two schools to make Peace Cards to increase awareness of the UN International Day of Peace and to raise funds to support the schools.
- Written by: UPF - Dominican Republic
Barahona, Dominican Republic - UPF-Dominican Republic organized a commemoration of the International Day of Peace on September 21 at the Regional University Center in Barahona.
- Written by: UPF-Russia
To commemorate the International Day of Peace, UPF-Russia organized the project “Run Hour” on September 18 in Moscow, Nizhnevartovsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Novosibirsk, Rostov on the Don River, Vladivostok, and Yekaterinburg. A "We Support Peace" run took place in St. Petersburg the same day. These projects promoted the ideals of the International Day of Peace as well as a healthy and moral lifestyle, family values, and cooperation.
- Written by: UPF - Belarus
Vitebsk, Belarus - Peace activists and government officials held a conference in Vitebsk on the International Day of Peace, September 21. The event was held in the conference room of the Regional Institute for the Development of Education.
- Written by: UPF - Spain
Barcelona, Spain - UPF-Spain organized a commemoration of the International Day of Peace on September 17 on the theme of "Libya: Present and Future."
- Written by: UPF - Italy
UPF-Italy organized programs commemorating the International Day of Peace in Bergamo and Monza.
- Written by: Dr. Chula Seneratne, UPF-Sri Lanka
Negambo, Sri Lanka - UPF-Sri Lanka offered a workshop on character education and peacebuilding at the central college in Negambo on September 23 to mark the International Day of Peace.
- Written by: UPF - Nicaragua
Managua, Nicaragua - UPF-Nicaragua organized a commemoration of the International Day of Peace on September 21 in the principal hall of the Martin Luther King Evangelical Nicaraguan University.
- Written by: Brigitte Wada, President, Women's Federation for World Peace-France
Les Ulis, France - The Women's Federation for World Peace and UPF-France organized a meeting on the topic "Does Multiculturalism Still Contribute to Peace?" on September 17 in a suburb of Paris, in commemoration of the International Day of Peace.
- Written by: UPF - Cameroon
UPF-Cameroon organized commemorations of the International Day of Peace in Yaoundé and Buea on September 21.
- Written by: UPF - Kenya
Nairobi, Kenya - UPF-Kenya celebrated the International Day of Peace on September 24 at the court of the Chief Kadhi in Nairobi. The event began with words of welcome and an invocation by young Muslim girls by chanting a message of peace to mark the UN International Day of Peace together with the Muslim Eid ul-Fitr celebration of the end of Ramadan.
- Written by: Amb. Gerald B. Coleman, UPF-Liberia
Harper, Liberia - A tree planting ceremony took place at the City Hall of Harper in Maryland County in commemoration of the International Day of Peace, September 21. Amb. Gerald B. Coleman, Secretary General of UPF-Liberia and Dean of the College of Engineering & Technology at Tubman University in Harper, gave the congratulatory address.
- Written by: UPF-Central African Republic
Bangui, Central African Republic - UPF-Central African Republic organized three peace conferences, in Bangui, Bimbo and Gababaja, in commemoration of the International Day of Peace.
- Written by: Dr. Robert S. Kittel, Director of Education, UPF-Asia; Photo-journalist, Segye-Ilbo
Kathmandu, Nepal - “Peace and democracy are inseparable,” Hon. Dhan Raj Gurung, Member of Congress, stated at the commemoration of the International Day of Peace, September 21, at the Peace Embassy in Kathmandu.
- Written by: UPF-International
UPF joined thousands of NGOs and civil society organizations in 66 nations around the world to celebrate the United Nations International Day of Peace, September 21, 2011. That same week, the leaders of nations gathered in New York for the opening of the 66th United Nations General Assembly, a session that, once again, brought many seemingly intractable situations before the world body. More than ever, there is a need for fresh ideas and insights into the “things that make for peace.”
- Written by: UPF - Mexico
Mexico City, Mexico - UPF-Mexico joined the NGO Vivir en Paz in a celebration of the International Day of Peace on September 21 at the Universidad Panamericana.
- Written by: Jeremy Jordan, Secretary General, UPF - Israel
Jerusalem, Israel - UPF-Israel organized a Jewish-Christian interfaith meeting at the Dormition Church in Jerusalem on the International Day of Peace, September 21. After the meeting, Jewish Ambassadors for Peace helped mediate a dispute between a church representative and a local rabbi.