3. About International Day of Peace, September 21 The International Day of Peace ("Peace Day") provides an opportunity for individuals, organizations and nations to create practical acts of peace on a shared date. It was established by a United Nations resolution in 1981 to coincide with the opening of the General Assembly. The first Peace Day was celebrated in September 1982. In 2002 the General Assembly officially declared September 21 as the permanent date for the International Day of Peace.

5. To serve as a reminder of our permanent commitment to Peace, above all other interests and differences of any kind. To remind us that war does not just affect adults. Children are often the victims of a war, but they can also part of the problem. over 2,000 children under 15 in Columbia are guerrilla soldiers.

6. Nigeria Nigeria The Congo The Congo Ukraine Ukraine Venezuela Venezuela Columbia Columbia Yemen Yemen Israel and Palestine Israel and Palestine Northern Ireland Northern Ireland Iraq Iraq Iran Iran  And most recently in the press –  Syria  Kenya

7. During an evening prayer service for Syria in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis challenged the tens of thousands gathered to think about Syria as fighting escalates. “How many conflicts, how many wars have mocked our history?”. “Can we get out of this spiral of sorrow and death? Can we learn once again to walk and live in the ways of peace?” he continued. “Invoking the help of God under the maternal gaze of the Salus Populi Romani, the Queen of Peace, I say yes it is possible for everyone. From every corner of the world tonight, I would like to hear us cry out: Yes, it is possible for everyone!” The crowd applauded

9. A smile is the beginning of peace. Mother Theresa (1910-1997)

10. Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts. Psalm 85:8

11. If there is to be peace in the world, There must be peace in the nations. If there is to be peace in the nations, There must be peace in the cities.

12. If there is to be peace in the cities, There must be peace between neighbours. If there is to be peace between neighbours, There must be peace in the home.

13. If there is to be peace in the home, There must be peace in the heart. Lao Tzu (570-490 B.C.)

14.  Peace is more than the absence of war. It is learning to respect ourselves, each other and the planet we share. And it begins with each of us, ONE DAY at a time....