International Day of Peace 2017

The International Day of Peace (IDP) is designated by the United Nations as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples.  The 2017 theme is "Together for Peace: Respect, Safety and Dignity for All," and it was marked by various activities and events ranging from peace walks to concerts, as well as art showcases, community outreach and peace education programs.

See a small summary of how the URI community throughout the world celebrated the International Day of Peace 2017. Skip directly to celebrations from: 

• Africa

• Asia

• Europe

• Latin America and the Caribbean

• The Middle East and North Africa

• Multiregion

• North America

• Southeast Asia and the Pacific

AFRICA

COOPERATION CIRCLE: URI Malawi (All CCs in Malawi)

LOCATION: Mangochi, Malawi

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: All CCs in Malawi decided to have an international day of peace event together in Mangochi where interfaith conflicts occur. We decided to invite many organisations to join us as we will have speeches dance and testimonial time.

COOPERATION CIRCLE: URI-Africa

LOCATION: Juba, Republic of South Sudan

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: URI-Africa and World Peace Prayer Society (WPPS), to work in partnership together to promote a culture of peace in Africa through the universal peace prayer of "May Peace Prevail on Earth," the two organizations dedicated a Peace Pole to the people of the Republic of South Sudan on the occasion of the celebration of the International Day of Peace on September 21, 2017. See more, and read the Juba Mayor's letter, here.

COOPERATION CIRCLE: Pamoja CC

COOPERATION CIRCLE: International Centre for Leadership Development Nigeria

LOCATION: Surulere, Lagos, Nigeria

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: As a Nigerian, this topic of peace is extremely important to me and our community. Today marked the beginning of a new era where we came together as communities and signed for peace where we will have peaceful tomorrow.... Peaceful Tomorrows, turning our grief into actions for peace. Our goal is for no other families anywhere in the world to suffer needlessly due to violence, whether from terrorism, war, or other causes.

Our name comes from the prescient quote by Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.: "The past is prophetic in that it asserts loudly that wars make poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows." (Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr, "The Casualties of War in Vietnam,” Speech, Los Angeles, CA, January 1967.)

COOPERATION CIRCLE: Youth Actions in Development (YADA) CC

LOCATION: Blantyre, Malawi

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: Girl empowerment for a peaceful nation

This is an advocacy activity that is being implemented in order to empower Girls in the community.
Girls most of the time in the community are looked down due to cultural, Religion and other factors that make them be deprived in different ways. The programs seek to give an opportunity for Girls to have a platform to have an interface with opinion leaders, religious leaders, and policymakers, to express their views and ask for their voice to be held in the community and to the policymakers.

The program is subdivided into two categories:
1. Let’s Chart (Ticheze forum) when young people will have time to discuss and present the issues to the leaders.
2. Open Day; where girls will have fun time, in different activities they would like, ranging from childhood plays to athletics.

ASIA

COOPERATION CIRCLE: Bokaro Peace Circle

LOCATION: Bokaro, Jharkhand, India

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: Everyone needs blood for life, and in that time no one questions if you are Hindu, you are Muslim, you are Sikh or you are Christian. Then everyone’s life goes well, the stomach is full by food and illegal work do they ask questions you are Hindu, you are Muslim, you are Sikh and you are Christian and Hunt. So, our CC organized these programs for the value of peace in every time and everyone.

COOPERATION CIRCLE: Ektaan CC

LOCATION: Burnpur, Asansol, West Bengal, India

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: We are going to host a quiz contest program in the evening on 21st September at an open public place. Questions would be based on peace and justice especially it would be an awareness program on interfaith bridge-building upholding the PPPs of URI.

COOPERATION CIRCLES: CC Beyond Sarhad and CC Springtide Opus

LOCATION: West India

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: On the International Day of Peace, the URI CC of West Zone Beyond Sarhad, organised the program in the St. Xaviers College of Mumbai. This program was attended by 400 students, the principal and the faculty of the college. This was a joint collaboration between URI, Dept of Inter-religious studies, Social Service League and Xaviers Institute of Communication. I introduced the URI's goals and mission to the audience. This was followed by memes and audio-visual presentations covering issues such as non-violence and communal harmony. We also invited prominent journalist Samira Khan, and she articulated media's responsibility to promote peace.

In the end, we led the peace march in the college and we were holding the banners, which were resonating with the messages of peace and unity. The principal was heading the march along with us and many students and faculty had joined the protest. We had also put up the exhibition intending to give a message to the youth. Indeed, it was an overwhelming day for the peace collaborators. The volunteers had actively participated to make this event successful.

Best wishes, Prof Shazia Shaikh CC leader, Beyond Sarhad.

COOPERATION CIRCLE: URI Regional Office Pakistan

LOCATION: Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: URI Pakistan and Peace Center in Lahore celebrated the International Day of Peace with an impressive crowd of more than 150 Christian, Muslim, Hindu, and Sikh religious leaders, human rights activists, promoters on interfaith harmony, scholars, professors, and students from various universities and colleges. Read more here.

"Interfaith groups in Pakistan dedicated the International Day of Peace on Sept. 21 to Rohingya refugees who fled violence in Myanmar’s western Rakhine state." See the full article and video on ucanews.com.

COOPERATION CIRCLE: URI East India

LOCATION: Asansol, West Bengal, India

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: Quiz Ceremony in connection with IDP Awareness. "Ektaan" in collaboration with URI East India, will organise an event in connection with IDP celebration at the main city bus stand of Burnpur, one of the famous places in the Asansol City area. The event will inaugurate with the religious leader by lighting lamp and prayer for the peace of the community along with for the whole world. After that a grand quiz competition will going to be held at the same place for creating awareness among the people. We hope nearly 250 children from the nearby school will going to participate in the event along with other local people in the area. Other event partners are Muslim Taraqquyati Wa Falahi Adara CC and Swapna Bastab CC.

