UN starts 100-day countdown to International Day of Peace

The UN Department of Public Information (DPI) on Monday launched the 100-day countdown to the International Day of Peace, which will be observed on Sept. 21.

The theme this year is: "The Sustainable Development Goals: Building Blocks for Peace." And in his message for the event, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged everyone to recognize that development and peace are interdependent and mutually reinforcing.

To celebrate, DPI's Education Outreach Section has launched a new hip hop music video -- in partnership with the Brooklyn-based education company Flocabulary, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters here.

"The video aims to teach young people throughout the world about the importance of the Sustainable Development Goals and how they can help build peace," he said. "DPI has also called on youth from around the world to submit short videos on the topic."

The International Day of Peace, sometimes unofficially known as World Peace Day, is observed annually on Sept. 21. It is dedicated to world peace, and specifically the absence of war and violence, such as a possible temporary ceasefire in a combat zone for humanitarian aid access.

The day was first celebrated in 1982, and is kept by many nations, political groups, military groups, and peoples. In 2013, for the first time, the International Day was dedicated by the UN secretary-general to peace education, the key preventive means to reduce war sustainably

source : xinhua