International Day of Peace 2002

ACTIVITIES:
NY, COUNTRY and CIVIL ORGANIZATION
RESOURCES

A range of activities and events, endorsed by United Nations agencies and bodies, other international and national organizations, and supported by governments and civil society, being planned are as follow:

At Headquarters
New York

Secretary-General Kofi Annan rang the Peace Bell, located in the West Court Garden on the front lawn of the Secretariat Building, on Friday 20 September 2002 at 10 a.m. During a short ceremony before the bell was rung, the Secretary-General and the President of the General Assembly, Jan Kavan gave messages of peace. [archived video]

The Secretary-General issued a message reflective of the Day. He said this year marks the beginning of a new peace-day tradition as from now on it will be observed every year on 21 September as a day of global ceasefire and non-violence. He called on all nations and all people to cease all hostilities for the duration of the Day.

An International Day of Peace Vigil, organized by a number of non-governmental organizations and supported by the United Nations is being held from Friday at 7.15 a.m. until midnight Saturday, 21 September. The focal point of the Vigil is the Meditation Room located in the General Assembly Public Lobby at 46th Street & First Avenue. The Meditation Room will be open for public participation in the Vigil on Saturday 21 September from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The United Nations Staff Union organized a major event for staff at UN at Headquarters. Individuals and organizations from countries on every continent have made commitments to observe the Vigil.

ARCHIVED WEBCAST: On Monday 23 September, in a Department of Public Information sponsored event, schoolchildren from New York will join Mrs. Nane Annan for a programme scheduled to begin at 9.30 a.m. in the Dag Hammarskjold Library auditorium at United Nations Headquarters. Refugee children affected by war now living in the United States will also reveal their experiences, through dramatic performances, during the Headquarters programme. The programme will also link via video-conference to war-affected children in Sierra Leone and to students at sites throughout North America. Children from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Kosovo will also be invited to participate in the video-conference. At each site, a peace instrument will be sounded, followed by a moment of silence. Immediately afterwards, a colourful flag ceremony will be held at Headquarters where participating children will present the flags of all Member States.

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Country Activities

Argentina
The United Nations Information Centre for Argentina and Uruguay encouraged schools around Argentina to engage in classroom discussions on peace on 20 September.

Austria
UNIS/Vienna conducted a 90-minute public symposium on 20 September at the Vienna International Centre. The symposium, Making Cease-fires Last, featured presentations on the United Nations work in peacekeeping and peace building. To stress the inter-relationship of the fight against drugs and crime with the goal of keeping and building lasting peace, focus was placed on the role of the United Nations Office of Drug Control and Crime Prevention (ODCCP) in supporting and maintaining international peace.

Cambodia
The UNDP office in Cambodia screened a number of UN produced videos with the theme of peace on national television. These were dubbed in the Khmer language.

Central African Republic
The United Nations Peace-building Office in the Central African Republic (BONUCA) organized events, in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, for different districts under the theme "Central Africans wish for peace".

Cyprus
The United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNIFICYP issued the Secretary-General's message in Greek, Turkish and English to the media and non-governmental organizations on the island.

Democratic Republic of the Congo
The United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC), in a special programme on the Day, broadcast interviews with a cross-section of political leaders, members of civil society, and United Nations officials. The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the Democratic Republic of the Congo Amos Namanga Ngongi accepted an invitation by the leadership of the Congolese Rally for Democracy (RCD) TO VISIT Goma in the eastern DRC for an International Day of Peace commemorative activity. Ngongi had not been in that part of the country since June, since the RCD leadership declared him persona non grata.

Egypt
UNIC/Cairo published the Secretary-General's message in national newspapers.

Eritrea and Ethiopia
The United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) organized sports and ceremonial programmes in Asmara and Addis Ababa, including a "prayer for peace" in Addis Ababa at which representatives from each of the main religions participated. A "cycle for peace" race was held in Eritrea. Children from both countries also participated via satellite in the 23 September Headquarters event. A documentary produced by UNMEE, "First steps to peace", was shown in one of the local cinemas on 23 September.