COOPERATION CIRCLE: MCC Islamabad

LOCATION: Islamabad, Pakistan 

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: The story starts with a meeting called by Allama Dr G R Chishti, Chairman of Universal Interfaith Peace Mission, Coordinator URI MCC Islamabad, and president of Common Word Pakistan. The meeting was held in August at UIPM Office in Islamabad. It was attended by representatives from various religions. (Read more in the full .PDF document below.)

COOPERATION CIRCLES: URI Pakistan, Lahore Multiple Cooperation Circle (Lahore-MCC), Lahore Pakistan CC

LOCATION: Lahore, Pakistan

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: In this celebration of Peace Day, Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad, Grand Imam, Badshahi Masjid, Lahore was the Chief Guest. His Grace, Sebastian Shaw OFM, Archbishop of Lahore presided over this successful event. Among others Guests of Honour, Rev. Fr. Pascal Paulus OP, Dr. Kanwal Feroze, Prof. Muhammad Zaman Nazi, Hafiz Noman Hamid, Mrs. Shabnam Nagi, Chaudhary Zubair Ahmed Farooq, Fr. Nadeem Francis, Dr. Saadia Omer, Dr. Munawar Chand, Rev. Shahid Mehraj, Sardar Janam Singh, Ref. Fr. Inayat Bernard, and Allama Ashiq Hussain attended and made the event a success. While Mr. Ashar Nazir, Executive Secretary, URI Pakistan was the Stage Secretary of this Peace Day Celebration, he expressed the purpose of this Celebration of Peace Day. He is very active and unites all CCs of URI incorporated in Pakistan, and remains in contact to all CCs. He is a source of inspiration for all CC members. (Read more and see photos in the PDF document below.)

COOPERATION CIRCLE: URI Pakistan Women’s Wing

LOCATION: Chak 7 (a village) District Faisalabad, Pakistan

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: The CC arranged a program for rural women, who live with many hardships, to have their voices heard by the global community. Read the full story here.

EUROPE

COOPERATION CIRCLE: Compassion for All Living Beings

LOCATION: Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: Our CC had its “coming out” at the recent URI gathering in Sarajevo. We debuted our brochure at the vegan dinner, and CC members who were present shared thoughts about their own commitment to extending respect, safety and dignity to all living beings. One member described the importance of compassion for animals in her religion. Another expressed gratitude to the CC for including people at various stages in personal food choices. Another highlighted the idea in the brochure of how all major faiths teach compassion toward animals. A mother contrasted her deep connection with her child with the millions of animal mothers deprived of that bond for the sake of human consumption of animal flesh. She also made the case for prosecution against cruelty to animals. A gentleman appealed to those gathered to evaluate their own practices and extend their compassion to all living beings. On the IDP itself we launched our C4ALB website. A fair amount of inspirational content and photos are up, along with summary descriptions of more detailed material yet to come. We will continue to fill out the site, and we know it will naturally evolve as we receive feedback plus new images, ideas, and information.

COOPERATION CIRCLE: URI Europe

LOCATION: Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: At the URI Europe Sub-Regional Meeting in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, a prayer was shared at the opening of the meeting. It was prepared by the Orthodox Christian team of URI in Europe and dedicated to 21 September, the International Day of Peace. Read the full story here.

COOPERATION CIRCLES: Youth for Peace, Balkan as a Soul Bridge CC, Women's Interfaith Network of the URI CC, United Religions Initiative at the United Nations

LOCATION: Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: A Women's Interfaith Network blessing and World Peace Flag ceremony was held to observe the International Day of Peace. Our event was held with about 80 participants from 40 countries! We had the Global Council, Staff, members from Sarajevo's Youth for Peace CC and Balkans a Soul Bridge CC as well as some additional European CC members. All week there had been circles representing the various URI constituencies as a focal part of our meeting. A map of the world, UN postcards with the theme and a Peace Pole was added to our URI Circles. See more photos in the slideshow above ("Slideshow: IDP 2017 in Sarajevo and Events at the United Nations") and read more about this celebration here.

LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

COOPERATION CIRCLE: Circulo De Cooperación para el Diálogo Cooperation Circle

LOCATION: Caracas, Venezuela

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: Parents and children of different religions gathered on Rómulo Gallegos Avenue in eastern Caracas to celebrate the International Day of Peace and teach children the importance of interreligious union. They painted a giant mandala on the street, danced the dance of universal peace and prayed for reconciliation and the unification of religious dialogue. Event partners included: Central University of Venezuela, Community Radio, Zen Center, Eco Creates, The School of Citizens, and El Nacional Newspaper.

COOPERATION CIRCLE: Quinaroa CC

LOCATION: Merida, Venezuela

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: Gratitude with Peace for the Lagoon: The 6 indigenous peoples that make up the Quinaroa CC make a walk and offer to the Urao Lagoon, which is one of our sacred sites. 200 people participated including children, young people and the elderly. Water blessing by representatives of religions: Catholics, prayer groups, agnostics, Indigenous and Protestant peoples. We share traditional food and chicha that represent abundance for the new era and we celebrate being together for peace. We share traditional food and chicha that represent abundance for the new era and we celebrate being together for peace.

COOPERATION CIRCLE: Círculo Latinoamericano de Músicos (Latin American CC of Musicians)

LOCATION: São Paulo, Venezuela

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY:

CONVERSATION: A WORLD OF PEACE: Welcome words and a small talk URI review. It was done with an open exposition of the meaning of Peace in our school community, family, local, national and global community. Children and representatives were allowed to participate freely in expressing their particular views on Peace, with situations of daily living. In the end, all the guests understood the important reason to spread peace in all their actions: Family-School-Community of friends.

GAMES WITH MY VALUES: It was done by team, offering a model situation by the drivers of the program, giving the freedom to identify what value existed in the situation narrated, who managed to get it right, his representative had to dramatize it or pass it to another team. This dynamic allowed the participation of parents with their children as a team, as well as offering a diverse opinion on the values that stimulate peace in the lives of people who live daily. Elaboration of the dove of peace: The children and representatives elaborated with the ORIGAMI technique pigeons of peace with recyclable material the origami technique thanks to the facilitator María Ángela Cisnero.

