The International Day of Peace, September 21, was commemorated in Tehran at the Conference Hall of the Great Islamic Encyclopedia Center.
The United Nations Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Iran, Gary Lewis, Special Assistant to the President on Ethnic and Religious Minorities’ Affairs, Hojatoleslam Ali Younesi, research assistant at the encyclopedia center Seyed Sadegh Sajadi, and some other scholars and dignitaries attended the event, honaronline reported.
After reading UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s message, Lewis said that a balance should be made between peace and commitment.
“The first commitment is to reduce poverty. The other one is to decrease inequality. Another is preserving the environment. Being committed to respond is essential. Cooperation to strengthen the society and letting people speak their mind are also important issues. The last commitment is to promote culture of peace,” Lewis added.
The ‘bell of peace’ was rung by him.
During the ceremony, a musical ‘Peace and Love’ was performed by Omid Hojjat, which was warmly welcomed by the audience.
Noting that researches have shown the soothing effect of music on aggressive people, Lewis said that ‘Peace and Love’ proves Hojjat can be “a proper ambassador for peace.”
Khatami: Fill Life With Love
In another ceremony on the occasion held in Tehran Peace Museum, former president Seyyed Mohammad Khatami in his speech said. “I hope we will all listen to the messages by pacifists and prophets and fill life with love.”
The International Day of Peace is dedicated to world peace, and specifically the absence of war and violence. The day was first celebrated in 1982, and is observed by many nations, political and military groups, and peoples. In 2013, for the first time, the day was dedicated by the UN Secretary-General to peace education, the key preventive means to reduce war sustainably.
To inaugurate the day, the UN Peace Bell is rung at UN Headquarters in New York City. The bell is cast from coins donated by children from all continents except Africa, and was a gift from the United Nations Association of Japan, as ‘a reminder of the human cost of war’; the inscription on its side reads, ‘long live absolute world peace’.
