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Origin of the Day
On Saturday, 21 September 2013, the International Day of Peace will be celebrated. It is a day established by the United Nations (UN) in 1981 (Resolution 36/67 of 30 November 1981). Originally, it was celebrated on the third Tuesday of September, the opening day of the United Nations General Assembly. Thus, the first edition took place on September 21, 1982. It was not until the 20th anniversary of its institution that September 21 was actually set as the date for the celebration of this international day.
It was on 7 September 2001 that a resolution of the United Nations General Assembly so decided (Resolution 55/282 of 7 September 2001). It was therefore in 2002 that the day was celebrated for the first time on a fixed day (« every year on 21 September » instead of « the third Tuesday of September, the opening day of the ordinary session of the General Assembly » ).
The objectives of the celebration
The objective of observing and celebrating this day is to help strengthen the ideals of peace and to alleviate the tensions and causes of conflict. The 1981 resolution recalls the words in the preamble to the Constitution of Unesco that « since wars are born in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of the peace « .
Themes from previous editions
The option to have a specific theme is recent. From the outset, the purpose of the celebration seemed to be sufficient: « International Day of Peace will be observed as a worldwide day of ceasefire and non-violence, during which all nations and all the people will be invited to cease hostilities « (Resolution of 2001). On this occasion, the people in belligerence are invited to observe a ceasefire and to give a chance to peace. Through it, all are invited to turn in practice towards peace.
It is in 2007 that for the first time we find an annual theme: « Peace is the primary vocation of the United Nations ». Since then the following themes have animated the celebrations:
- Human rights and peacekeeping (2008)
- Disarmament and Non-Proliferation (2009)
- Youth for Peace and Development (2010)
- Peace and democracy: make yourself heard! (2011)
- A sustainable peace for a sustainable future (2012)
The theme of the 2013 edition The theme of this year’s 31st edition is « Education for Peace ». In his Message to 100 days of the celebration, the Secretary-General of the United Nations calls for peace education programs, he said, « It is not enough to teach children to read, write and count. We must also teach them respect for others and the world in which we live, and thus promote the advent of more just, more open and harmonious societies. « * A few appointments of the Civil Service for Peace program (Cameroon) In the SCP Network, occasional activities will certainly add visibility to ordinary peace-building activities through educational actions. These different activities correspond to the background analysis underlying the SCP / BfdW-EED & AGEH Vision in Cameroon: « In an African socio-political context marked not only by armed conflicts, oppression and injustices , but also by the desire to create a culture of Security, Stability and Development, there is an urgent need to develop approaches to promote fair and sustainable peace in Cameroon. «
In this sense, one can particularly appreciate several projects / program in progress:
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the Peace Education Program, which has been implemented for some time by the Justice and Peace Commission of the Archdiocese of Bamenda in primary and secondary schools; the project for the establishment of the Justice and Peace School Committee carried out by the Diocesan Justice and Peace Commission of Yaoundé; the Peace Theater project implemented by CIPCRE and the Diocesan Justice and Peace Commission of Douala (Read a CIPCRE report …);
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the PEACE project of the CDJP Douala, which targets parish justice and peace committees, youth groups of parishes and other interested groups on peace-building issues and conflict transformation;
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the World Day of Peace celebrated by the partners of the Justice and Peace Commissions of the Catholic Church on 1 January of each year; etc.
For the celebration itself, several appointments are worth noting:
- 21 september :
- A concert for peace in Yaoundé (contact World Youth Dynamics)
- Evening around the fire in Foumban (Superior Chief of Njintout, after evening prayer) with theme: «Traditional mediation of conflicts»
- Leaflet awareness in Bafoussam
- Round table in Bafoussam (at 9:00 am at the Sacré-Cœur parish in Ndiandam – Mont Saint Jean) on the theme: Peace as a factor of development (Facilitated by 04 speakers from the traditional, Catholic, Protestant and Muslim religions and will be punctuated by plays on peace, interludes, a great interreligious prayer for peace, an exhibition …)
- 23 september :
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An exit / sillage of the city of Douala (City tour) to raise awareness on the message of the peace of the UN, thePeacework of the CDJP Douala and to collect information (poll) on the theme of the day 2013.
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References and materials