PAINTING: SEEDS OF PEACE: Working as a team: Yellow, Blue and Red, children and representatives selected a Value that promotes Peace and made a painting that reflects this value. At the end each team exposes its sheet and places it around the central afiche of the activity.

MUSIC: A SONG FOR PEACE: It was realized sharing two songs: where everybody sang melodic lines of the “Flea and the Piojo.” She sang the chorus of the song Live Peace (of the Andreamaria Cantautora) with her participation as a soloist, accompanied by her spouse Dwight Carpio G (guitar).

Event partners included: Dwight Rafael Carpio, Dwight Nicolás Carpio, Laura López, and special guests: María Ángela Cisneros. entrepreneurship @TITERESECOPLANES, with photography support: Alfredo Salazar. With the purpose of enhancing and promoting the essential values of Peace from the experience of children, the "LIVE PEACE WITH CHILDREN" activity was organized, organized by ANDREAMARÍA, member of the CC Latin American Circle of Musicians URI, with the participation of 25 children and 14 parents and representatives. Read more about this activity here.

COOPERATION CIRCLE: Foro Espiritual de Santiago para la Paz

CC LOCATION: Santiago, Chile

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: Central Act of the Interreligious Day of Prayer for Peace in the World 2017; Central act of Prayer for Peace in the World. The heart of this event will be a participatory ceremony of prayer for peace in which representatives of each of the religions, religious denominations and spiritual traditions that have adhered to the Day will pray successively for peace, from their own faith or tradition. Expected with the participation of the prayers of the Christian Churches Catholic, Orthodox and Evangelical, as well as Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Sufism, Sikhism, Faith Bahá'í, Brahma Kumaris and Mapuche spiritual tradition. The ceremony will close with the reading by the prayers and other participants to the Declaration of Peace in the World (special version for the Central Act). The act itself will be a testimony of respectful coexistence in the diversity of beliefs and joint action (prayer in this case) for a shared goal: peace.

Community prayer: Communities belonging to the various religions and spiritual traditions that are in Greater Santiago and in all regions of Chile are being invited to meet during the weekend of September 22 to 24 in their places of worship, or worship to pray for peace in the world from their own faith and according to their own customs, aware that other communities built around other religions or spiritual traditions are doing the same, in Chile as in other places on the planet. These prayers for peace in the world can be integrated into the acts of worship or other activities that the vast majority of religious communities usually celebrate during the weekend. The collective reading, aloud, of the Declaration for Peace in the World (in a special version for the communities) in each of these ceremonies will be a unifying element.

Celebration of the International Day of Peace in schools, high schools and colleges, centered on the value, which may or may not have a religious or interreligious character depending on the characteristics of each school community. All educational establishments in the country are invited to celebrate at the time they deem it most appropriate during the week following that of the Patrias, 25-29 September. This celebration has again this year with the sponsorship of the Ministry of Education (as happened in 2011, last time this component was included in the day). To facilitate this celebration, a guide for teachers will be available on the Ministry's website. The reading of the Declaration for Peace in the World (in a version adapted for students) will also be the unifying element here. The Federation of Institutions of Particular Education (FIDE), the Education Area of the Episcopal Conference of Chile and the corresponding vicaries, in particular the Vicariate for Education of the Archdiocese of Santiago, collaborate in the implementation of this initiative, and the National Committee of Evangelical Education (CONAEV) MOTTO 2017: "Treat others as you like to be treated by you" (Rule of gold). Event partners include: National Commission of Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue of the Episcopal Conference of Chile of the Catholic Church – CONEDI, Ecumenical Fraternity of Chile – FRAECH, Christian Confraternity of Churches – CCI, Conference of Religious and Religious of Chile – CONFERRE, Chilean Association of Interreligious Dialogue – ADIR, and the sponsorship of the National Office of Religious Affairs - ONAR, Ministry General Secretariat of the Presidency, Catholic Church, Orthodox Church, Protestant Churches, Pentecostal Churches, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Sikhism, Bahá'í Faith, Mapuche Spirituality, Brahma Kumaris.

COOPERATION CIRCLE: United Nations CC / De la UNIDAD, la Reconciliación y la Sanación

LOCATION: Buenos Aires, Federal Capital, Argentina

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: "Voices of Peace" and "ROUND OF PEACE" is a network task, where each node will be a focus of peace. Its enhancer effect is based on the fact that each organization that is integrated must be developing its own activity to carry out locally within the established dates. They use the modality and the schedule that they create as the most adequate. Each organization will be responsible for 100% of the process and for carrying out the activity that each proposes.

COOPERATION CIRCLES: Aflaiai CC, Qhana Uta CC, Meipi CC, Amaru CC, Kuxkatan CC, MOPSyC CC, APEM CC, Descendientes de Guatemaya CC, Wiñay Llayta CC

LOCATION: El Alto, La Paz, Bolivia

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: The indigenous council will hold a celebration activity for the International Day of Peace on September 20 in the Municipality of El Alto with the participation of indigenous brothers from other CCs in the region.

COOPERATION CIRCLE: Rio Inter-Religious Movement CC (MIR)

LOCATION: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: Walk in Defense of Religious Freedom: On September 17, 2017, in the city of Rio de Janeiro, the X Walk for Religious Freedom was held, with the aim of sensitizing the population. This event was the result of six months of work of a commission created from the verification of extreme cases of religious intolerance that happened not only in the State of Rio de Janeiro, but in other units of the Federation. The purpose of this project is to keep the population mobilized against practices of religious intolerance, emphasizing the cultural diversity of different religious cults, thus guaranteeing the constitutional principles that govern the Brazilian State. Partners included ISER and Viva Rio. It was an event of great impact for society, because thousands of people gathered in Rio de Janeiro for a peaceful walk in defense of religious freedom.

See more photos below in the slideshow, and on the event Facebook photo album. See a video here.

