Celebrating International Peace Day 2013 within Europe
“People are becoming increasingly divided along lines of religion and culture, ignoring the many other ways in which people see themselves, from class and profession to morals and politics.
Actively promoted sectarian hatreds can spread like wildfire, as we have seen in Kosovo, Bosnia, Rwanda, Israel, Palestine, Sudan, Afghanistan and many other places in the world. With suitable instigation, a fostered sense of identity with one group of people can be made into a powerful weapon to brutalize another.
The hope of harmony in today’s world lies in a clearer understanding of our sheer diversity”
(Amarty Sen, Violence and Identity, 2006)
The Preamble to the United Nations Charter states that the Organization was founded to prevent and resolve international conflicts and help build a culture of peace in the world. Each year the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on the 21st of September. The General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples (source: http://www.un.org).
Children of the Earth (COE) has been recognized as a charitable non-governmental organization of the United Nations since 1992. Dedicated to the building of a better futuredelivers programs which provide young people with the empowerment and leadership skills necessary to advance peace in the world today and in the future. COE fosters international networks of cooperation, multicultural understanding, spiritual values, and ethical living skills. Children of the Earth inspires and unites young people and encourages them to create a peaceful and sustainable world through personal and social transformation.
In France at the EuroPie festival in Toulouse of European Youth Empowering Society (EYES) which is from the 19th till the 25th of August there will be an International Peace Day Concert and workshops whereby the participants can make a contribution to the book of Children of the Earth International. Next to that there will be artists and spiritual activists dedicating their music to world peace. Furthermore there will be another workshop on the founding of the Earth Charter Europe and Russia which is part of the International Youth Task Force of the Earth Charter International.
In the Netherlands there will be a visit to the Oorlogsverzetsmuseum (Museum of Resistance against the WOII) in Rotterdam, the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam and the exhibition Women and Peace of the celebration of its hundred year’s existence of the Peace Palace in the Hague. This will be at respectively the 31st of August, 7th of September and 14th of September.
On the 18th of September, Saskia who is Chapter Leader of Children of the Earth Netherlands, will join the International Peace Day activities of Children of the Earth International in New York where each year the Peace Bell Ceremony of Ban Ki Moon will be held. Children of the Earth Netherland’s International Peace Day Ambassadors which are Ruba, Ebrima, Demi, Poyi, and Maayke are supporting and promoting the values of Peace within the world.
– Saskia Troy