This year humanity will experience the largest global observance of the International Day of Peace in the history of the event, lasting longer - several weeks - than ever before. The focal point for the event will be a global minute of silence at 12:00 noon on Sept. 21, but events start on the anniversary of Sept. 11, and conclude on Oct. 2, Gandhi's birthday and a holiday in many parts of the world.

The International Day of Peace ("Peace Day") is a United Nations-sponsored event scheduled to coincide with the annual gathering of the General Assembly, which takes place in September. Organizers have long hoped that the fusion of these two events will put promoting peace at the forefront of international discussions.

"It represents an opportunity for all of humanity to observe a day of peace together," said Melvin Weiner, a representative with Pathways to Peace, a PeaceBuilding organization that has consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. Pathways To Peace has been an integral part of Peace Day since 1981, when Peace Day was established.

Pathways To Peace will be co-sponsoring a Peace Day event on Sept. 17 at United Nations Headquarters in New York. The Secretary-General will welcome more than 600 students to the student conference following the ringing of the Peace Bell. Students gathered at UN Headquarters will interact with students at video conference sites on peacekeeping missions, as well as with UN Messengers of Peace

In 2001, UN Resolution 55/282, permanently dedicated Sept. 21 as the official Peace Day, with its mission to provide a common moment for individuals, organizations and nations to create practical acts of peace on a shared date, and bring together efforts from around the world whose ultimate focus is promoting peace.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon announced earlier this year that the theme for Peace Day 2010 is "Youth, Peace and Development," using the slogan "Peace = Future," and nations and governing bodies the world over are joining the call for peace through a range of gestures, including ceasefires, official proclamations and pledges for humanitarian aid.

Though the UN's celebration of Peace Day focus on one day, Sept. 21, many organizations use these observances as an opportunity to promote their year round PeaceBuilding efforts, whether their focus is on human rights, the environment, education, humanitarian relief, poverty, health care, disarmament or international cooperation. This creates long term impact, beyond the annual observance.

One such PeaceBuilding effort is the Culture of Peace Initiative (CPI), which is a UN-designated Peace Messenger program established by Pathways to Peace that includes 4,000 organizations from around the world. Besides leading the charge to make Peace Day an annual celebration, CPI has promoted peace be bringing together previously unseen and unheard voices working towards Peace. It also serves to unite the strengths of existing individuals and organizations building Cultures of Peace for succeeding generations.

Groups like CPI contribute greatly to the international community as it strives to accomplish the UN's Millennium Development Goals, which will be discussed at a UN Summit during the same week. With special regard to the efforts these groups are making, several events will be held to bring awareness to the issues that these goals are aimed at alleviating, such as the Stand Up Campaign - To End Poverty (last year over 170 million people participated).

Other events and groups set to mark Peace Day include International Positive Week, Circle of Peace, The Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict, Service for Peace, Pinwheels for Peace, The Global Peace Film Festival, ENO (Environment On Line), PeaceJam, Paz con Todo, The Odyssey Networks, Mayors for Peace, The Global Mala, Celebration Earth, the 11 Days of Global Unity, the London Week of Peace and more.

For more information about UN celebrations and activities, go to http://www.un.org/en/events/peaceday/2010/.

For more information about Pathways to Peace or the Culture of Peace Initiative, visit http://pathwaystopeace.org, http://www.internationaldayofpeace.org and www.cultureofpeace.org.

View CSRwire CEO's, Joe Sibilia's, commentary about Peace here.

Pathways To Peace (PTP)

Pathways To Peace (PTP)

Pathways To Peace (PTP) is a non-profit international Peacebuilding, Educational and Consulting organization. Envisioned in 1945, PTP initiated research and development into integrative decision-making in 1962, began consulting in the early 1970’s, and was incorporated in 1983. PTP has Consultative Status with the United Nations (ECOSOC), (DPI). PTP was granted official UN Peace Messenger status in 1987. Pathways To Peace introduced the idea to create the International Day of Peace to the UN in 1981. Over the years, PTP has nurtured this day from a single event of 400 people in San Francisco to more than 10,000 events involving thousands of organizations and millions of people worldwide. The International Day of Peace is Sept. 21st annually. Pathways To Peace serves as the International Secretariat for the Culture of Peace Initiative, a UN affiliated Peace Messenger Initiative, and is in contact with thousands of organizations worldwide. PTP and many organizations within the Culture of Peace Initiative work with the UN to promote and coordinate activities for the International Day of Peace. The result of a recent initiative by Pathways To Peace is that calendar publishers all over the world are including the International Day of Peace in their calendars beginning in 2009. Because of this action over a billion people will know about the International Day of Peace. This opens the doors for an annual worldwide observance of peace, involving governments, religions, educational institutions, humanitarian and civic organizations, businesses, professionals, the media and people from all walks of life. Our children will grow up observing ‘Peace Day’ and incorporating its meaning into their lives. This will have both global and historic significance.

Pathways To Peace maintains the following websites: www.pathwaystopeace.org, www.cultureofpeace.org, http://www.internationaldayofpeace.org".

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