Some Not Really Trivia:
In 1981, the United Nations voted to observe an International Day of Peace each year. The U.N. invited all Member States, organizations of the United Nations system, regional and non-governmental organizations, and individuals to commemorate the Day in an appropriate manner, including through education and public awareness, and to cooperate with the United Nations in establishing a global ceasefire.
During the first year of the observance, 1982, the date chosen was Tuesday, September 21, the opening day of the U.N. General Assembly. In subsequent years, the date varied because it was on the third Tuesday in September.
On September 7, 2001, the United Nations voted to designate a set day for the International Day of Peace, choosing September 21 of every year, and also voted to officially call for a 24-hour global cease fire on each International Day of Peace. The official Peace Bell ceremony to announce this decision was scheduled for Tuesday, September 11, 2001, at the U.N.
The Peace Bell ceremony did not take place until September 14 that year.
This year, at the Peace Bell ceremony which began the International Day of Peace at the U.N., homage was paid to late United Nations Messenger of Peace Luciano Pavarotti.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, by 2005, world military expenditure had reached an estimated $1.1 trillion per year.
The web site that provided information through 2006 regarding the International Day of Peace is no longer updated because of lack of financial support.
On September 21, 2007, one French soldier and 40 rebels were killed in Afghanistan by a suicide bomber.
The focus of this year’s International Day of Peace was Afghanistan. According to news reports, people gathered in Afghanistan’s cities to mark the occasion in numbers the U.N. had not seen in that country before…
…as occurred all over the world with vigils, prayer, meditation, demonstrations, moments of silence, and celebrations involving children, parents, teachers, artists, bloggers, and religious and civic leaders in schools, town halls, public places, work places, places of worship, and online.
If you didn’t know that September 21 was the International Day of Peace, there’s always next year–and every day.