United Nations Peace Day
Celebration in Hawaii
September 23, 2012
Peace Day Hawaii began at 1:00 pm. on September 23, 2012, with exhibits, film, food and live music. The location was the Urban Garden Center in Pearl City Hawaii, and the purpose was threefold:
to celebrate United Nations Peace Day in Hawaii;
to recognize Distinguished Peacemakers from Hawaii;
to announce and break ground for the permanent Peace Garden, by dedicating plots to international peacemakers Dr. Daisaku Ikeda from Japan, and former Premier Zhou Enlai from China.
About 350 people from all walks of life in Hawaii were present. The main speaker was Maya Soetoro-Ng, acclaimed author and teacher in Honolulu, and sister of President Obama.
Trees to be planted in honor of Heroes of Peace:
Dr. Daisaku Ikeda of Japan, and
Former Premier Zhou Enlai of China
in the spring of 2013
take a photo tour
of the Urban Garden Center
Sponsors:
Pearl City Urban Garden Center:
College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources,
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Soka Gakkai International – USA
Supporters:
Hawai’i Forgiveness Project, Voyage of Aloha
Background of Peace Day in Hawaii:
On April 18th, 2007, Representative Jon Riki Karamatsu introduced House Bill 345. It became a law as Act 23 that established a Peace Day, a non-holiday, to be observed on September 21 of each year in the State of Hawaii “to promote peace programs, improve international relations, and increase educational awareness of peace.”
Hawaii is the first state in the nation to officially commemorate Peace Day on September 21st, which is also in recognition of the United Nations International Day of Peace and Non-violence.
A Peace Day Committee made up of volunteers representing a broad cross-section of government, non profit organizations & other participants from the peace education community came together to bring the annual celebration to the community.
Background of United Nations Peace Day:
The International Day of Peace was established in 1981 by resolution 36/67 of the United Nations General Assembly to coincide with its opening session, which was held annually on the third Tuesday of September. The first Peace Day was observed in September 1982.
In 2001, the General Assembly by unanimous vote adopted resolution 55/282 , which established 21 September as an annual day of non-violence and cease-fire.
The United Nations invites all nations and people to honour a cessation of hostilities during the Day, and to otherwise commemorate the Day through education and public awareness on issues related to peace.
Reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_Day
http://www.un.org/en/events/peaceday/
Some of the organizers, from University of Hawaii, Soka Gakkai,
and the Zhou Enlai Peace Institute