United Nations to Highlight Importance of Global Ceasefire, Dialogue during International Peace Day Observance
Hundreds of students from across the globe will come together on 17 September in a virtual event to mark the 2020 International Day of Peace. The Day, commemorated annually on 21 September, was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1981 and is devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace through observing 24 hours of non-violence and ceasefire.
Organized under the theme “Shaping Peace Together”, activities this year will include the annual Peace Bell Ceremony and global student conference. The student conference will begin at 10 a.m. with a statement by Maher Nasser, Director of the Outreach Division of the United Nations Department for Global Communications, and remarks by Messengers of Peace, including Princess Haya, Paulo Coelho, Jane Goodall, Yo-Yo Ma and Midori.
Students will be invited to participate in a question-and-answer session with the Messengers of Peace before engaging in a dialogue about their visions for a peaceful world. As the United Nations marks its seventy-fifth anniversary in 2020, this dialogue will be part of a global conversation on building the peaceful and prosperous future we want.
The event will link to a live feed of the Peace Bell Ceremony from the Peace Garden, which will begin at 11 a.m.
Secretary-General António Guterres and Volkan Bozkir (Turkey), President of the seventy-fifth session of the General Assembly, will ring the Peace Bell in the company of Ishikane Kimihiro, Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations, and Melissa Fleming, Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications.
Also participating in the observance will be representatives from the Universal Hip Hop Museum. The “Hip Hop 4 Peace” performance is the creative vision of Tina Marie Tyler, Executive Producer and Advisory Board member of the Museum, and will include an original score by composers Patrick Adams and Leroy Burgess, and L.U.C. + Rebel Babel. The performance will also feature top hip hop artists from New York, New Orleans and Poland, almost 100 musicians in all. The United Nations Singers, comprising United Nations staff members and others, will also perform by video. The event will conclude with remarks by the Secretary‑General to student participants.
Due to COVID-19, the Peace Bell Ceremony will not be physically open to United Nations grounds pass holders. However, participants can pre-register to attend the entire observance virtually at bit.ly/2020peaceday, and/or by simply tuning in on the day of the event at bit.ly/peacedaylive. Although not required, pre-registration is recommended for planning purposes. The Peace Bell Ceremony and student observance will also be broadcast live via United Nations webcast at http://webtv.un.org.
Additional information and visual materials are available in all six official United Nations languages on the International Day of Peace website at www.un.org/en/observances/international-day-peace.
Media contacts: For the student observance, please contact Tracey Petersen, Department of Global Communications, at email: petersen3@un.org.
For the Peace Bell Ceremony/Messengers of Peace, please contact Jon Herbertsson, Department of Global Communications, at email: herbertsson@un.org.
For media accreditation, please contact the United Nations Media Accreditation and Liaison Unit at email: malu@un.org.