COOPERATION CIRCLE: UNISOES - BRASIL

CC LOCATION: Salvador, Bahia, Brazil

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: One week of activities for peace: Lectures (neuroscientist Bruno Pitanga and astrologer Francisco Pacheco); Art Show; Sustainability Workshops; Cinema-dialog; Bazaar; Sale of seedlings, organic products and vegetarian snacks. Free entrance. Partners included: Roerich Institute, Unikósmica, UNISOES, United Religions House, and URI Salvador. 

COOPERATION CIRCLE: Círculo de Cooperação URI Goiás

CC LOCATION: Salvador, Bahia, Brazil

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: Manifestation of the Sacred in silence; Violet Flame Meditation; Esperanto and Peace; CD release Danka Vivo; Art, Consciousness and Spirituality; Shamanism as a way; Buddhism and Peace; Spiritism and Peace; Yoruba Songs for Peace, Musical Performance Coró Woman; Systemic Movement with the 3 races. (See photos in the slideshow below.)

COOPERATION CIRCLE: Fundación Proyecto 3er Milenio CC

CC LOCATION: Buenos Aires, Federal Capital, Argentina

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: Planting a Peace Pole at a Community Center.

COOPERATION CIRCLE: Indigenous Peoples of Argentina CC, Qewña CC, Community Cosmica CC

LOCATION: Buenos Aires, Federal Capital, Argentina

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: In the framework of the "International Day of Peace", on 21 September, sanctioned by Law 26,819, in the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies of the Argentine Republic, in adherence to Resolutions 36/67 and 55/282 of the Assembly General of the United Nations and given the context in which our country is located, different leaders of Indigenous Peoples from Argentina will meet to elaborate a document for Peace, from a vision of Dialogue and Consensus, principles of the Indigenous Peoples.
Faced with the growth of violence and intolerance in our country in recent times, 25 leaders from different Indigenous Peoples will gather in the honorable congress of the nation to produce a document that conveys our concern and initiative, to strengthen the path of peace, based on the teachings and wisdom, which our grandparents have transmitted for thousands of years.

THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA

COOPERATION CIRCLE: SNA Sohag CC (Community Development and Caring Children with Special Needs Association CC)

LOCATION: Sohag, Egypt

DESCRIPTION OF IDP  ACTIVITY: On the International Day of Peace, Community Development and Caring Children with Special Needs Association Cooperation Circle (a URI group in Sohag, Egypt) organized a day of tournaments including sports, poetry, artistic drawings and theater performances. The Cooperation Circle started the day with orientation sessions about the concepts of peace and acceptance for the young participants.

The most important topics presented to youth were:

• The definition of peace
• The benefits of spreading a culture of peace
• How to spread the culture of peace (presenting many tools and strategies)

The participants were asked to use what they had learned in the orientations in their contests. This has helped to profound the concepts of peace and acceptance. At the end of the exciting day, the judging committee selected the winners and the best artistic performances. Afterwards, the work of all participants were appreciated in an atmosphere filled with love and harmony.

COOPERATION CIRCLES: UNIFY, Al Badiya for Intercultural Dialogue, Mercy CC, Iris Women CC, Quested Peace CC, Naya CC, WIN MENA CC, Jordan Seeds of Peace CC

LOCATION: URI Middle East & North Africa Office

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: I

URI Office organized a special interfaith gathering on the occasion of the International day of peace. The gathering included peace prayers/ Duaa led by religious leaders in Jordan. The prayers focus on healing the wounds of war in ourselves and in the world, particularly in Syria. The prayer for Syria was coordinated by UNIFY, a Multi-region CC, as part of a Global Peace Prayer for Syria conducted by 72 groups joined from around the world at the same time. It was broadcasted via the internet creating a powerful force of love and compassion for our brothers and sisters in Syria. The event was attended by the following CCs: · Al Badiya for Intercultural Dialogue · Mercy CC · Iris Women CC · Quested Peace CC · Naya CC · WIN MENA CC · Jordan Seeds of Peace CC Also, Ms. Zina Ishaq-Nimri- URI Affiliate attended the event.

COOPERATION CIRCLES: Volunteering for Peace CC, United for Palestine CC, Palestinian Association for NVC CC, We Are Palestine CC, and with the presence of Palestinian Peace Society CC

LOCATION: "Friendship Garden" located next to the Ibrahimi Mosque, Palestine 

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: On Saturday, September 23rd, URI CCs and activists in Palestine celebrated together the International Day of Peace at the "Friendship Garden" located next to the Ibrahimi Mosque, the home for Abraham the grandfather for the Abrahamic religions and the place where he was buried together with his wife Sarah and his grandsons afterwards. The celebration started with a prayer from this scarred place, then the group started a roundtable meeting to talk about what does Peace and the International Day of Peace with the presence of the young leaders, a wonderful university students groups and active members of URI. Read more here.

COOPERATION CIRCLES: Abrahamic Reunion CC

LOCATION: Gaza

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: On the occasion of the International Day of Peace, Mr. Marwan Seyam, a member of Abrahamic Reunion CC in the holy land, organized a workshop on love and peace under the title "Children for Peace". The workshop tackled many topics including Peace, freedom and combating violence and extremism. Also, it educated the children about the importance of accepting the other and loving your neighbor regardless of their faith. May peace prevail on earth. May peace prevail on Gaza.

MULTIREGION

This year, 84% of active URI Multiregion Cooperation Circles celebrated Peace Day in some way. Read the .PDF report below, in which we lift up the impressive array of observances and celebrations of the UN International Day of Peace in September.

COOPERATION CIRCLE: Think Peace Media and Communications CC

LOCATION: Houston, Texas, United States of America

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: A taste of generational work at THINK PEACE INTERNATIONAL on September 21, youth from around the city of Houston will participate in a Generational Poetry SLAM. The event is part of a series of generational poets coming together to share TRUTH TO POWER. Elder Poets from the Community will present poetry that helps us to create respect, safety, and dignity for all.

