Today is the International Day of Peace. Interpeace and its partners around the world are celebrating the day with various activities to raise awareness about the need for peace. In Geneva, Interpeace sent a strong signal by illuminating the city’s iconic ‘Jet d’Eau’ in blue, the color of peace.

“We are delighted to be celebrating this day in a city that has such an impressive history of working towards peace,” says Scott M. Weber, Director-General of Interpeace. “We wish to acknowledge all the great work done in the name of peace by the international organizations seated here and around the world.”

Unprecedented recognition

The International Day of Peace, also known as ‘Peace Day’, was established by the United Nations in 1981, and is celebrated yearly as a day of non-violence and cease-fire. This year marks a particularly important point for Peace Day, as Peace One Day and Interpeace strive to raise its recognition to an unprecedented level. Interpeace is coordinating the NGO coalition and played a key role in extending it to more than 350 members in over 120 countries. It is now the largest alliance of NGOs mobilized in the name of peace.

Earlier in the day, Interpeace, together with the United Nations Office at Geneva and the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform, organized a public seminar on ‘Placing inclusiveness at the heart of peacebuilding? Limits and opportunities.’ Interpeace also successfully recruited more than 250 supporters for a social media ‘Thunderclap’, simultaneously sending out a message of peace to nearly 200,000 people via Twitter and Facebook. From Central America to South-East Asia, via Africa and the Middle-East, Interpeace’s local partners have also been organizing a host of political, cultural and sports events involving thousands of people in the celebration of Peace Day.

Peace Day in Geneva

The illumination of the Jet d’Eau in blue on Peace Day is Interpeace’s way of highlighting the work accomplished every day by hundreds of peacebuilders and celebrating their numerous achievements, but also of reminding people that a lot of work remains to be done. Seeing this familiar Geneva landmark cloaked in blue will provide onlookers with an opportunity to reflect on the significance of peace.

“Interpeace works every day to build lasting peace around the world and ‘Peace Day’ provides the opportunity to celebrate peace on this one special day with people both near and far. By showing the world that peace is possible on one day, we can then work towards having peace everyday,” concludes Scott.