UNITED NATIONS MESSENGERS OF PEACE JOIN IN INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE OBSERVANCE

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan will ring the Peace Bell at 8:30 a.m. on 21 September at United Nations Headquarters to herald the twenty-third observance of the International Day of Peace.  This year, he will be joined by three of the United Nations Messengers of Peace:  Muhammad Ali, Anna Cataldi, and Jane Goodall.  United Nations Messenger of Peace Vijay Amritraj will observe the Day at events being organized by the United Nations Information Centre in New Delhi.

The General Assembly established the International Day of Peace in 1981.  Until two years ago, its observance coincided with the opening day of the General Assembly session.  However, in 2001, the General Assembly called for it to be observed on 21 September each year, as a day of non-violence and ceasefire.

At the Peace Bell ceremony, Secretary-General Kofi Annan will deliver a message of peace.  In the past few years, non-governmental organizations and private citizens in countries around the world have been joining the call of the General Assembly to raise awareness of the Day and spread the message of peace.

United Nations peace missions and information centres are expected to organize special events in the name of peace.  Two public service announcements featuring Messengers of Peace, Muhammad Ali and Luciano Pavarotti, jointly produced by the United Nations and The History Channel, with the New York advertising agency DCODE, will be rebroadcast on selected channels of The History Channel and The Biography Channel and their affiliates in countries in Latin America, the United Kingdom, India, Turkey, the Middle East, Japan and Thailand.

For information on the United Nations Messengers of Peace, contact Yvonne Acosta, tel.:  1-212-963-7214, e-mail:  acostay@un.org.

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