Secretary-General's 100-day Countdown Message
dated 13 June 2013

Today we begin the 100-day countdown to the observance of the International Day of Peace, when the United Nations calls on all combatants around the world to lay down their arms and to give peace a real chance.

The International Day of Peace, marked on 21 September each year, offers an opportunity for the world to pause, reflect and consider how best to break the vicious cycle of violence that conflict creates.

The theme for the Day this year is “Education for Peace”. The United Nations will examine the role education can play in fostering global citizenship. It is not enough to teach children how to read, write and count. Education has to cultivate mutual respect for others and the world in which we live, and help people forge more just, inclusive and peaceful societies.

This kind of education is a central focus of my Global Education First Initiative, which calls on governments to place education at the top of their agenda.

I call on everyone – whether governments, parties to conflicts, religious institutions, community leaders, the media, academics, or civil society groups – to play their part. We must support peace education programmes, protect students and teachers from conflict, help rebuild schools destroyed by war, and ensure all girls and boys have access to a quality education that includes learning about resolving and preventing conflicts.

Over the next 100 days, let us resolve to learn together how to create a universal culture of peace.

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"A culture of peace will be achieved when citizens of the world understand global problems, have the skills to resolve conflicts and struggle for justice non-violently, live by international standards of human rights and equity, appreciate cultural diversity, and respect the Earth and each other. Such learning can only be achieved with systematic education for peace." -Hague Appeal for Peace Global Campaign for Peace Education

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for 21 September 2013, the International Day of Peace

The International Day of Peace is a time for reflection – a day when we reiterate our belief in non-violence and call for a global ceasefire.  We ask people everywhere to observe a minute of silence, at noon local time, to honour those killed in conflict and the survivors who live with daily trauma and pain.

This year we are highlighting Education for Peace.  Education is vital for fostering global citizenship and building peaceful societies.  

In June, Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani schoolgirl targeted for assassination by the Taliban for campaigning for the right to education, came to the United Nations.  Malala said: “One teacher, one book, one pen, can change the world.”  These are our most powerful weapons. 

That is why, last year, I launched the Global Education First Initiative.  Every girl and every boy deserves to receive a quality education and learn the values that will help them to see themselves as part of a global community.

Governments and development partners are working to get every child in school and learning well to equip them for life in the 21st century.  There is new momentum in countries with the greatest needs, such as those affected by conflict, which are home to half of all children lacking education.  But we must do more – much more.  Fifty-seven million children are still denied an education.  Millions more need better schooling.

Educating the poorest and most marginalized children will require bold political leadership and increased financial commitment.  Yet aid for education has dropped for the first time in a decade.  We must reverse this decline, forge new partnerships, and bring much greater attention to the quality of education.

On this International Day of Peace, let us pledge to teach our children the value of tolerance and mutual respect.  Let us invest in the schools and teachers that will build a fair and inclusive world that embraces diversity.  Let us fight for peace and defend it with all our might.

Current UN Secretary-General Ban-Ki-moon
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CLP has been advocating for peace education for the past 3 years. We have held a number of events to promote  peace like the Peace Summit, Parenting Peace Circles, and Bayanihan. Most importantly, the topic of working towards peace has been incorporated in the school curriculum throughout the school year. 

Achieving a culture of peace is a worldwide movement. And we are ALL called upon to pitch in. Will you join us?