United Nations International Day of Peace 2017
The United Nations set the theme for this year's observance as
"Together for Peace: Respect, Safety and Dignity for All."
- Written by: Brigitte Wada, president, WFWP-France
Paris, France—The 2017 International Day of Peace was celebrated at an evening program with the theme given by the United Nations: “Together for Peace: Respect, Safety and Dignity for All.”
- Written by: UPF-France
Lyon, France—Leaders of local NGOs met at the Espace Culture et Paix (Culture and Peace Space) to celebrate this year’s International Day of Peace.
- Written by: Andrew Halim, UPF-New Zealand
Auckland, New Zealand—UN International Day of Peace 2017 was commemorated by UPF-New Zealand on September 30 at the Parnell Peace Embassy in Auckland.
- Written by: UPF-Ecuador
Quito, Ecuador—UPF-Ecuador held events in the cities of Guayaquil and Quito to celebrate the UN International Day of Peace 2017.
- Written by: Mike Samuel Makenda, director of communications, UPF-DR Congo
Kinshasa, DR Congo—On the occasion of UN International Day of Peace, UPF-DR Congo, in collaboration with the Congolese government, organized an event to launch the UPF National Peace Council.
- Written by: Dmitry Oficerov, secretary general of UPF-Siberia
Novosibirsk, Russia—The 2017 International Day of Peace was celebrated with debates between college students on the topic "Eurasian Union: Present and Future."
- Written by: Beni Vitai, UPF-United Kingdom
Vladivostok, Russia—The 2017 International Day of Peace was celebrated with a "Let There Be Peace!" festival featuring hundreds of hand-made “peace flowers.”
- Written by: Anja Brina, UPF-Germany
Düsseldorf, Germany—The 2017 International Day of Peace was commemorated with a discussion of Syria and a proposal for bringing peace there.
- Written by: Miguel Werner, secretary general, UPF-Argentina
Buenos Aires, Argentina—On September 21, UPF-Argentina celebrated the International Day of Peace at El Templete, Buenos Aires. The event included an interfaith ceremony, speeches, a poem reading and acknowledgements to institutions and supporters of Peace Road 2017.
- Written by: UPF–Central African Republic
Bangui, Central African Republic—To commemorate the UN International Day of Peace, the Central African Republic branch of UPF organized a peace education workshop.
- Written by: Robert Bentele, UPF-Germany
Munich, Germany—The local branch of UPF marked the 2017 International Day of Peace by organizing an interfaith peace prayer meeting.
- Written by: Frederick Wakhisi, secretary general, UPF-Kenya
Nairobi, Kenya—Celebrations in honor of the International Day of Peace, Eid–Ul-Haj and Peace Road 2017 were held at the home of the Hon. Rashid Omar, deputy chief of the Kadhi court (Nairobi) on September 30.
- Written by: Hubert Arnoldi, UPF-Stuttgart
Stuttgart, Germany—UPF and the Stuttgart House of Religions joined forces to commemorate the 2017 UN International Day of Peace.
- Written by: Barbara Grabner, UPF-Slovakia
Bratislava, Slovakia—“Peace Is More Than Just the Absence of War” was the theme of the UPF-Slovakia program honoring the 2017 UN International Day of Peace.
- Written by: Robin Marsh, secretary general, UPF-UK
London, United Kingdom—UPF-UK commemorated the UN International Day of Peace by holding a discussion on the theme “How Do We Stop the Next War?”
- Written by: UPF-Japan
Tokyo, Japan—On the occasion of the 2017 UN International Day of Peace, UPF-Japan, together with the Council of Religious Ambassadors for Peace, organized the project, Prayer for World Peace with Paper Cranes, in Tokyo.
- Written by: UPF-Sri Lanka
Moratuwa, Sri Lanka—To commemorate the International Day of Peace, UPF-Sri Lanka in cooperation with the municipal council of and a local hospital in Moratuwa city organized a clinic, offering free medical and dental care for one day.
- Written by: UPF-Kosovo
Pristina, Kosovo—UPF and affiliated organizations celebrated the 2017 UN International Day of Peace by holding a Peace Road event in the capital.
- Written by: UPF-Peru
Ayacucho, Peru—UPF-Peru hosted the Peace Road and held events to celebrate the International Day of Peace in the mountain city of Ayacucho.
- Written by: Dmitry Samko, secretary general, UPF-Moscow
Moscow, Russia—Social equality, character education, friendship and brotherhood were among the themes of a celebration of International Day of Peace.
- Written by: Anne Bellavance, international vice president, WFWP-Oceania
Melbourne, Australia—Peacebuilding within the diverse, multicultural city of Melbourne was the focus of the 2017 celebration of International Day of Peace.
- Written by: Binod Paudel, secretary general, UPF-Pakistan
Multan, Pakistan—UPF-Pakistan commemorated the UN International Day of Peace 2017 by co-organizing a seminar with the Multan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI).
- Written by: Emiljun Rapada, UPF-USA
United States—UPF marked the 2017 UN International Day of Peace in more than a dozen locations across the United States.
- Written by: Manjola Vasmatics, secretary general, UPF-Tirana
Tirana, Albania—UPF-Albania and affiliated organizations marked the 2017 UN International Day of Peace by helping orphaned children on their journey of education.