21 September 2010

GPPAC works to promote conflict prevention and peacebuilding at both a conceptual and practical level. As such, the UN International Day of Peace - which falls on 21 September and calls for a 24-hour global ceasefire - represents an excellent opportunity to promote our agenda. Click here to see what GPPAC members did around the world in 2009, and be sure to check back often to see what events are being planned for 2010!

 

 

People Building Peace:

The Stories

A collection of inspiring and often remarkable stories of how civil society has made, or is currently making, a difference in conflict areas around the world.

 

What is the International Day of Peace? PDF Print E-mail

In 2001, UN Resolution 55/282, set aside 21 September as a day of global peace and non-violence. An International Day of Peace has existed since 1981, when UN Resolution 36/67 was adopted unanimously by the UN Assembly, but it did not have a fixed calendar date - it was instead tied to the first day of the UN General Assembly session in September each year. Efforts by the advocate and filmmaker Jeremy Gilley and his supporters led to the 2001 UN Resolution fixing the date on 21 September. Mr. Gilley’s effort is called Peace One Day, and more information can be found at www.peaceoneday.org.


Over the years, there has been a growing public awareness and a rising number of events held to mark the day, thanks to the efforts of a number of organisations, some of which are listed here. The Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC) aims to contribute to that.

GPPAC uses the International Day of Peace as a rallying point to raise awareness about the value and necessity of conflict prevention and peacebuilding work. Recognizing that knowledge and support for these issues remains low among the general public and many policymakers, we have launched a campaign to highlight some of the many successful civil society peacebuilding and conflict prevention efforts. We also aim to raise awareness about the potential for conflict prevention work generally, peace education programs, and much more.

 

Click here for the 2009 International Day of Peace activities collected by GPPAC so far.


 

 

The success of the International Day of Peace depends on governments, organizations and individuals honoring and celebrating the day. GPPAC will encourages civil society organisations, schools, businesses, government (from local to national) and individuals to be active and join in the efforts to use the day to hold rallies, peace walks, lobby and education days, and other public events around the world. If you are organising an event, please let us know by sending an e-mail to Chiara Massaroni at This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it , and we will publish it on this website and in our e-newsletters. 

 

 

We also encourage you to learn more about Pathways to Peace (PTP) and the Culture of Peace Initiative (CPI). PTP is an international Peacebuilding organization that has Consultative status with the United Nations and has been involved with the International Day of Peace since its inception in 1981. PTP is the International Secretariat of the CPI, which is a UN Peace Messenger Initiative involving over 3,000 organizations and groups worldwide. In addition to its own website, PTP maintains the websites http://www.internationaldayofpeace.org and http://www.cultureofpeace.org ; these websites have extensive information about the International Day of Peace, including a worldwide event locator, where you can upload your own event for others to see.