Georgia
Several activities, including "open houses" in Tbilisi, Sukhumi, Gali and Zugdidi, were organized by the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG). The Mission's observance of the Day began on 17 September when it hosted press conferences in Tbilisi and Sukhumi. ABK TV aired a series of programmes, "In Faith and Hope, Portraits of our Fellow Countrymen", prepared in conjunction with UNOMIG.

Guatemala
The United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala (MINUGUA) produced and broadcast radio spots, in Spanish and the four main indigenous languages spoken in Guatemala, promoting observance of the Day.

Guinea-Bissau
The United Nations Peace-building Support Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNOGBIS) prepared public service announcements, which were published in newspapers and broadcast on radio throughout the week 16 to 21 September.

India
UNIC/New Delhi, in collaboration with the India International Centre, hosted a seminar on 21 September, which former Indian Prime Minister, Mr. I. K. Gujral will chair. Scheduled to speak are former Maharaja of Kashmir and Union Minister, Dr. Karan Singh, Director, Women in Security, Conflict Management and Peace, Dr. Meenakshi Gopinath, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Country Director, Ms. Maria Calivis and UNIC Country Director, Feodor Starcevic. Also, more than 450 schools around the country were officially requested to observe the Day.

Indonesia
UNIC/Jakarta, in partnership with the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights of Indonesia, organized a peace gathering of a cross section of about 200 persons, including religious leaders, parliamentarians and senior government officials, as well as members of civil society and the media. The event featured an appeal for reconciliation, ceasefire and non-violence by the Minister for Justice and Human Rights on behalf of the Government.

Kosovo
Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Kosovo, Michael Steiner, rang a peace bell in Pristina simultaneously with the Peace Bell ceremony at Headquarters. Schoolchildren from Kosovo also participated via satellite in the 23 September event at Headquarters.

Kuwait
The United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Observer Mission (UNIKOM) marked the Day by hosting a special medal parade in Khaitan. More than 100 Blue Helmets working with UNIKOM received medals for their contribution to peacekeeping.

Nigeria
UNIC/Lagos, the United Nations Association of Nigeria and the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs organized a symposium on 24 September. Its theme was: African Crises, Conflicts and Global Ceasefire: What Future?

Pakistan
The Grammar School in Rawalpindi, one of the UNESCO-affiliated schools in Pakistan, organized a special programme featuring prayers and a number of cultural items. A representative of UNIC/Pakistan attended the ceremony and read the Secretary-General's message.

Portugal
UNIC/Lisbon placed a feature on the International Day of Peace in the Portuguese weekly newspaper, Semanário. The office also translated into Portuguese the Secretary-General's message and his report on "Prevention of Armed Conflict", as well as other documents, for distribution to all UN Portuguese-speaking offices in Africa, Brazil. Two UN videos ("Armed to the Teeth" and "Legacies of War") were shown with Portuguese captions during panel discussions in the Espinho, north Portugal.

Russian Federation
UNIC/Moscow launched a proactive information campaign, involving media, schools and non-governmental organizations. On 20 September, the UNIC Director in an interview on Radio Russii highlighted the importance of observing the Day of global ceasefire. The office also translated the Secretary-General's message into Russian.

International Day of Peace (2002) Commemoration -- Planting a Tree of Peace on UNIC/Moscow Premises.

Sierra Leone
The United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) organized a comprehensive programme from 18 through 23 September. Events included a flag raising ceremony on Friday which Vice-President of Sierra Leone, Solomon Berewa, attended; reading of the Secretary-General's message to mark the day on national radio and television; participation via satellite in the Monday 23 September Headquarters activity; and a number of sports-related activities. On the Day, a ceremony was held at UNAMSIL headquarters.

Singapore
UNIFEM's Singapore office, in collaboration with the United World College, organized an event at which representatives of all religions in Singapore participated.

