September 21: International Peace Day

In 1981, the United Nations General Assembly established the International Day of Peace for “Commemoration and strengthening the ideals of peace within and among all nations and people.” The “Day of global ceasefire and non-violence” was later established on September 21st. This day focuses on promoting peace through education, public awareness and cooperation.

The countdown to the 2009 International Day of Peace began June 13, when U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon marked the 100 day countdown. This year, Ban Ki-moon is asking governments and citizens to focus on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. Learn more about reasons we should disarm here.

During this 100 day period, the U.N. will promote awareness about nuclear weapons and the importance of non-proliferation through different social media networking sites. If you would like to help promote nuclear non-proliferation on Facebook, click here.

Another way to take action is to sign the “We Must Disarm” declaration. This is a concrete way for you to help support International Peace Day.

We should all take advantage of International Peace Day by performing an act to promote peace. Twenty-eight years after the U.N. established this day, we have not yet achieved the dream of peace. Various types of conflicts are currently happening all over the world in places such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel and the Palestinian Territories, Darfur, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, to name a few. By taking actions to promote peace, our world will be one-step closer to achieving the dream envisioned by the intention of this day.