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.

Did you attend a Peace Day event? If so, please take a few minutes to let us know how it went:  http://bit.ly/peaceday_09

Your response will assist our efforts in producing a comprehensive 2009 Peace Day report which will be presented to the UN and published online.  We invite your participation.

Thank you Peacebuilders!

May Peace Prevail On Earth!

Unity Foundation, Pathways To Peace, PeacePortal.mobi and Getzooks welcomes you to the PEACE DAY 24-Hour World Peace Celebration and Global Broadcast commemorating the 27th Annual United Nations’ International Day of Peace on September 21, 2009.

[The broadcast can be viewed on PeaceDay2009.org]

This broadcast highlights the vitally important work of the United Nations and its humanitarian agencies, as well as organizations and individuals around the world dedicated to creating a more peaceful, just and sustainable world. The broadcast includes Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message for the International Day of Peace; as well as interviews with present and former high level UN officials and other world leaders. The broadcast also includes videos of the “UN in Action” and Peace Day events around the planet. See the press release.

Do you want to share this broadcast? You can embed this broadcast on to your website, blog, myspace, etc. for FREE!  To add the broadcast to your Facebook profile, click here to download the Livestream application!

This year’s ceremonies at UN Headquarters took place today and will be archived at http://www.un.org/webcast/.  The program featured presentations by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and other UN dignitaries, as well as UN Messengers of Peace Jane Goodall and Princess Haya of Jordan.

There were performances by a choir from Japan and musicians from the Vermont Peace Academy; films from Yemen and Albania; and large screen video-conferencing with students in Iraq, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia and Sudan.  This was followed by a presentation of Pledges for Peace, the Minute of Silence, the Ringing of the Peace Bell, and a Flags of the World Ceremony by the World Peace Prayer Society!

Following is the text of remarks made by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to the student observance of the International Day of Peace, today, in New York:

Hello, everyone!

It’s a great pleasure to welcome you to the United Nations today and thank you for taking part from all over the United States.

As you know, I just rang the Peace Bell.  I think you saw a broadcast of my remarks.  These can be summarized in three words:  We Must Disarm.

I shared some of the messages that we received on Twitter from people just like you –- maybe even some people right in this room.

I also tweeted some of my own reasons why We Must Disarm:

• because the world is overarmed and peace is underfunded;
• because disarmament contributes to development; and
• because nukes threaten humankind.  Let’s get rid of them 4 good.

I sent these messages on Twitter because I want to involve the whole world in the campaign to eliminate weapons of mass destruction.  Not just political leaders but citizens everywhere -– including students like you.  You are the future leaders and owners of this planet Earth.

Seeing you makes me think of my own days as a student.  We didn’t have modern technology, such as the Internet or compact phones that could take pictures and videos and download music.  Such things seemed like science fiction.  Today they are sometimes taken for granted.

In the same way, a nuclear-weapon-free world may seem like a far-off dream, but it is not.

Next week, President [Barack] Obama of the United States will chair a Security Council summit on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.  Next year, the parties to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) will hold an important Review Conference in the United Nations.  The prospects for reducing nuclear arsenals are better than they have been for years, though the road ahead will not be easy.

It may be difficult for you to imagine me growing up in a world with no Internet.  I hope that someday, your children will have trouble imagining what it was like to live in a world that could be annihilated at any moment by nuclear weapons.

On this International Day of Peace, let’s pledge to keep pushing, together, for a nuclear-weapon-free world.  And I count on your commitment and your leadership as future leaders of this world.

“On this International Day of Peace, I have a simple message for all: We must disarm, we must have peace. I appeal to people throughout the world to join in this effort. Support the United Nations and do your part for peace.” - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.