This year sees the 10th anniversary of Global Peace Day, held on September 21st and formally established in the international calendar as an annual day of ceasefire and non-violence by the United Nations General Assembly. Yet can one day of enforced peace compensate for 364 other days of war, domestic abuse or violent crime, for instance? The worldwide day of peace neither exempts the world from its violent actions, nor claims to do so. This one day is more than just another day, as it provides a platform for individuals to show their support for the peace process, and get more directly involved.
Global Peace Day was realised in part through the efforts of Jeremy Gilley, who founded the Peace One Day film project in 1999 to document his attempts to create an annual, international day of peace. With the day now in place, Peace One Day’s current aim is to institutionalise Peace day across the world so that it becomes self-sustaining. This year a concert will be held at the O2 Arena on Global Peace Day to support and raise awareness about the Peace One Day campaign, featuring artists such as Eliza Dolittle, Youssou NDour, Afroreggae, Flawless and the English National Ballet, with further acts still to be announced.
Jeremy Gilley is now calling for and working towards a Global Truce on Peace Day in 2012. “We have a clear strategy and we hope this will be the largest reduction in global violence in recorded history, both domestically and internationally. This day is as much about non-violence in our schools, our homes, workplace and local communities as it is about ceasefire on the international stage.” Gilley will be speaking at the O2 Arena show, which is set to launch a 365 day countdown to Global Truce.
Millions of people were active on Peace Day in 2010, in all 192 UN member states, and Peace One Day aims to have 500 million active participants, and 3 billion people aware of Peace Day, by 2012. On Peace Day in 2010, 28 organisations carried out 88 humanitarian activities across 31 countries. For instance, in Afghanistan, WHO/UNICEF/Afghan Ministry of Public Health vaccinated over 50,000 children and women in 23 locations against all vaccine-preventable diseases.
Mary Robinson, then the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in a filmed interview with Jeremy Gilley; “My experience of conflict is that those who are involved in it long for even a day of peace. To have a day of cessation of violence, that to me is an idea whose time has come”.
It may only be one day in the year, but Global Peace Day also functions as a catalyst for a range of civil society actions, both by organised groups and by individuals. Perhaps one day can get people from all sectors of society, from governments to individuals, to think about and react against the impact violence has on all of us every day.
Tickets are on sale now for the Peace One Day O2 Arena concert.
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