Each year on 21 September, the United Nations and the world celebrate the International Day of Peace. The idea of such an annual observance was first put forward by Kyung Hee University President Young-seek Choue in 1981 and was endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly the same year. The Peace BAR Festival at Kyung Hee University (Republic of Korea), which coincides with the observance of International Day of Peace, celebrates humanity's efforts towards overcoming conflict and confrontations to work towards peace and mutual prosperity. BAR is an acronym for the 60-year tradition of pursuing a 21st century society that is spiritually Beautiful, materially Affluent, humanly Rewarding.
At UN headquarters, this year’s International Peace Day will be celebrated on Friday, 19 September, as the actual IDP, 21 September, falls on a week-end. UNAI encourages its members to celebrate IDP and to join Kyung Hee University in celebrating our collective effort to build a “Beautiful, Affluent and Rewarding” twenty-first century. We also encourage them to share their stories of celebration with UNAI at academicimpact@un.org, and with Kyung Hee University at yspark@khu.ac.kr