COOPERATION CIRCLE: Prafull Oorja

LOCATION: Bangalore, India

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: The event will be aimed at creating awareness about the International Day Of Peace and the participants will enjoy an evening of soulful music and soft melodies. We will culminate the event in a peace meditation where the participants will be guided to pray for love, peace and harmony in the world. The event will be conducted by Aribijay Bhaumik (a local musician and meditation teacher) and his group. We will invite around 75-100 people to participate in this event and will provide light refreshments at the end of the event.

There will be a 5-day yoga camp for 5000 teenage children at an orphanage an hour away from Bangalore. We will have around 20 volunteers to help us with the successful completion of the camp. Yoga will be used as therapy as well as a transformational tool in the lives of these children. We are aiming to inculcate leadership qualities in these children during the process. We will teach the children basic asanas and pranayam to help them cope with anxiety and anger that teenagers face in this phase. The yoga sessions, pranayama, yoga nidra and meditation should help the children feel calm and at peace.

COOPERATION CIRCLE: The Interfaith Observer

LOCATION: Around the word

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: TIO will be republishing Bill Swing's latest challenge to get behind the ending of nukes as a way of celebrating this year's IDP.

COOPERATION CIRCLES: Trail of Dreams World Peace Walk CC, Hidden Seeds, NOWTIME Radio

LOCATION: Dothan, Alabama, United States of America

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: We will be planting a peace pole, and meditating around the newly planted pole.

COOPERATION CIRCLE: Golden Rule CC - Multiregion

LOCATION: Juba, South Sudan

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: As part of the celebration of IDP, the Golden Rule CC is going to join hand with URI-Africa in the celebration of IDP of 2017, to be held in Juba-South Sudan. The Golden Rule poster and its teaching will be highlighted and circulated as one practical action to bring all stakeholders together to work for peace and promote dignity for all URI Africa.

COOPERATION CIRCLE: Spirituality and the Earth MCC

LOCATION: TBD

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: Don will reach out to members of CC and inquire about potential plans for IDP, with intention of connecting more with Multiregion. More info TBD.

COOPERATION CIRCLE: Dr T D Singh Science Spirituality CC

LOCATION: Cuttack, Odisha, India

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: On the occasion of the International Day of Peace, a two-hour seminar was held on Science and Scriptures at DRIEMS group of Institutions, Cuttack on Sept 21, 2017, with four speakers. About hundred students and faculty members participated.

COOPERATION CIRCLE: APITHAN Ministries

LOCATION: Sun City, Arizona, United States of America

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: Rev Ahowan ICrow, of APITHAN Ministries, Ordained Humane Minister and Animal Chaplain will be in Phoenix, Arizona traveling to several destinations to include, but not limited to: a zoo, animal laboratory, dairy farm, rodeo fairground, chicken farm, and slaughterhouse for a spontaneous Peace with all Animals meditation blessing ceremony citing the Golden Rule and tenants referring to the proper treatment of Animals from each Major Religion and/or Culture. Finalizing the day, at a public Wi-Fi destination for an online meditation blessing ceremony with the LIFE Farm Animal Sanctuary in Mapoli, India, where APITHAN is scheduled to begin building the ‘Loving Child Ashram,’ a Homeless Child orphanage for healing with the Homeless Animals.

*((At 6: 00 PM, APITHAN will host “Animal Spirit Drumming” alongside other Animal Chaplains from the Emerson Theological Institute, open to children and a lot of fun! at the Creative Living Fellowship))* APITHAN agrees: “To meditate for world peace, to pray for a better world, and to work for social justice and environmental protection while continuing to purchase the flesh, milk, and eggs of horribly abused animals exposes a disconnect that is so fundamental that it renders our efforts absurd, hypocritical, and doomed to certain failure.” World Peace Diet.

See the full report here.

COOPERATION CIRCLE: Circle of Healers

LOCATION: Fresno, California, United States of America

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: Small gatherings from around the country and the world of healers, practicing healing, centered around the moment of silence on IDP.

COOPERATION CIRCLE: Contemplative Life

LOCATION: Austin, Texas, United States of America

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: We created a site to focus on IDP information and activities and invited the Contemplative Life community, URI supporters and others to visit and participate in a day of meditation and prayer on Sept 21st. Contemplative Life will invite practice leaders and their contemplative communities to join in a day of silence and prayer for peace. The virtual community will be invited to participate in a few minutes of silence at noon their time. We will also invite the community to practice intentions throughout the day to focus on international peace.

"Deep and sustained peace calls for deep and sustained practice.

Contemplative Life will create a campaign that we will send out to the thousands of people that support our mission of practice and community. We will notify them about the International Day of Peace and invite them to take action by participating in a morning and evening practice and to reflect on peace throughout the day."

One member of the Contemplative Life community that participated in the moment of silence event on Peace Day said afterward: "Thanks for this. I was giving a speech and ended it at noon with this moment of silence. I’m sure that for a number of people attending, it was the best part of the speech!" Focusing on peace with a moment of silence was a great gift to many.

COOPERATION CIRCLE: Global Healing

LOCATION: Tampa, Florida, United States

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: Presentation on the model of the International Institute for Peace through Tourism. Followed by case studies of Track II diplomacy via tourism. Followed by open discussion.

COOPERATION CIRCLE: Global Youth Ambassadors CC

LOCATION: Bulgaria

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: We will gather youth groups, civil society organisations, leaders and representatives from various faith communities. We will all sit down, have our spiritual opening moment, a discussion how to celebrate peace together, across cultures and beliefs. At a point, we will make teleconferencing with the other participating countries to share the outcomes of each local meeting. We will bring people together, establish new cooperation, commemorate the international peace day and inform everyone about the URI community.

