International Day of Peace

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International Day of Peace
Peace dove (International Day of Peace 2006)
Date	September 21
Location	in all UN Member States
First occurence	September 21, 1981
Last occurence	September 21, 2007

The International Day of Peace is on September 21st of each year and calls for a full day of peace and ceasefire throughout the world.

The United Nations passed a resolution in 1981 declaring an International Day of Peace to coincide with opening of its General Assembly each year. In 2001, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a new resolution that declared 21 September of each year as the International Day of Peace (PDF).

The resolution: "Declares that the International Day of Peace shall henceforth be observed as a day of global ceasefire and non-violence, an invitation to all nations and people to honour a cessation of hostilities for the duration of the Day . . .

Invites all Member States, organizations of the United Nations system, and non-governmental organizations and individuals to commemorate, in an appropriate manner, the International Day of Peace, including through education and public awareness, and to cooperate with the United Nations in the establishment of the global ceasefire.

In this event, the "Peace Bell" is rang at UN Headquarters. The bell is cast from coins donated by children on all continents, and considered a symbol of global solidarity. It was given as a gift by Japan, and is referred to as "a reminder of the human cost of war." The inscription on its side reads: "Long live absolute world peace."^[1]

Observance of the annual International Day of Peace is widespread across the globe. Celebrations now take place in every country.

1 History
- 1.1 2004
- 1.2 2005
- 1.3 2006
- 1.4 2007
2 Stamp controversy
3 References
4 External links

[edit] History

[edit] 2004

In 2001, The General Assembly, in its resolution 55/282, decided that beginning in 2002, the International Day of Peace should be observed on 21 September each year, inviting all member states, organizations of the United Nations system, NGOs and individuals to commemorate the Day "through education and public awareness, and to cooperate with the United Nations in establishing a global ceasefire."^[2]

[edit] 2005

In 2005, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan called for the worldwide observance of a 24-hour cease-fire and day of nonviolence to mark the Day.^[3]

[edit] 2006

In 2006, then Secretary-General Kofi Annan rang the Peace Bell for the last time during his term in office. That year the UN asserted the "many ways it works for peace and to encourage individuals, groups and communities around the world to contemplate and communicate thoughts and activities on how to achieve peace."^[4]

[edit] 2007

In 2007, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon rang the Peace Bell at United Nations Headquarters in New York calling for a 24-hour cessation of hostilities on 21 September, and for a minute of silence to be observed around the world.^[5]

[edit] Stamp controversy

A diplomatic stir occurred in 2004 when Lions Club International sponsored a contest to select a set of posters to be used for commemorative stamps issued by the United Nations. A poster by 13 year-old Taiwanese junior high school student Yang Chih-yuan was announced as one of the winners. However, it was later announced Yang's poster would not be used. Taiwan media reports, Taiwan Lions Club and the government of Taiwan claimed the decision not to use the poster resulted from pressure from China.^[6] The government of Taiwan later issued a stamp containing the image.^[7] Critics claimed that the rejection of the student's painting on purely political grounds did not reflect the ideals of the International Day of Peace, ^[8] while the UN issued a statement that "due to an internal misunderstanding and miscommunication, Mr. Yang's proof got publicized in error as one of the six stamps intended to be issued."^[6]