| Peace One Day is a non-profit organization founded in 1999 by British documentary film maker and actor Jeremy Gilley. He set an aim to make sure that a global ceasefire and nonviolence day is celebrated every year.
Gilley achieved this goal, when, in 2001, the General Assembly of the United Nations unanimously declared September 21 as the International Day of Peace, an annual day of global ceasefire and nonviolence. Since then, various humanitarian measures are taken up on this day.
So, in 2007, on the eve of the International Day of Peace by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) along with the Ministry of Health provided children of southern Afghanistan and certain areas of eastern Afghanistan with the polio vaccine P3 and successfully vaccinated around 1.4 million children. UNICEF and youth volunteers of the Red Cross Society of Afghanistan organized a peace parade where weapon surrendering, prayers for peace in mosques and educational activities were conducted. Large pieces of land, which had been cleared of mines and prepared for ploughing, were transferred to the local community.
The same year, on the eve of the International Day of Peace, the company "Star Syringe" opened immunization centers in 20 countries, vaccinating children in rural and remote areas against measles, diphtheria, tuberculosis, hepatitis and whooping cough. In Iraq, the association "Civil Dialogue" planted olive trees and held a memorial service for all young people who died in the Iraq War. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, UNICEF is undertaking a comprehensive immunization campaign - vitamin A, drugs for dehelmintization and against mosquitoes were distributed free of charge to 600 000 children affected by conflict in the South Kivu province.
In 2009, the UN mission to provide humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan called for a ceasefire from all parties indulged in armed conflict and as a result, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) once again re-vaccinated children against polio in eight regions of the Health Departments in Afghanistan.
Jeremy Gilley along with BBC and Passion Pictures made a documentary " The Day After Peace", which was shown at festivals around the world and to date over 100 countries have received a license to show the documentary.
The organization "Peace One Day" held five music concerts at the Royal Albert Hall and the Brixton Academy in London, as well as in the "Le Grand Rex" in Paris with the participation of musicians such as Lenny Kravitz, Annie Lennox, Yusuf (previously Cat Stevens), Bryan Adams, Peter Gabriel, John Legend, Kasabian, Kate Nash, Corinne Bailey Rae, Dave Stewart, Jimmy Cliff, Mark Almond, Faithless and James Morrison as well as special guests such as Jude Law, Johnny Lee Miller and Emily Fox. These events were broadcast in many countries.
The initiative "One Day One Goal", which is funded by Puma conducts football matches throughout the world on the eve of the International Day of Peace. In 2009, within the framework of the initiative "One Day One Goal", over 700 football matches were conducted in which more than 75000 persons participated from 192 UN member states.
|
Today is World Peace Day which calls for a full day of peace and ceasefire through the world.
