September 21 Is "Peace One Day" - The Annual Day Of Global Ceasefire & Non-Violence

[Turborama]

Run time: 02:22 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-sYuC5FlUs   Posted on YouTube: September 18, 2010 By YouTube Member: MHKeith Views on YouTube: 4   Posted on DU: September 20, 2010 By DU Member: Turborama Views on DU: 538

 

Jeremy Gilley is the founder and chairman of Peace One Day.

Dear Friends

11 years ago this September I founded the film project Peace One Day to document my efforts to create an annual day of global ceasefire and non-violence with a fixed calendar date. In 2001, Peace One Day achieved its primary objective. United Nations General Assembly resolution (http://www.peaceoneday.org/en/information/resolution">A/Res/55/282) was unanimously adopted by UN member states, formally establishing an annual day of global ceasefire and non-violence on the UN International Day of Peace, fixed in the global calendar on 21st September.

With the day in place, Peace One Day’s aim now is to institutionalise Peace Day across the world so it becomes self-sustaining - a day of global unity, a day of inter-cultural cooperation. This is our strategy:

Through film

My documentary, http://www.peaceoneday.org/en/film/the-day-after-peace">The Day After Peace, produced in association with the BBC and Passion Pictures, has played at festivals around the world and has so far been licensed for broadcast in over 100 countries. The next film, now in production, is scheduled for seven transmissions over the weekend of 18/19 September 2010 to 200 countries on BBC World. Produced by me and Jude Law, this third film charts the extraordinary progress of Peace Day since 2007.

Through education

Peace One Day Education aims to advance active learning in the areas of conflict resolution, global citizenship, human rights and the link between sustainability and peace, using Peace Day 21 September as a focus. Our goal is to provide free resource materials to every school on earth, inspiring a generation to become the driving force behind the vision of a united and sustainable world. In March 2010 Peace One Day launched the second phase of its USA roll out, with a live webcast from Scholastic Headquarters in New York. All schools teaching at grades 6–12 in a further 11 US states have received a free School Edition DVD of The Day After Peace to accompany the free, online Peace One Day USA Education Resource, now with 21 interactive, student-centred lesson plans, bringing the total to 17 east coast states targeted. The US roll out is kindly being underwritten by Ben & Jerry’s and launched in association with Scholastic. The Resource has been created with special reference to the US National Standards. The fourth edition of the free, online UK Citizenship Resource for Key Stages 3 and 4 is currently in production.

Thanks to the support of Skype, in June 2010 POD launched the new Peace One Day Global Education Resource in the six official languages of the United Nations: Arabic, Chinese , English, French, Russian and Spanish. The free, online Global Education Resource (and all new resource editions worldwide) includes a new lesson exploring intercultural cooperation via Skype.

More information about Peace One Day Education can be found http://www.peaceoneday.org/en/education">here.

More: http://www.peaceoneday.org/en/about/from-jeremy

I just saw "Peace One Day Part 3" on BBC World and it was amazing and really is a must see. I'll post it on DU if I can find it online.

Here's the press release about it:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE




PEACE ONE DAY PART 3, PRODUCED BY JUDE LAW AND JEREMY GILLEY, TO BE AIRED ON BBC WORLD ON 18/19 SEPTEMBER

On the weekend of 18/19 September BBC World viewers can see the next installment of British filmmaker Jeremy Gilley’s epic journey to make Peace Day 21 September known throughout the world, to see lives saved and individuals everywhere inspired to act.

In 1999, filmmaker Jeremy Gilley had a simple but powerful idea - could the world be persuaded to lay down its weapons for a day? Two years later, he persuaded the member states of the United Nations to declare an annual day of global ceasefire and non-violence on September 21st – Peace Day. Participation around the world has grown year-on-year. By 2007 the UN announced that 100 million people were marking the day. In Afghanistan, Gilley and Jude Law led a campaign that has seen 4.5 million children vaccinated against polio because of Peace Day agreements; but the aim of a global ceasefire on the day still proves elusive. In his third film on his ten-year campaign, Jeremy Gilley continues to record his extraordinary efforts to achieve the seemingly impossible.

Since the unanimous adoption of the Peace Day resolution in 2001, activities on 21 September have enabled families to be reunited, mosquito nets and food aid to be delivered and children vaccinated all over the world, as this ceasefire and non-violence day is creating a window of opportunity for humanitarian efforts.

Written and Directed by Jeremy Gilley, Produced by Gilley and Jude Law, Peace One Day Part 3 charts the extraordinary progress of Peace Day since 2007 and sets the course for Jeremy’s fourth feature documentary, culminating on Peace Day 2012 against the backdrop of the London Olympic Games.

Jeremy Gilley said today, “The BCC World transmissions of Peace One Day Part 3 have the potential to reach 283 million homes in 200 countries. I want to see Peace Day institutionalised around the world, to become a day that’s self-sustaining; my documentaries are an integral part of that process. I’m thrilled and honoured that this film will play on the BBC.” Jude Law said, “I’m delighted to be part of a process that uses film in such a constructive way. The fact that BBC World is showing this latest film is wonderful.”

Others who have supported Gilley’s efforts include His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Kofi Annan, Ban Ki-moon, Annie Lennox, Angelina Jolie, Lenny Kravitz, Bryan Adams, Peter Gabriel, Yusuf (formerly Cat Stevens), Jonny Lee Miller, Joseph Fiennes, Kasabian, Kate Nash, Corinne Bailey Rae, Dave Stewart, Jimmy Cliff, Faithless, James Morrison and millions of people across the world.

To find out more about Gilley and Law’s collaboration, visit www.peaceoneday.org

From: http://www.peaceoneday.org/en/about/features/peace-one-day-part-3

This is what happened in Afghanistan last year...

Afghanistan, Peace Day 21 September 2009

Ahead of Peace Day 2009, Afghanistan’s Government ordered its forces to stand down. A similar declaration halting offensive operations was made by ISAF. The Taliban agreed to support a Peace Day polio immunisation drive by the Afghan government and UN agencies, by stating that they would not harm or block access to the 14,000 health workers and volunteers involved in the Peace Day campaign.

Almost 1.2 million Afghan children benefited from polio immunisations in eight provinces, including some of the country's hardest to reach areas such as Kandahar, Uruzgan, and Helmand.

The polio drive was a joint effort by the Afghan health authorities, WHO and UNICEF, and it was also supported by actors including the International Committee of the Red Cross as well as health NGOs.

“This is better than any immunisation round in Afghanistan in the past 18 months,” said Peter Graaff, Country Representative for the WHO. “We are quite excited as such high coverage gives us a better chance than ever to get rid of polio,” he added.

On 21 September, UNAMA announced that a rare 24 hour cessation of offensive operations marking International Peace Day appeared to be holding firm across Afghanistan, with only isolated security incidents reported as of late afternoon. Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defence and NATO’s International Security Assistance Force said the day appeared much quieter than usual.

More: http://www.peaceoneday.org/en/savinglives/afghanistan/duplicate-of-life-saving-activities-2007?searched=afghanistan&advsearch=oneword&highlight=ajaxSearch_highlight+ajaxSearch_highlight1

[OhioChick]

1. I thought we were the party of compassion?

No recs?

:(

[midnight]

2. Lovely, Lovely, Lovely..... A whole 24 hours of peace.

However, I'm not keen on the pharma. industry making inroads into war ravaged areas. Too bad we can't have engineers set up cooking and cleaning facilities that are permanent safe zones for these war torn communities.

[Rhiannon12866]

3. K&R! What a brilliant idea!

If this becomes a worldwide initiative, it could save and change countless lives... :woohoo: