Celebrations of the UN International Day of Peace, September 21, 2010, organized by Universal Peace Federation chapters. “Since wars begin in the minds of man, it is in the minds of man that the defenses of peace must be constructed.” The UN’s task to “save succeeding generations from the scourge of war” is of course not just the task of the United Nations but the entire human family. Human conflict and the resort to arms and weapons have their roots in the breakdown of human relationships and the human failure to live up to our highest ideals and aspirations. Violence is a symptom of a moral and spiritual failure. If we are to eliminate violence and weapons of mass destruction, we must commit ourselves to a moral and spiritual awakening. Lasting peace is secured not only through the reduction of weapons and arsenals but, more importantly, by the growth in solidarity among the whole human family and a recognition that we are all brothers and sisters who share a common spiritual and moral heritage. We are one family under God. It is this understanding that gives rise to the collective will to put an end to violent conflict. Religion has profound relevance and significance in the effort to secure human rights. Religions teach that we share a common origin, the source of our sacred value and our rights as human beings. Religions teach of the value of each human being and the need to love and serve others. With increasing spiritual awareness, there emerges a great collective will to ensure the well being of all people. As such, we should advance the universal values found in the teachings of all the world’s great religions. At the same time, we must recognize the unfortunate and unpleasant truth that many, even most of today’s violent conflicts are exacerbated by religious disputes. Therefore, UPF emphasizes that world peace can be fully accomplished only when the wisdom and efforts of the world's religious leaders work cooperatively and respectfully with national leaders who have much practical wisdom.

1. The United NationsInternational Day of Peace September 21, 2010 Afghanistan Albania Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Belarus Burkina Faso Cambodia Chad Colombia Congo Dominican Republic Ecuador Estonia Finland Georgia Germany Ghana Guyana India Israel Italy Japan Jordan Latvia Marshall Islands Moldova Mongolia Nepal Netherlands Norway Peru Philippines Russia St. Lucia Sierra Leone Solomon Islands Spain Tajikistan Thailand Trinidad & Tobago United Kingdom United States Uruguay Venezuela Zambia Zimbabwe

2. AFGHANISTAN: Peace Seminar and a Music Festival in Kabul

3. ALBANIA: Distribution of school supplies to children from a local orphanage

4. ARGENTINA: A poetry contest on the theme of peace drew entries from 19 nations.

5. ARMENIA: Students at School No. 14 in Yerevan drawing their visions of peace

6. AUSTRALIA: Secretary General of UPF-Oceania speaks at a day-long rally in Sydney.

7. AUSTRIA: Youth take the lead sharing about recent interfaith peace projects.

8. BELARUS: A Peace March, arts contest, tree planting and concert in the city of Orsha

9. BURKINA FASO: With official support, youth join a blood drive and AIDS education.

10. CAMBODIA: A visit to the “killing fields”; a seminar at Cambodia Mekong University

11. CHAD: A “Football for Peace” tournament between army veterans and civilian teams

12. COLOMBIA: Religious leaders join in a march and prayers for peace in Bogotá.

13. CONGO: 300 joined in prayers for peace at the Congressional Palace.

14. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Celebration at the Regional University Center in Barahona

15. ECUADOR: Young people from various religions talk about their work for peace.

16. ESTONIA: High school students learn about the Day of Peace from interfaith NGOs

17. FINLAND: Peace Seminar with NGOs, community and governmental youth leaders

18. GEORGIA: “Brain Ring” contest for students, funded by the UN Office in Georgia

19. GERMANY, DUSSELDORF: Combined IDP and “Stand Up 2010” MDGs program

20. GERMANY, MUNICH: Lighting candles to promote inner peace

21. GERMANY, STUTTGART: An interfaith gathering after reading Ban Ki-moon’s remarks.

22. GHANA: Reading a Peace Message at an interreligious gathering in Accra

23. GUYANA: Speeches and a peace march through the streets of Georgetown

24. INDIA: A prize for peace poetry for a student at the Deorali Girls School, Sikkim

25. ISRAEL: A small gathering to discuss the implications of Ban Ki-moon’s IDP message

26. ITALY: Buddhist monks from Burma and Tibet join interfaith prayers in Monza.

27. JAPAN: Cleaning up the Wada-Nahama beach, Kanagawa Prefecture

28. JORDAN: Children watch a football match between Jordanians and Iraqis in Amman.

29. LATVIA: Young people share ideas and drawings about their vision for peace.

30. MARSHALL ISLANDS: A celebration at the College of Marshall Islands in Majuro

31. MOLDOVA: Citywide meetings on “Youth for Peace and Development” in Chisinau

32. MONGOLIA: A celebration at Mongolian National University in Ulaanbaatar

33. NEPAL: Students from the Bal Bagaincha school in Kathmandu light peace lamps.

34. NETHERLANDS: A conference in Utrecht on the Impact of Foreign Aid in Africa

35. NORWAY: Young people met to discuss what their religion has to say about peace.

36. PERU: Prayers for peace offered in the National Congress by leaders of many faiths

37. PHILIPPINES: Ambassadors for Peace programs with police, religious, youth and tribal community leaders in Cayagan del Oro, Mindanao

38. RUSSIA, EKATERINBURG: UPF partners with Brahma Kumaris for peace prayers.

39. RUSSIA, EKATERINBURG: Torches for peace were lit at a medical college.

40. RUSSIA, KOSTOMUKSHA: Programs for disabled children begin a new school year.

41. RUSSIA, MEDVEZHIEGORSK: Students post messages on a “wall of peace.”

42. RUSSIA, MOSCOW: Program with the NGO ‘Federation of Peace and Concordance’

43. RUSSIA, NIZHNI NOVGOROD: Students collect donations for a rehabilitation center.

44. RUSSIA, SEROV: A school teaches lessons on the theme of ‘forgiveness.’

45. RUSSIA, ZELENOGRAD: Students release 200 balloons carrying messages of peace.

46. ST. LUCIA: Representatives of Unesco, UPF and other groups sign a peace statement.

47. SOLOMON ISLANDS: Candle-light prayer service for peace in Honaira

48. SPAIN: Interfaith prayers and fellowship at the UPF Peace Embassy in Madrid

49. TAJIKISTAN: A program at the Tajik National Conservatory

50. THAILAND: 200 schools mark IDP with silence followed by Ban Ki-moon’s message

51. TRINIDAD & TOBAGO: Songs of peace at a kindergarten, preparing to release a dove

52. UNITED KINGDOM: A multifaith seminar on peace and development in London

53. URUGUAY: Peace perspectives from Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity

54. URUGUAY: Peace perspectives from Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity

55. USA, WASHINGTON DC: Program co-hosted with the Embassy of Ghana to the USA

56. VENEZUELA: Making repairs at the St. Edmund Kids' Corner Foundation in Caracas

57. ZAMBIA: Offering prayer for peace and reading peace messages in Lusaka

58. ZIMBABWE: Students from 12 schools competed in a sports for peace tournament.

59. For more information about UPF’s International Day of Peace activities, click here.