International Day of Peace
Next: September 21, 2027
One day. Everyone. No fighting.
The story
Where it comes from
The UN General Assembly established the International Day of Peace in 1981, first observed in 1982 on the opening day of its annual session. In 2001 the Assembly fixed the date at 21 September and declared it a day of global ceasefire and non-violence, inviting all nations and people to lay down arms for twenty-four hours.
How it's celebrated
The UN Secretary-General rings the Peace Bell at UN headquarters in New York, cast from coins donated by children of sixty countries. Around the world there are minutes of silence at noon, peace walks, concerts and interfaith gatherings; schools hold assemblies and many people simply reach out to mend a quarrel.
Did you know
- The Peace Bell was a gift from Japan in 1954; its inscription reads 'Long live absolute world peace'.
- In Afghanistan in 2007, a ceasefire on Peace Day allowed 1.4 million children to be vaccinated against polio.
- The white dove with an olive branch became a peace symbol partly through Picasso's lithograph for the 1949 World Peace Congress in Paris.
Coming up next
- World Rhino Day · September 22, 2027
- World Car-Free Day · September 22, 2027
- International Day of Sign Languages · September 23, 2027
- World Gorilla Day · September 24, 2027
- World Pharmacists Day · September 25, 2027
- European Day of Languages · September 26, 2027