Peace Day - September 21 - The International Day of Peace

The International Day of Peace (Peace Day) is a unique opportunity to bring attention to the millions of little and big things that individuals and organizations around the world are doing all year long to make this world a better place. It is a catalyzing event that is helping to unite the many diverse movements for a more peaceful, just and sustainable world. Peace Day will help us all realize just how big the global movement for a culture of peace really is! (www.cultureofpeaceinitiative.org )

September 21, 2006 will be the 25th annual Peace Day observance! This year, events and activities include concerts, parades, conferences, festivals, gatherings, service projects, ceremonies, children's activities such as peace art & essay contests and pinwheels for peace, Peace Day parties and peace vigils that are being planned by more than 1200 organizations in over 150 nations. (For highlights, local listings and to list your event, please visit www.internationaldayofpeace.org)

	UNITED NATIONS OBSERVANCE Several events will take place at UN Headquarters including the ringing of the Peace Bell by the Secretary-general and celebrity Peace Messengers, commencing a Minute of Silence for peace; a satellite-linked event with hundreds of children; and a high level interfaith conference for peace attended by National Ministers, religious NGOs and UN agencies. (www.PeaceDayEvents.org)
	UNESCO PRIZE FOR PEACE EDUCATION Sri Lankan judge Christopher Gregory Weeramantry will be awarded the $40,000 UNESCO Prize for Peace Education on 21 September at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on the occasion of the International Day of Peace. (http://portal.unesco.org/shs/en/ev.php-URL_ID=2126&URL_DO= DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html )
	PEACE VIGILS Each year thousands of Peace Vigils take place for the International Day of Peace. These range from small vigils of just a few people to huge gatherings of up to 300,000 people. Make your commitment to hold a Peace Day vigil. (www.IDPvigil.com)
	NOON MINUTE OF SILENCE Join millions around the world every day at Noon in a Moment of Silence for peace. On the International Day of Peace bring your community together at Noon around one of the more than 200,000 Peace Poles found in every nation that express the wish, "May Peace Prevail On Earth." (www.MinuteOfSilence.org )
	MUSIC FOR PEACE Musicians and performers around the world are dedicating their performances to Peace Day during the Countdown and on Peace Day. If you are a performer, please dedicate one or more of your performances for peace and let your audience know about the International Day of Peace. www.PeaceDayConcert.org
	SERVICE FOR PEACE Volunteering for a service project in your community on the International Day of Peace is a tangible way to make a difference for a more peaceful, just and sustainable world. (http://serviceforpeace.org/IDP2005.htm)
	TREES FOR PEACE Any school can join the more than 300 schools in 90 countries that participate in the ENO Schools program (Environment Online) to plant trees at 12 Noon for the International Day of Peace as a symbol for environmental protection and international cooperation in the field of environmental education, cultural diversity, tolerance and peace. (http://eno.joensuu.fi/treedatabase.htm)
	COMEDY FOR PEACE Last year thinkpeace.net organized "Stand-Up for International Peace" events in comedy and music clubs in 28 cities worldwide! This year many more clubs will participate. (www.thinkpeace.net)
	PROCLAMATIONS You can ask your Mayor, Governor & Head of State to join other cities, states and nations in declaring a Proclamation of Peace for the International Day of Peace. Which nation will be the first to declare a Legal Holiday for Peace Day? (www.PeaceProclamations.com)

