The Culture of Peace Initiative (CPI) website will be the Internet anchor for the United Nations International Day of Peace 2009 - 24 Hour World Peace Celebration. During the event, organizations and individuals will utilize this Internet platform to post pre-produced video presentations and streaming video from all over the world to highlight their vitally important work for world Peace through environmental sustainability. The CPI website has been developed specifically for the 2009 International Day of Peace Celebration. The site includes interactive links to the organizations and individuals showcased in the celebration; as well as a year round calendar of events, tools for networking and collaboration, links to educational resources and tools to empower people throughout the world to take action to create a more peaceful and sustainable planet.

Until the rainbow passes over the tears of the Earth

Empowering People - Healing The Earth

Celebration Earth Peace Gathering

Participating In The Culture of Peace Initiative, Celebrating The International Day of Peace

 Commemorating The UN Year Of Reconciliation

The Preamble

For the last 4.6 billion years, our mother earth has been creating miracles woven by the diversity of life, and nurturing amazing nature that recycles perfectly in co dependence. For millennia our ancestors prayed and conversed with this nature in their everyday lives. But things have changed. Conflicts between humans and chains of enmity continue to stew and grow, taking more and more lives. Development that pursues materialistic richness is causing environmental destruction, such as global warming. Increasingly we have more and more poverty, starvation, and threats from the spread of contagious disease - we are in the middle of a crisis which urges us to take global countermeasures.

If our deeds and intentions as human beings have changed mother earth like this, then humanity is required to evolve and act in order to redirect our deeds and intentions toward peace.

If we wish for an abundant, harmonious and peaceful future, it is essential that we all work together, with a new consciousness of global co dependence and responsibility shared by the entire human race. We  need to direct our eyes to the various dimensions of the past which have caused our present situation and revise our behaviour, and as individuals transform, and reconnect to the circle of life.

Celebrating The International Day of Peace and Commemorating the UN Year of Reconciliation

 2009 is a very significant year for Okinawan and Japanese history, it is exactly 400 years since the Satsuma invasion and 130 years since the execution of the Ryukyu Kingdom. On April 1st, 1609,  the Japanese Satsuma Clan entered Shuri Castle to complete their invasion of the Ryukyu Kingdom, which they eventually renamed Okinawa and incorporated into Japan. Then  on April 1st, 1945 the US military landed on the main island of Okinawa to enter Japan at the final stages of WW2. The greatest casualty of this conflict were the citizens of Okinawa who were caught between the battling forces.

This year of 2009 is also the UN Year of Reconciliation. In order to truly re conciliate, and heal the pain, enmity, grudge, and guilt created by the invasion, and the following historical and cultural abuse, we need to transform judgement and anger into understanding and compassion.

The beautiful island of Okinawa has a tragic history, yet its people have long been praying for world peace, aspiring to create harmony between humanity, welcoming with warmth all beings that visit this land. We believe that the deep spirituality and great cordiality of Okinawan people that has been nurtured through the difficulties we have faced, will serve the great purpose of creating world peace. With this belief, we will host a “Celebration Earth” Festival from April 1, through to September 21^st, the “International Day of Peace”

Introducing Celebration Earth

“Celebration Earth” is a festival for peace that originated on the island of Okinawa,  that welcomes global cooperation and participation and seeks to practice the ‘Peace Day, Every Day’ spirit envisioned by the “Culture of Peace Initiative” and embodied by the ‘International Day of Peace’ through this joyful series of events, we wish to gift the world a model of international peace and inner peace. We are here to serve, to help others promote their peaceful activities by creating a network and community that supports them and enables them to spread their message to the world. Through Celebration Earth we seek to empower  and are doing so by providing a framework and connection that will be useful to the global community.

The Actions Of The Individuals Are Magnified By Their Unity

There are many people longing for world peace and acting for a brighter future, such as the one carrying the message “Turn all weapons into instruments” connecting people through music festivals. Another person is walking around the

planet, talking with the earth, the sun, the stars and the moons, planting seeds of courage to people’s heart. One regained the ancestor’s land from a military base and turned it into a flower garden. And yet another welcomes travellers with open arms, and supports their mission with whole body and spirit. One waters flowers by the side of the road discretely. And yet another expresses the joy of life through song and dance. We believe by celebrating and showing appreciation to the earth, the origin of our life, in various ways, we can purify the negative energy and recreate harmony between people, the circle of life and the ring of joy.

This is the time when we remember we have the power to create peace and take action in order to live in harmony with the earth. Our mother earth has been waiting for our awakening for a long time. We must live up to her love. Let us start from Okinawa, from Japan, from the bottom of our feet (wherever we are) a way of living based on the divine providence of nature that will bring harmony into the universe, open the door to the next generation and lead us to the next stage.

The Spirit of Celebration Earth

Until the rainbow passes over the tears of the earth, let us gather all the energy to Okinawa from all over Japan and the world, to inspire festivals of joy and from here and now, from each of our hearts, let us declare Peace on Earth to the world. 

March 21, 2009

Dear CPI Participant,                                                                  

We are happy to announce at last that the Culture of Peace Initiative (CPI) has launched a dynamic and upgraded web site that will serve Peace Builders worldwide year round.

Please take a moment to visit your dedicated web site http://cultureofpeace.org

This new web site will increase your capacity to foster cooperation, connection and effective action.  Please take some time to visit and explore the new features on the CPI site, including a year-round calendar of events for Peace Builders and a CPI projects blog.

Once you get on the site you will find the quick guide - a really easy way to learn how the CPI online community can support your Peace projects. You can find people and organizations to share resources, list peace practices and form co-operative actions.  We look forward to working with you to improve the value and depth of this web community.  Please invite your friends and colleagues to participate in this local/global Peacebuilding initiative.

The CPI site is linked to the International Day of Peace website. Those who posted events for the 2008 Peace Day have been included in this mailing. 

Thank you, CPI Participants, for your dedication to building a culture of Peace for future generations on Peace Day and every day.

The new-and-improved Culture of Peace (CPI) Web site is launching this week at http://www.cultureofpeace.org. It includes many new Peacebuilding tools, including a year-round Global Events Calendar that includes events on the International Day of Peace. You’ll also find many networking and collaboration tools in the “Peacebuilding Tools” section of the new site. We’re just putting the finishing touches on it; let us know if you have any questions or feedback. Peace!