Saturday, Sept. 21, marks 40 years since the U.N. first designated an International Day of Peace
By David Wick
“The sound of silence reverberated at high noon in every time zone across the globe on Sept. 18, 1984, as it rode a PeaceWave launched from San Francisco.
“On that day, Pathways to Peace, a U.N.-designated Peace Messenger Organization, had coordinated a Peace Day in San Francisco (the birthplace of the U.N.) to celebrate the International Day of Peace, which was first declared by United Nations Resolution 36/37 in 1981.”
That’s how an account from Steve Allen Media describes the first Peace Day.
I joined the United Nations NGO Pathways to Peace in 1980 in the San Francisco Bay Area. In 1981 we assisted in a unanimous U.N. vote passing the resolution establishing the International Day of Peace, which was to be acknowledged and celebrated worldwide. Pathways to Peace then spent a year in planning and on Sept. 18, 1984, we organized the first major global International Day of Peace event in San Francisco’s Civic Center Plaza in front of City Hall.
In part, the U.N. resolution states, “Peace Day provides a globally shared date for all humanity to commit to peace above all differences and contributes to building a Culture of Peace.” The U.N. theme for the Sept. 21, 2024, International Day of Peace celebration is “Cultivate a Culture of Peace.”
Peace Day 2024
For a complete schedule, click here.
This year, Saturday, Sept. 21, is the 40th anniversary of Peace Day and PTP is again organizing a global celebration originating again from the San Francisco Civic Center Plaza. This is a big program and will be livestreamed globally, with the San Francisco event being the hub of a global broadcast that includes Hiroshima, New York, London and Geneva as well as other global cities.
Participation in the global livestream can be accomplished by registering here.
Peace Day in 1984 was also the launch of the Minute of Silence, the Moment of Peace, or what has become known as the Global PeaceWave. At noon, in every time zone, stop and be quiet for a minute reflecting on the importance of peace in our life and what steps we are taking to create a Culture of Peace.
The focus on the Culture of Peace is important in Ashland, as we have embraced this journey in many forms, in many ways, with more to come.
David Wick is executive director of the Ashland Culture of Peace Commission.