Background

The United Nations International Day of Peace has been observed every year in September since 1982. For the first 20 years the Day was observed on the same day as the opening of the General Assembly and there was a customary ceremony at UN Headquarters in which the Secretary General rang the Peace Bell and called on the peoples of the world to observe a minute of silence at 12 noon. That ceremony continues to this day – watch a video of the 2016 ceremony. Since 2002 the Day has been observed on 21 September.

In its initial resolution the General Assembly declared it would be appropriate on Peace Day to devote a specific time to concentrate the efforts of the United Nations and its Member States, as well as of the whole of mankind, to promoting the ideals of peace and to giving positive evidence of their commitment to peace in all viable ways… (The International Day of Peace) should be devoted to commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace both within and among all nations and peoples. In a further resolution in 2001 the General Assembly broadened the scope of the Day, adding the call for International Day of Peace to be observed as a Global Cease Fire Day, declaring that the International Day of Peace shall henceforth be observed as a day of global ceasefire and non-violence, an invitation to all nations and people to honour a cessation of hostilities for the duration of the Day… Around the world a wide range of groups and individuals are involved in observing International Day of Peace as part of the ongoing commitment by civil society to establish a culture of peace and a day of ceasefire. You can register your events for International Day of Peace online here.