COOPERATION CIRCLES: Global Youth Movement (GYM), Karickam International Public School CC

LOCATION: Kerala, India

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: On 21st September morning, we set out for a peace procession at Karickam by including the students and youths from nearby schools and colleges and we had a peaceful rally consisting of more than 300 youths. The participants were dressed in various ethnic and cultural costumes and all of them were given refreshments. After that, we, the leaders of GYM, had a chain prayer with chants of peace and silent prayers. We also discussed on the global issues that threaten the global peace and harmony. We also lit candles and had a minute of silence. Then we had a visit to an old-age home and we provided them traditional lunch and had given them resource kits. We also had a seminar and discussion sessions on the theme of IDP and URI, which was handled by various religious scholars and teachers.

COOPERATION CIRCLE: Tamera and Grace - Movement for a Free Earth

LOCATION: Colos, Portugal

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: Sacred Matrix: We did a 2-days walk along the beautful and wild Portuguese coast concentrating on perceiving and studying what we call the "Sacred Matrix". We asked the participants to not take any phones or technical devices to be able to be fully present. That's why we have few photos. We were 14 people from 9 different nations and different religions. We spent time concentrating on the "Sacred Matrix" which always surrounds us. It is a world or reality beyond any particular religion, though it is in the sacred core of all of them. There is something which is the same in all of us. To have time to focus on this world while walking in silence, perceiving the blue of the ocean, the wind and sun, while being in a community, share food and spend a night outside together ... this was healing for all participants. We human beings should take much more time to do this as this is our true home, the world we are coming from.

COOPERATION CIRCLE: Hope In Life Foundation

LOCATION: Lake Forest, California, United States

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: The purpose of the event was to spread peace and raise funds for the most recent hurricane victims.

COOPERATION CIRCLE: Hope In Life Foundation

LOCATION: Los Angeles, California, United States

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: Hope in Life Foundation was a co-sponsor of the event hosted by One Global Family Foundation. There was a spiritual discussion in circles; prayers were chanted from different faiths and religions. Persian food was served. The highlight of the event was getting educated about the decommissioning of the San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant and its impact on an 8 million people in a 50-mile radius. Various other such plants were compared, even the Chernobyl incident.

COOPERATION CIRCLE: Global Interfaith WASH Alliance

LOCATION: Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: Some 500 saints and citizens will join together on the banks of the River Ganga (Ganges) at the foothills of the Himalayas to honour the International Day of Peace with a special Water Blessing Ceremony and prayers that everyone, everywhere may lead happy, peaceful lives, with universal access to life-sustaining, plentiful and clean water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). The ceremony will be followed by a collective pledge for peace and a glorious lighting of peace lamps as the sun descends on India's holiest river: the source of life for 500 million people.

COOPERATION CIRCLE: UNIFY

LOCATION: Syrian Refugee Camp

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: (Draft) Global synchronized interfaith prayer, sunset, Sept 24, 7:30pm Syria from inside refugee camp.

COOPERATION CIRCLE: Global Youth CC

LOCATION: Online webinar

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: The theme for the webinar is The Global Solidarity of Youth: Ushering In a New Era of Hope, depicted from the Peace Proposal written by SGI President, Mr. Daisaku Ikeda. The proposal focuses on how organizations and youths can work together in combating global crises such as refugee crisis, nuclear threat and human rights. The focus is to get youths around the globe to pledge an oath on how we should work together. The webinar will be a start in connecting youths around the globe to think and devise an action plan on combating urgent critical issues such as refugee crisis. It will help to provide a platform for discussion and articulation of information for every participant.

COOPERATION CIRCLE: Tamera and Grace - Movement for a Free Earth

LOCATION: Portugal

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: We will hold a seminar titled "Sacred Matrix" and will walk for 2-3 days along the beautiful wild Portuguese coast of the Atlantic Ocean. We will hold a prayer Sept 21 connecting in spirit with all who are praying for peace at this day, especially connecting to the Multiregion of URI. The whole pilgrimage is in the name of perceiving the sacred again. Here is a quote by Tamera co-founder Dieter Duhm which may describe best in which spirit we want to walk:

It is a quote out of his book "The Sacred Matrix".

How can it be that after five thousand years of patriarchy the birds still sing, the children still play, and lovers still feel as if they were in seventh heaven? Something in life seems to have remained intact through all the agony and blind alleys of history. It is something healthy and sacred, perhaps something eternal, that comes from the Universe and not from human beings, and yet it has been entrusted to us in the deepest roots of our soul and body. Probably every single human being on earth knows it subconsciously. We live in the presence of a global massacre of humans, animals, and nature, but we clearly also live in the presence of an entirely different intact and sacred world. Healing consists of reconnecting with this other world, which is our most original and our very own world, and bringing it fully into life on earth.

COOPERATION CIRCLE: LGBTQ CC

LOCATION: Dothan, Alabama, United States of America

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: Joining in the event: We will be planting a peace pole, and meditating around the newly planted pole.

COOPERATION CIRCLE: CARAVAN

LOCATION: Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: Playing off of I AM exhibit in Washington DC, we plan to do a social media campaign related to the International Day of Peace. The Exhibit is based at the American University Museum.

COOPERATION CIRCLE: SYNC for Harmony

LOCATION: all cities and places all over our planet

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: "Mother Earth calls to us: “Pray in SYNC“

The “Planet of Life,” as living Mega-entity named here as “our Mother’s Earth “looks for WE-Enlightenment. Now, this becomes real: Every human, who wants takes part in “Sync” meditations, prayers etc., tunes aware her/his focus of familiar observation to the first-quarter in chosen hour UTC once a day (or more). The Global Heart pulses hourly. The Golden Rule brings to the mutual respect to other traditions. The Plan for 2017-IDP is to herald the launching of: “Pray in Sync“ in Fall 2018.

COOPERATION CIRCLE: Global Family for Love and Peace

LOCATION: New York, New York, United States of America

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: Poetry for Peace

COOPERATION CIRCLE: Chaplaincy Institute

LOCATION: Berkeley, California, United States of America

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: There will be three spiritual directors who receive their certificates of completion, and five interfaith seminaries who are being ordained as interfaith clergy. All 8 are called to be religious leaders and spiritual care providers, taking a vow to bring peace and sustainability to the world.

