Message for 100-day countdown to International Day of Peace
13 June 2010
U N I T E D N A T I O N S
THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
One hundred days from today, the world will mark the International Day of Peace – a day on which armed conflict is meant to be stilled… a day on which we appeal to combatants to observe a ceasefire… a day on which we reaffirm commitment to non-violence and the peaceful resolution of disputes.
This year’s observance, which takes place on 21 September, focuses on youth and development, under the slogan: “Peace = Future.”
Young people already play a crucial role in working for peace. Yet I know they can do even more. So this International Day comes with a challenge for young people everywhere: Expand on your work to build peace. Share your plans and ideas, with creativity and passion. The world’s concerns will soon be in your hands.
This year, the International Day of Peace coincides with the Summit I am convening to boost progress towards the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Achieving the goals is essential for ending armed conflict and building sustainable peace. I hope the voices of young people will be heard at the Summit and in the run-up to it.
Over the next 100 days, I urge young people to plan projects that can help create the conditions for peace in their communities, in their schools, in their countries. We need your voice and commitment, and we will share your stories with the world.
As we start the countdown to the International Day of Peace, we recognize two truths: Only in a peaceful environment will young people realize their full potential – and young people have the potential to start building that peaceful world today.
Every year, youth from around the world celebrate the International Day of Peace at the UN.
July 21st, 2010 at 2:22 pm
The purpose of The International Day of Peace resonates perfectly with that of the International Council of 13 Indigenous Grandmothers. A film about these wise women elders titled “For the Next 7 Generations” was completed in September 2009 and since then has been circulating throughout the United States and Canada. We have been encouraging fans of the film and of the Grandmothers to organize screenings on The International Day of Peace.
Here is a brief Synopsis of the film. Visit our website to find out more!
For the Next 7 Generations documents the momentous journey of 13 Indigenous Grandmothers, as they travel around the globe to promote world peace and share their indigenous ways of healing. Originating from all four corners, these 13 wise women elders, shamans and medicine women, first came together in 2004 at a historic gathering in Upstate New York. Motivated by their concern for our planet, they decided to form an alliance: The International Council of 13 Indigenous Grandmothers. The film begins at their first gathering follows them to the Amazon rainforest, the mountains of Mexico, throughout North America, and to Dharamsala, India, for a private meeting with the Dalai Lama. Facing a world in crisis, the Grandmothers share with us their visions of healing and a call for change now, before it’s too late. Through their teachings, they are lighting a way to a peaceful, sustainable planet.