Spain
UNIC/Madrid commemorated the Day with a special observance in the Millennium Chapel of Palacio de las Salinas in Medina del Campo, Valladolid, Spain.

Tajikistan
The United Nations Tajikistan Office of Peace-building (UNTOP) supported a public debate on political priorities for further consolidation of stability in Tajikistan. Chairmen of the symposium were leading members of the principal political parties in Tajikistan who had been on opposing sides during the civil war. UNTOP also hosted a cultural event, a special concert of symphonic music, and various education and media programmes.

Thailand
UNIS/Bangkok invited this year's winner of the UNESCO Prize for Peace Education, the City Montessori School in Lucknow, India, to address the importance of peace education during a public forum held at the UN Conference Centre in Bangkok on 20 September. The contribution of the Royal Thai Armed Forces to peacekeeping was also recognized through distribution of 77 peace poles to each province in Thailand.

Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste marked the Day through ecumenical prayers and an organized bicycle convoy.

Trinidad and Tobago
UNIC/Port-of-Spain organized a 12-hour observance of the Peace Vigil with 25 religious and spiritual groups, and non-governmental organizations.

United Kingdom
In London, Peace One Day, a British civil organization, in collaboration with the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC/London) organized a major public event on Saturday 21 September at which a message from the Secretary-General was one of the highlights. Other prominent international proponents of peace also delivered messages, and the programme featured live performances from various artistes, musicians and DJs from around the world.

Zimbabwe
UNIC/Harare, working jointly with the Centre for Peace Initiatives in Africa, engaged a cross-section of civil society in organizing commemorative activities.

Western Sahara
The United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) commemorated the Day with an official ceremony, at which it honoured UN staff members who had lost their lives on mission, on Friday 20 September.

Kashmir
The United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) appealed to the opposing Parties to respect the GA resolution and establish the Day of non-violence in Jammu and Kashmir.

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Civil Organizations

A New York Central Park observance of the Peace Vigil, sponsored by a consortium of non-governmental organizations, was held on the morning of Saturday 21 September. The Vigil was also observed around the world in countries such as Bangladesh, Bolivia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, India, Indonesia, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Ukraine and the United States.

In London, popular British music icon Dave Stewart, in collaboration with Jimmy Cliff, produced a song, "Peace One Day".

Austrian Public Radio, the Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF), aired a special broadcast on the International Day of Peace.

The Bulgarian State Agency for Youth and Sports organized cultural and sports events to mark the Day. BG Radio, a private entity catering mainly to youth, also aired a public service announcement related to peace throughout the Day.

The Scouting and Guide Federation of Turkey established a national peace award to mark its observance of the Day.

The Luxembourg Association for the United Nations (ALNU) launched a national publicity campaign to encourage observance of the Day.

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RESOURCES

Videos/films

Ralph Bunche: An American Odyssey (Recommended for UN Day, 2001)

No Place to Hide (Peacekeeping retrospective. 1998) (A, E, F, R, S)

UN in Action (Mini-reports on the subject of peacekeeping)

Armed to the Teeth (Focuses on the widespread illicit trade and easy availability of small arms. 2000) (E)

Legacies of War (Civilians in the aftermath of war. 2000) (E)

A Common Goal - The UN for children.1994. (A, C, E, F, R, S)

Afghanistan 1988 - 2001; The Long Shadow of War - 2001. (E)

Other titles, such as The Man in the Middle; Soldiers for Peace; United Nations Peacekeeping: Situation Report; and United Nations Peacemaking might also be useful. For descriptions about these and other productions which might be of interest, please visit the audio-visual website (http://www.un.org/av).

USEFUL WEB LINKS

For further information, please contact Sharon McPherson, Peace and Security Section, Public Affairs Division, Department of Public Information, tel: (917) 367-2068; fax: (212) 963-9737; or e-mail: mcpherson1@un.org.

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