Friday September 21st is the UN’s International Day of Peace. The first Peace Day was celebrated in 1982; this year marks the 30th anniversary. The theme for 2012 is ‘Sustainable Peace for a Sustainable Future’.
From the UN web site: There can be no sustainable future without a sustainable peace. Sustainable peace must be built on sustainable development.
The message from the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reads:
Armed conflicts attack the very pillars of sustainable development.
Natural resources must be used for the benefit of society, not to finance wars.
Children should be in school, not recruited into armies.
National budgets should focus on building human capacity, not deadly weapons.
On the International Day of Peace, I call on combatants around the world to find peaceful solutions to their conflicts.
Let us all work together for a safe, just and prosperous future for all.
People around the world mark the day in various ways; observing silence at noon around the world, lighting candles, wearing white. The organization Peace One Day is holding a celebration in London featuring Elton John – you can watch it live on their YouTube channel here. In honour of the International Day of Peace, I would like to go all white for this week’s travel theme. I’m posting it a little earlier than usual, so that we can get as many white posts as possible up by Friday. Tell your friends, get them to join in too. Here are a few white-themed photos I’ve taken on my travels.
Up first, a snowy white peacock I met in the grounds of St. John the Divine Cathedral in Manhattan.
The illuminated curve of Washington DC’s Martin Luther King Memorial:
A very fitting quote from Martin Luther King, illuminated in the dark.
Finally, my favourite white photo of all time. Taken in Central Park’s Strawberry Fields just after a snowstorm; the Imagine memorial to singer, songwriter and peace activist, John Lennon.
If you would like to join in this travel theme in honour of the International Day of Peace, here’s what to do:
Create your own post and call it Travel Theme: White. Put a link to this page in your post so others can find it. Don’t forget to subscribe to keep up to date on the latest weekly travel themes.
Peace.
Correction: International Day of Peace celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2011. Although it was first celebrated in 1982, it was established in 1981.
Where's my backpack? 