In 1999, filmmaker Jeremy Gilley launched the non-profit organisation Peace One Day to document his journey to create the first ever annual day of ceasefire and non-violence. In 2001, Peace One Day’s efforts were rewarded when the member states of the United Nations unanimously adopted the first ever annual day of global ceasefire and non-violence on 21 September – Peace Day.
Throughout the years, millions of people have been active on Peace Day in every country of the world, and hundreds of organisations have carried out life-saving activities in areas of conflict. Notably, Jeremy and Peace One Day ambassador Jude Law travelled to Afghanistan to spearhead a campaign that, over the years, has resulted in 4.5 million children being vaccinated against polio in hitherto unreachable areas, as a result of Peace Day agreements by all parties in the region.
Peace One Day’s objective is to institutionalise Peace Day 21 September, making it a day that is self-sustaining, an annual day of global unity, a day of intercultural cooperation on a scale that humanity has never known. Through detailed analysis conducted with the support of McKinsey & Company, the Peace One Day 2012 report found that, across the world, approximately 280 million people in 198 countries were aware of Peace Day 2012 – 4% of the world’s population. The report further estimates that approximately 2% of those people (5.6 million) behaved more peacefully as a result. Peace One Day expects to double those figures for 2013, creating a solid foundation for informing 3 billion people about Peace Day by 2016.
The achievements of Peace One Day’s work in 2012 have not only set an important marker for Peace Day 2013 and future Peace Days, but have also reinforced the value of this unique annual day as a foundation for long-term sustainable peace.
In 2013, through initiatives and collaborations with various parties, Peace One Day will set out to encourage organisations and individuals to take specific actions to reduce violence around the theme: Who Will You Make Peace With?
To find out more about Peace One Day, please use the following links:
Official Website
Official Twitter Feed
Official Facebook Page
Official YouTube Channel
