The dictionary defines “Peace” as a state of harmony or the absence of hostility.

The Peace Day Service is an opportunity for all Tower College pupils to consider the issues that relate to hostility, fear, war, and conflict. An opportunity to create practical acts of peace on a shared date. It is not just war in far away lands that we should think about but conflict closer to home too.

Everyone  can do something to remove conflict from their world; whether it be conflict in the playground with friends or at home with your parents.

Peace day was originally established by a United Nations resolution in September 1981. Every year from this date onwards, people have stopped and observed a minute silence all around the world but it was only in 2002 that the General Assembly officially declared September 21 as the permanent date for the International Day of Peace.

By creating the International Day of Peace, the UN devoted itself to worldwide peace and encouraged all of mankind to work in cooperation for this goal.

Peace Day has now grown to include millions of people in all parts of the world, and each year events are organized to commemorate and celebrate this day. Events range in scale from large public concerts and forums where hundreds of thousands of people participate to smaller celebrations such as the Tower College Peace Day Service, here at St Anne’s today.

When the Former United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan, made the announcement to make peace day a permanent fixture in the calendar he declared that, ‘This day will serve as a constant reminder to the entire world that our permanent commitment, above all interests or differences of any kind, is to peace.”

Peace Day looks to engage all sectors of society, from governments to individuals, in observing the 21st September, as day of practical acts of non-violence and ceasefire.

Our very special contribution is the gathering of the whole school here at St. Ann’s to acknowledge those who have devoted their lives to peace and to sing the International Peace Hymn.