At the International Day of Peace ceremony, WHO challenges the participants to broaden the notion of peace to include an end to violence in all its forms
Dr Alex Butchart, WHO Coordinator for Violence Prevention gave a keynote address at this year's International Day of Peace, held on 21 September at UN Headquarters in New York. The International Day of Peace coincides with the opening session of the UN General Assembly every September as a day of nonviolence and cease-fire. As is the tradition, the day began with the ringing of the Peace Bell by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Other participants in the event included the UN Messengers of Peace, Mr Michael Douglas, Ms Jane Goodall and Mr Elie Wiesel, who gave a press briefing with Mr Shashi Tharoor, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information. The annual student commemoration followed with the theme "Peace in Action" and featured programmes in schools and initiatives implemented by youth organizations that promote a Culture of Peace. Participants in this latter part of the programme included Ms Nane Annan and Dr Butchart, who gave his presentation on youth violence and its prevention based on the World report on violence and health. The speech challenged participants to broaden the notion of peace to include the end of violence in all its forms.