Peace Day Global Broadcast

By Stephen Fantl
Stephen Fantl is a producer with PeaceDay TV and member of the Summer of Peace Leadership Team.  Stephen played a key role in the Birth 2012 global broadcast. www.peaceday.tv/

The International Day of Peace (IDP) was established in 1981 by a United Nations resolution (supported by all member states), and on 7 September 2001, the UN General Assembly fixed the date of 21 September as the permanent day of observance each year.  The observance is to devote a specific time to concentrate the efforts of the UN and its Member States as well as of the whole of humankind, “….to promoting the ideals of Peace and to giving positive evidence of their commitment to Peace in all viable ways. This day should be devoted to commemorating and strengthening the ideals of Peace within and among all nations and principles.”  As a result of this day, cease fires have taken place that allow aid organizations to safely deliver medicines, books or computers for education, and check on refugees; the day has a very significant impact that can be measured.
 
In the larger picture, the IDP is at the core of a comprehensive movement towards global peace, the Culture of Peace Initiative (CPI), a co-operative movement to unite the strengths of existing organizations, groups, projects and individuals toward making sustainable Peace a practical reality in the 21st Century. The Initiative has served as a vehicle for bringing to light the previously unseen and unheard Peacebuilders’ working towards Peace – in all parts of the world. The following is a view in how we bring information about Peace Day and the Culture of Peace Initiative to many people around the world.

The inspiration for the annual Peace Day Global Broadcast aired on www.peaceday.tv and at the U.N. site, as well as thousands of other locations, began in 2009 with Bill McCarthy and Laurien Towers who envisioned a vehicle to promote the United Nations International Day of Peace. They knew their very next step had to be contacting Avon Mattison, Founder and President of Pathways To Peace, an influence in establishing the UN International Day of Peace, and whom is the International Secretariat for the Culture of Peace Initiative. Bill and Laurien were thrilled by Avon's response, she said that she had been waiting for a call like this for 25 years, ever since she and Robert Muller first envisioned a day when the media vehicles of the world would be used to promote peace continuously for one day – specifically the International Day of Peace. Bill and Laurien were excited but knew they needed an expert team to put an Internet Broadcast together. Through a series of synergistic alignments, Charles "Tex" Strong, one of their producing partners, contacted Stephen Fantl and Kevin Kerber who were experts in producing Internet programming and creating cutting edge graphics. Stephen and Kevin were inspired and joined together with Bill, Laurien and Tex to produce the first Peace Day Global broadcast!  The annual Peace Day Global Broadcasts are now produced by All Things Peace www.allthingspeace.org and Unity Foundation www.unityfoundation.org
 
The Peace Day Global Broadcasts have grown exponentially over their 5 year history. The broadcasts now stream live from the United Nations and more than 2,000 organizational websites reaching millions worldwide. The broadcasts promote the vitally important work of the United Nations, its humanitarian agencies, and organizations working for peace, the environment, human rights and social and economic justice throughout the world; special focus is placed on achieving the UN Millennium Development Goals. The broadcasts also feature personal Messages of Peace from 5 official UN Messengers of Peace and dozens celebrities.
 
The 2013 broadcast will take place from September 20 through the 22nd, U.S. Pacific Time.  If you have a special video, an event that should be covered live, or a message of peace please contact Stephen Fantl, Broadcast Director. by e-mailing to stephen@peaceday.tv