Peace One Day

The International Day of Peace was established in 1981 by resolution 36/67 of the United Nations General Assembly to coincide with its opening session, which was held annually on the third Tuesday of September. The first Peace Day was observed in September 1982.

Founded in 1999 by filmmaker Jeremy Gilley, the non-profit organisation Peace One Day drove the initiative that led to the unanimous adoption by the United Nations member states of an annual day of global ceasefire and nonviolence with a fixed calendar date of 21 September; Peace Day.

Peace One Day’s objective is to help institutionalise Peace Day making it self-sustaining, an annual day of global unity, and a day of intercultural cooperation on a scale that humanity has never previously known.

Throughout the years, millions of people have been active on Peace Day in every country around the world, and hundreds of organisations have carried out life-saving activities in areas of conflict. Notably, Jeremy and Peace One Day ambassador Jude Law travelled to Afghanistan to spearhead a campaign that, over the years, has resulted in 4.5 million children being vaccinated against polio in hitherto unreachable areas, as a result of Peace Day agreements by all parties in the region.

Peace One Day’s focus between 2014 and 2016 is a major campaign in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Great Lakes region of Africa, made possible by the Howard G. Buffett Foundation. The campaign seeks to engage with all sectors of society in the region, encouraging all parties and coalitions to stand together in the name of peace, so that a significant level of non-violence and ceasefire (in conflict-affected areas) can be achieved on Peace Day by 2016 at the latest.

This regional campaign was officially launched at a press conference in Goma, DRC on 18 March 2014 with UN Special Envoy Mary Robinson and other stakeholders, including UNICEF and UNHCR.

The day is growing globally. In 2012, McKinsey & Company estimated that 280 million people were aware of Peace Day. This grew by an incredible 68% for Peace Day 2014 where approximately 470 million were aware of the day. This is more than just a number, of those aware a proportion changed their behaviour, they behaved more peacefully as a result of taking part.

This success is everyone’s. The awareness of the day grows because organisations and individuals take it on in so many creative ways. Whether through music, dance, sport, film screenings, or humanitarian action, Peace Day is a moment for people to do what they want to do to express peace. With your help there can and will be Peace One Day.

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Peace One Day is a non-profit organisation based in London, UK dedicated to raising awareness worldwide of 21 September as an annual day of global ceasefire and non-violence. Peace One Day is impartial and independent of any government, political persuasion, corporation or religious creed. Through a multi-platform approach, Peace One Day utilises different tools to raise awareness, advocate for Peace Day and engage the global community in its broad observance.