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International Day of Peace, 21 September 2010

What Are YOU Doing for Peace?

peacekeepers

Peacekeepers serving the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT) participate in United Nations International Day of Peace celebrations, 21 September 2008, Dili, Timor-Leste. (UN Photo/Martine Perret)

For this year’s International Day of Peace, the UN is reaching out to local schools, youth groups, organizations and local media to find out about ongoing peace projects. Below are stories about individuals or groups doing innovative activities in the name of peace. Examples include projects in the areas of sports, arts, culture, religion, schools or academia carried out by young people who are devoting their time and energy to local or global peace efforts.

Taking the lead is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, answering the question “What are YOU doing for peace?”

What does the UN Secretary-General do for Peace?

Ban Ki-moon

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in front of the
United Nations Headquarters in New York,11 January 2007.
(UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe)

As Secretary-General of the United Nations, peace is my main job. 

Peace doesn’t just happen – it must be nurtured, maintained and defended.

I work for peace in many different ways:
I mediate between antagonists, urging them to resolve their differences peacefully; I promote tolerance and harmonious relations among countries and peoples; I campaign to stem the tide of deadly disease; and I press for the elimination of extreme poverty, and for a natural environment that can sustain not only this generation, but those to come.

There are many tools in the peacemaker’s kit – diplomacy and human rights; development and disarmament; peacekeeping and peacebuilding – and I use them every single day.

And each year on the International Day of Peace, I ring the Peace Bell at UN Headquarters, sending a message that I hope resounds throughout the world. 

This year, Peace Day is dedicated to young people.  The future of the world – its problems and opportunities alike -- is in your hands. 

I look forward to hearing -- and being inspired by -- your stories.

To post your stories, photos and video clips, please go to the UN International Day of Peace Facebook page at www.facebook.com/unpeaceday

 

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