	PEACE PRIZE On the international day of peace, September 21, 2006, The Agape Foundation will be having its 2nd annual Peace Prize event at 111 Minna Street Gallery in San Francisco, CA. This Prize is given in recognition of Northern California individuals and organizations that provide voice and leadership as peacemakers and agents of social change. www.agapefdn.org/peaceprize/index.html
	PEACE IN SCHOOL Show children the pathways to peace by highlighting peace in classroom studies, having a special assembly and/or observing the 12 Noon Minute of Silence, as well as participating in The 9th Annual International Peace Pals Art Competition and Exhibition, whose winners will be announced at a ceremony in In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. (www.worldpeace.org/peacepalscontests.html)
	FLYING PEACE DOVES Jane Goodall Roots & Shoots chapters were responsible for flying giant peace doves in 22 countries and 69 cities in 2005 to inspire their communities for the International Day of Peace. Bring the giant doves of peace to your Peace Day celebration. (www.GiantPeaceDoves.org)
	PINWHEELS FOR PEACE More than 1350 schools and groups around the world participated last year in the Pinwheels For Peace program to celebrate Peace Day, creating and displaying 1/2 million pinwheels for peace to inspire their communities to imagine whirled peace - This year many more will participate. (www.pinwheelsforpeace.com)
	PEACE ONE DAY VIDEO SCREENINGS The Peace One Day video has been seen by audiences in more than 100 nations. This inspiring award-winning documentary shows the journey of actor/filmmaker Jeremy Gilley's efforts to help create humanity's first day of peace on September 21. (www.PeaceOneDay.org)
	The Great Peace Give-Away Campaign of A Million 'Peaces' On the International Day of Peace, September 21, Peace Champions will launch a massive culture shift process by giving away copies of the best-selling book, The Peace Book: 108 Simple Ways to Make a More Peaceful World. During the Countdown to Peace Day you can receive 36 free daily email selections from The Peace Book. www.thepeacecompany.com/greatpeace/
	A Season of Forgiving & Eleven Days of Peace September 11-21 You are invited to participate in an omni-local worldwide celebration to launch 11 Days of Global Unity, Forgiveness, and Nonviolence. Create an Interfaith Celebration in your community between the Centenary of Mahatma Gandhi’s Satyagraha Movement on September 11, 2006, and the UN International Day of Peace and Call for a Global Ceasefire on September 21. www.agnt.org/seasonForgiving.htm
	11 Days of Global Unity September 11-September 21 Creating a Culture of Peace; Celebrating a Sustainable Future - Annually September 11 - 21 Culminating on the International Day of Peace - With more than 200 events in over 60 countries! www.wetheworld.org/wtw2/11days/index.php4

FAST FOR PEACE As part of the Troops Home Fast campaign, Cindy Sheehan, Code Pink, Gold Star Families for Peace and Global Exchange launched a rolling program of fasts on July 4. So far more than 3000 activists, politicians and celebrities such as Sean Penn, Susan Sarandon, Danny Glover, Bonnie Raitt and Willie Nelson have joined the fast. The planned end to the rolling fasts is Sept. 21, the International Peace Day, when activists throughout the country will initiate a week of nonviolent actions against the war as part of the Declaration of Peace. www.TroopsHomeFast.org

PEACE DAY PARTIES You don't have to plan a BIG event to be part of the global Peace Day observance. Invite a few friends to get together to watch the Peace One Day video or to write letters for peace together, light a candle for peace or just talk about our shared wish for a more peaceful, just and sustainable world. (www.PeaceDayParty.com)

PEACE DAY POSTERS 2 Peace Day posters have been created by award winning artist Irene Kai for Pathways To Peace. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of these posters goes towards supporting Pathways To Peace's work as secretariat of the Culture of Peace Initiative (www.cultureofpeaceinitiative.org) a UN-designated Peace Messenger Initiative, and host of InternationalDayOfPeace.org (www.PTPposter.com)

Is your organization working to build a culture of peace? Please list your organization as a participant in the CULTURE OF PEACE INITIATIVE - www.cultureofpeaceinitiative.org. Formerly the "We The Peoples" Initiative, this UN-designated Peace Messenger Initiative serves to promote the International Day of Peace and to unite the strengths of existing organizations building Cultures of Peace for succeeding generations. The Initiative includes a network of more than 350 participating peace-building organizations in every region of the world.

Pathways To Peace, as the International Secretariat, would like to invite all peace-building organizations to participate and to list their organizations in the Culture of Peace participant directory. You can also post your activities for the International Day of Peace and your work towards building a culture of peace. By doing so, individuals and other organizations can learn about your work, offerings and needs.

Pathways To Peace is an international peace-building organization that was instrumental in working with the UN to create the International Day of Peace in 1981 and has been promoting it since its inception.

To find out more about how you can be involved in helping to spread the word about the International Day of Peace, please visit: www.internationaldayofpeace.org

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May Peace Prevail On Earth!