NORTH AMERICA

COOPERATION CIRCLE: Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Ethics

LOCATION: Los Angeles, California, United States of America

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: Theme: SACRED ACTIVISM: "Caring for each other and mother earth through active engagement"
Speakers: Keynote: Congresswoman Karen Bass, Edward McCullough, Charles Langley & Nina Babiarz, Rev. Leland Stewart, Rev. Al Duffy, Rev Adela Sandoval Dr. Zaman Stanizai and more.
Debut screening of "Women Wage Peace" filmed in Israel/Palestine

COOPERATION CIRCLE: Sun Devils Are Better Together

LOCATION: Tempe, Arizona, United States

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: Sun Devils Are Better Together hosted an evening of community storytelling around the three topics: heritage, migration and the unknown. The event, set up as a café, invited participants to uncover their own narratives that have elements in common with refugees and immigrants. Activities included creating a "River of Life" and "Identity" map, and breaking out in groups to discuss what we've found on our maps, and how it relates to the 3 themes or the event. The purpose of this event was to lead ASU students, staff, faculty, and community members to identify shared values and experiences with those who seem to have fundamentally different backgrounds from them. The event was co-facilitated by special guest Ron Cortez, Costa Rican immigrant, entrepreneur, and owner of Cortez Coffee.

COOPERATION CIRCLE: Path to Anandam

LOCATION: California, United States of America

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: Live Stream for 21 days on Social Media from Sept 1st to Sept 21 on Inner Peace to Global Peace
Live Stream_ Inner Peace to Global Peace

I will be covering: "If there is peace in the person, there will be peace in the family, and if there is peace in the family, there will be peace in the home. If there is peace in the home, there will be peace in the community. If there is peace it the community, there will be peace in the country. And if there is peace in the country, there will be peace in the world."

• What is Peace?

• What is Inner Peace?

• Cause of no peace?

• How to attain Inner Peace?

• 7 Steps to attain Inner Peace

• How to spread Peace to others?

• How to spread Peace in the universe?

COOPERATION CIRCLE: Nashville Cooperation Circle @ Scarritt Bennett Center

LOCATION: Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: "URI Nashville Cooperation Circle in support of the International Day of Peace, will co-host an interfaith city-wide service of worship at Scarritt Bennett Center on September 18, 2017. The theme is Let Us Pray Together for Peace and representatives of eight different faiths will share readings/prayers from their sacred texts or music that speaks to peace in communities and in the world. Committed to building bridges between peoples and transforming hate into hope and we come together to pray for peace as members of the world’s religions.

We will host a reception after worship service. Exhibits about the work of URI Nashville Cooperation Circle*, TN Interfaith Power & Light* and World Wisdom Bible* will be set up in the reception hall. Nashville Cordell Hull Chapter of United Nations Association-USA are promoting the September 18, 2017 event and how they are promoting Sustainable Development Goals.

Go to www.urincc.com to learn about all NCC's Sept 2017 International Prayer Service, how TN Interfaith & Light works with NCC and the World"

COOPERATION CIRCLE: Greater Concord Interfaith Council

LOCATION: Concord, New Hampshire, United States

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: International Day of Peace on the New Hampshire State House Lawn. The International Day of Peace-IDP, which is celebrated worldwide on Thursday, September 21st, will be acknowledged with an all-day local event on the Concord New Hampshire US State House lawn from 10 am to 7 pm. The purpose of this event is to promote peace, respect, safety, and dignity for all. Poets, storytellers, dancers, and musicians are invited to share their works at this event which will promote these themes. Activities will be clustered around lunch (11-1:30) and supper (4:30-7) when the highest amount of traffic is anticipated. In addition to the Greater Concord Interfaith Council; Peace Action NH, Kids4Peace, Building a Culture of Peace Forum, UU Church of Concord, and numerous other Concord area faith & peace communities are active participants. Pizza will be sold by local pizza shops participating in A Piece of Pizza for Peace with a portion of proceeds going to support peace locally and beyond. Planned activities will include peace readings, poems, dance, meditation, and music. Additional information can be found at apieceofpizzaforpeace.org, on Facebook, or by emailing Rik Yeames at [email protected] to schedule a specific time slot. Peace Action NH, Kids4Peace, Building a Culture of Peace Forum, UU Church of Concord, and numerous other Concord area faith & peace communities are active participants.

COOPERATION CIRCLE: Interfaith Cooperation Circle - Central Virginia

LOCATION: Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: Various groups will participate in music and leading everyone in songs of peace, drummers, women's choir, church choir, mystics, Sufis, Jewish, all faiths represented. prayers of inspiration, and peace, of course. Also supported by the Charlottesville center for peace and Justice.

COOPERATION CIRCLE: Euphrates Cooperation Circle

LOCATION: Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: Noon - 1 minute of silence in honor of all across the world working toward peace (see UN initiative)

3-5pm - Outdoor activities on Marsh chapel plaza
5pm - Setup
5: 30 - Welcome and registration begins
6pm - Concert and snacks (Simon de Voil)
6: 30 - Event begins: Opening, welcome, introduction to Euphrates, the Boston chapter, the evening (Susie Jostyn)
6: 40 - Presentation on practical institutional and interpersonal peace making processes (Judith Oleson or Tom Porter from BUSTH RCT program)
7: 00 - Peace Narratives I (Middle East focus, speaker TBD)
7: 20 - Peace Narratives II (Interfaith and interpersonal focus by speaker Simon de Voil)
7: 40 - Breakout groups
8: 20 - Closing, encourage commitment to peacemaking
8: 30pm - Music (Simon de Voil)
9pm - Event over, cleanup

COOPERATION CIRCLE: Charlotte Red Bench Garden

LOCATION: Charlotte, North Carolina, United States

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: Some 500 saints and citizens will join together on the banks of the River Ganga (Ganges) at the foothills of the Himalayas to honour the International Day of Peace with a special Water Blessing Ceremony and prayers that everyone, everywhere may lead happy, peaceful lives, with universal access to life-sustaining, plentiful and clean water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). The ceremony will be followed by a collective pledge for peace and a glorious lighting of peace lamps as the sun descends on India's holiest river: the source of life for 500 million people.

