UN International Day of Peace
Each year on September 21, the UN invites all nations and people to honor a cessation of hostilities and commemorate the International Day of Peace through education and public awareness on issues related to peace. In the quest for peace, UPF and its Ambassadors for Peace around the world organize commemorations of the International Day of Peace each year.
- 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.
- Written by: UPF - Uruguay
Montevideo, Uruguay - UPF-Uruguay organized an interreligious peace summit in commemoration of the International Day of Peace on Sept. 21, 2011, at the Radisson Montevideo Victoria Plaza Hotel.
- Written by: Johann Hinterleitner, UPF-Estonia
Torva, Estonia - UPF-Estonia organized an International Day of Peace event at a school in southern Estonia on September 21.
- Written by: UPF - New Zealand
Auckland, New Zealand - UPF-New Zealand organized a commemoration of the International Day of Peace on September 21 at the Maori Anglican Church meeting hall.
- Written by: UPF - UK
UPF-UK organized forums about peace initiatives in various parts of the world in commemoration of the International Day of Peace: in South London on September 18, at Lancaster Gate in London on September 19, and in the borough of Bromley on September 20.
- Written by: Vitaly Maksimov, UPF-Georgia
Tbilisi, Georgia - UPF-Georgia in partnership with the NGO "Georgia – help for refugees" and the Foundation of Intercultural Relations "Future Stars" organized a program for children of internally displaced people and poor families on September 18 at the Mushtaid Park in Tbilisi.
- Written by: UPF - Venezuela
Caracas, Venezuela - The International Day of Peace was celebrated on September 21 with a walk for peace from the entrance to the Francisco de Miranda Park to the Brión de Chacaíto Plaza and concluding with a presentation about HIV/AIDS and drug abuse prevention.
- Written by: UPF - Russia
Moscow, Russia - Near the Moscow Memorial to the anti-Fascist coalition, UPF-Russia joined other partners and youth organizations a ceremony commemorating the International Day of Peace on September 21. School children offered flowers at the memorial and received special flags as peacemakers from UN officials.
- Written by: M.F. Schmittat, Secretary General, UPF-Cambodia
Phnom Penh, Cambodia - Responding to the UN call for youth to promote peace and democracy at the occasion of International Day of Peace, around 30 young Ambassadors for Peace visited Tuol Sleng <--!Genocide -->Museum on September 18 after they listened to a presentation on the Principles of Peacebuilding and Conflict Resolution.
- Written by: UPF - Netherlands
Amsterdam and The Hague, Netherlands - UPF-Netherlands organized International Day of Peace commemorations on September 21 in the Dialogue Center in Amsterdam and on September 22 at Christus Triumfator Church in The Hague.
- Written by: UPF - Marshall Islands
Majuro, Marshall Islands - UPF-Marshall Islands organized commemorations of the International Day of Peace on September 21 at the College of Marshall Islands and at the Peace Embassy in Majuro. Building on the theme "Democracy and Peace," the programs included a ceremony, presentations on the topic, and opportunities for discussion.