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Update! It’s today…
Tuesday, September 21, 2010!
Happy peace and nonviolence everyone!
The International Day of Peace!
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has announced that this year’s Peace Day Theme is “Peace, Youth and Development” under the slogan “Peace = Future”.
The International Day of Peace (“Peace Day”) provides an opportunity for individuals, organizations and nations to create practical acts of peace on a shared date. It was established by a United Nations resolution in 1981 to coincide with the opening of the General Assembly.
May Peace Prevail On Earth
Along with being designated by the UN as the International Day of Peace, September 21 is also a day of Global Ceasefire. By acknowledging a unified day without violence, a Global Ceasefire can provide hope for citizens who must endure war and conflict; it proves that worldwide peace is possible. A cessation of hostilities for 24 hours can also enable relief workers to reach civilians in need with food, water, and medical supplies.
In a speech given on the day of Global Ceasefire in 2002, Nasra Hassan, the Chief of Inter-Agency Relations and Fund Raising Branch at ODCCP and former Chief of the United Nations Peacekeeping Best Practices Unit, said that,
“There had to be work on development issues such as drugs and crime otherwise it would not be possible to have a sustainable peace. Ceasefires which were a message of hope to people, were a temporary solution which offered the time and space for an enduring peace to be negotiated and implemented.”
Ban Ki-moon
The importance of a Global Ceasefire has also been stressed by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. In a speech at the 2007 Peace Bell ringing ceremony, he said,
“I call for a day of global ceasefire: A 24-hour respite from the fear and insecurity that plague so many places. I urge all countries and all combatants to honor a cessation of hostilities. I urge them to ponder the high price that we all pay because of conflict. I urge them to vigorously pursue ways to make this temporary ceasefire permanent.”
To help this cause, click the link below and send an email urging your elected officials to support the day of Global Ceasefire (US Elected Officials Only).
www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml
Other Things You Can Do
Plan a Peace Day Event – Media
Media is a powerful tool in peacebuilding work. By getting media involved in International Day of Peace, the message of peace can spread to millions of people all over the world.
Examples of Peace Day events:
– Write an article for your local newspaper about Peace Day or peacebuilding in general
– Encourage your local media to cover stories about Peace Day and to report from different events
– Post a peace video on YouTube and on your blog
– Blog about Peace Day 
– Report on Peace Day events and peacebuilding activities worldwide
– Create a short film about peace, submit to the “Global Peace Film Festival” (www.peacefilmfest.org)
– Do a “Peace Day Special” on your radio show/TV show/blogtalkradio/ustream
– Spread the word now and add an action badge to your blog so your readers can get involved too
Filed under: activism, international politics, News, nonviolence, Peace, politics, progressive politics Tagged: | Activism and Peace Work, Ban Ki Moon, blogging, blogging for peace, International Day of Peace, Peace, Peace Day, United Nations, united states, youtube
[…] Blogging International Peace Day 9/21/10 (www.onthewilderside.com) […]
I’m sorry I missed this year’s Blogging International Peace Day…hopefully I’ll catch the next one!
I am involved in Blogblast for Peace, which asks every blogger to express their wishes for peace in their own artistic ways (and there are so many!) The person who started this, if you are interested, is Mimi Lenox of mimilenox dot com, who founded the movement four years ago in 2006, and has had a twice-yearly day where everyone involved posts a Peaceglobe (templates available through her site) and labels their post Dona Nobis Pacem [=Grant Us Peace], with the hope we will see this message everywhere.
So far, over 50 countries and folks from nearly every state in the US are involved. It would be a great idea to join the two together!! :-D
Keep up the excellent work!