COOPERATION CIRCLE: Interfaith Council of Contra Costa County

LOCATION: Lafayette, California, United States

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: Come join others from the Interfaith community for a program with music, prayer and a keynote from Father Tom Bonacci as we celebrate the International Day of Peace together. Dwight Stone will be on hand sharing his musical gifts.

COOPERATION CIRCLE: California Institute of Human Science Cooperation Circle

LOCATION: Encinitas, California, United States

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: This summer, in many places in our country, we saw the pain caused by racism, xenophobia and religiously motivated violence revealed starkly, as our collective shadow. As that poison comes to the surface, though, it is possible to see it, and free ourselves, as well as others to give some teaching on the problems of racial inequity, let me borrow a few words from Dr. Brene Brown, whose research on emotions such as empathy and shame has been cutting-edge: Fixing this will take 200 million acts of courage. Speaking out when you see something go wrong. Speaking out with a sense of curiosity. Take this work & weave it through your life. It is my intention to host the dialogues that bring about healing-- so that we share skills and practices for social healing throughout our Encinitas community. We will share an interfaith meditation as an expression of gratitude for the Earth and its blessings always pouring forth. As part of this, we will engage in intercultural dialogue, with a special focus on “courageous conversations” and do a circle process, sharing our insight and experience with crossing color and faith lines-- towards creating cultures of peace. We would love to have your presence. Please bring friends and colleagues!

COOPERATION CIRCLE: University of Rochester Interfaith Chapel

LOCATION: Rochester, New York, United States of America

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: Talk by Sheik Ghassan Manasra from the Abrahamic Reunion (URI CC) about how to be peacemakers in times of conflict. The talk will focus on peacemaking generally, using his experience in Israel/Palestine as his case study. There will by Q&A and a reception after the talk so that participants can engage with him. Prior to the talk there will be a small dinner with him and students from the University where he will share with them his experiences in Israel/Palestine. The event is being held on Sept. 11 because Sept. 21 this year is the first day of Rosh Hashanah and so the chapel cannot have other activities that day.

COOPERATION CIRCLE: Interfaith Center at the Presidio

LOCATION: San Francisco, California, United States of America

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: The Interfaith Center was host to two special events in the Presidio Chapel marking the United Nations International Day of Peace. The September 21st service honored the 20th anniversary of “Mines to Vines,” a project of Roots for Peace to convert former battlefields to productive farmland. Heidi Kuhn, Executive Director of Roots for Peace, was the keynote speaker.

She was joined by leaders from Baha’i, Brahma Kumari, Buddhist, Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Jewish, Latter Day Saints, Muslim, and Unitarian communities. The full program is available here. The San Francisco Interfaith Council and United Religions Initiative co-sponsored the event.

On Sunday, September 24, Victoria Rodriguez, Darryl Taylor, and Deon Nielsen Price, accomplished musicians and performers, joined their talents to present “To the Children of War,” based on poetry by Maya Angelou, along with other music by Chopin, Debussy and Deon Price. Their aim was to offer soulful music for voice and piano that addresses society’s unrest and can bring peace to the listener.

OPERATION CIRCLES: Interfaith Roundtable of Kauai

LOCATION: Lihue, Hawaii

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: Everybody is invited to celebrate Kauai's International Day of Peace at Lydgate Park on Sunday, September 17, 2017, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., sponsored by the Interfaith Roundtable of Kauai (IROK). A Slack Key guitar performance will begin at 1:30 by Cindy Combs. The event is free! We’re celebrating at Lydgate Park Main Pavilion (near Kamalani Playground), the Peace Day program will feature slack-key performing artist Cindy Combs, non-violent communication skills taught by Isa Maria; activities for children of all ages; a puppet show, a message from the United States Representative Tulsi Gabbard, refreshments and more, culminating in multi-cultural prayers and a dove release at 3:45. The event is free. Our very own dove will be debuted with her The International Day of Peace was created by the United Nations General Assembly in 2001. In 2007, Hawaii became the first state in the nation to officially commemorate Peace Day in harmony with the UN resolution. IROK has sponsored an annual celebration of peace every year since. The international theme for this event is “Pathways for Peace: Respect, Safety & Dignity for All.” IROK was formed in 2005 to bring together representatives of all religions to encourage harmony, understanding, and community service from an interfaith cooperative stance.

SOUTHEAST ASIA AND THE PACIFIC

COOPERATION CIRCLES: Centre Of Melbourne Multifaith and Others Network, Womens Interfaith Network, Planetary Healing Artists Association of Australia Inc, WIN Foundation (Women’s Interfaith Network) CC

LOCATION: St Kilda, Victoria, Australia

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: One World', art exhibition is dedicated to world peace and will celebrate spirituality, faith and belief. It will explore the common connections between people with diverse beliefs, and promote the idea that by uniting for a common vision of a better world for all, that together we can make a difference. It is our hope that the exhibition will promote greater understanding and compassion in the broader community.

The exhibition will open on UN International Day of Peace, 21st September 2017 and will run until 1st October 2017. At the Opening, we will celebrate UN International Day of Peace with music, food, drinks, entertainment, and different faith keynote presenters speaking on the importance of art in bringing people together for World Peace. We are calling for artworks along these themes in a variety of visual art mediums, representing a diverse range of beliefs and faiths.

COOPERATION CIRCLE: Interfaith Peace Building on Natural Resources Management

LOCATION: Trapang Ropov Village, Cambodia

DESCRIPTION OF IDP ACTIVITY: IDP 2017 was celebrated by ACT interfaith group, who were working on Natural Resource Management at Trapang Ropov Village, Teouk Chou district, Kampot province (which is in five provinces: Kampot, Kampong Cham, Kampong Chhnang, Kratie, and Phravihear. )Thanks to Danmission and URI, who supported this event to happen on 29-30 September, 2017.