UNITED NATIONS INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE 2009

24-Hour World Peace Celebration & Global Telecast

September 20-21, 2009

On September 20-21, 2009, the United Nations’ International Day of Peace will be celebrated with a global telecast via the internet, radio and television.  The UN’s annual commemoration of its central purpose — to end the scourge of war for future generations — highlights and honors the accomplishments of peace organizations and individuals around the world.  This Event will be the largest and most inclusive International Day of Peace Celebration ever produced, as initiated by the Unity Foundation in association with our leading Peacebuilding Partners: Pathways To Peace & Jane Goodall Institute’s “Roots and Shoots”.

This historic Event will utilize www.CultureOfPeace.org and www.InternationalDayOfPeace.org for 23 hours of pre-produced and live streaming video from locations throughout the world.  These sites will be interactive vehicles which will empower organizations and individuals to participate in the celebration, and take action to create a more peaceful and sustainable planet through a year-round calendar of global events, tools for networking and collaboration, and links to educational resources.  

This internet content will be subtitled into dozens of languages and made available for download around the world. 

The finale will be a one-hour television special highlighting the official International Day of Peace Ceremony at the UN Headquarters in New York.  The ceremony will feature UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the President of the UN General Assembly and high profile UN Ambassadors of Peace.  The UN Department of Public Information and The Unity Foundation will approach UN Ambassadors of Peace such as: Michael Douglas, George Clooney, Charlize Theron, Yo-Yo Ma and Elie Weisel to participate in this Event. 

Also featured will be Michael Franti’s “Power to the Peaceful” celebration in San Francisco and Jane Goodall Institute’s “Roots and Shoots” Peace Day Celebration in Santa Monica, California with John Quigley, the world’s foremost aerial artist creating a massive peace design on the beach.

The International Space Station has been invited to participate in this telecast with a message of peace from their unique vantage of the world.

Hal Uplinger, international television producer for LIVE AID, will be the television consultant for the Event.  Laurien Towers, producer of LIVE AID’s video messages from world leaders, Nobel Peace Laureates and celebrities will again serve in that capacity.  Bill Miller, host of Global Connections Television will conduct interviews with high profile world leaders at the UN Headquarters in New York. Segments will also come from Unity Foundation’s award winning news and public affairs television program “Positive Spin”.

Official UN Peace Bells located throughout the world will be rung along the international timeline as the Day of Peace Celebration unfolds continuously across the globe for the 24-hour celebration. 

We are contacting prominent celebrities, musicians and Peacebuilders who have a history of dedication to the ideals of the United Nations to invite their participation in this Event. We are approaching international networks, PBS and cable systems for this historic global telecast.

Your support of this global Event will sustain the ongoing efforts of thousands of organizations around the world that promote peace and environmental sustainability.  Through your generosity, the international community will recognize your leadership in creating a better world.  Sponsorships are tax-deductible through the Unity Foundation’s fiscal sponsor, the Agape Foundation.  For more information please contact the Unity Foundation at (310) 450-5592, or by email at: