PEACE POLE AT THE UNITED NATIONS
Since 2002
Gift from The World Peace Prayer Society
WPPS Staff: Ann Marie Williams & Jim Dugan, WPPS, UN Rep., Deborah Moldow, WPPS Member, Reiko Kamozawa
The World Peace Prayer Society began its partnership with the UN Department of Public Information in 1998. Mr. Hasan Ferdous of DPI announced at an NGO briefing that he was planning to invite local schoolchildren to special programs in observance of several UN-designated days, such as Human Rights Day, World Environment Day and the International Day of Peace. WPPS UN Representative Deborah Moldow asked whether DPI might be interested in incorporating a ceremony for the students to raise the flags of all the UN Member States on the International Day of Peace – a tradition that has continued throughout the years.
The International Day of Peace student observance has grown to include an address by the Secretary-General, UN celebrity Messengers of Peace and live video conferencing with UN Peacekeeping sites in various parts of the world. In addition, WPPS has worked with DPI, along with like-minded NGOS Pathways To Peace and the United Religions Initiative, to increase public awareness of the International Day of Peace across the globe.
In 2002, the Society acknowledged this very special partnership by presenting the UN Department of Public Information with a six-sided Peace Pole with the message “May Peace Prevail On Earth” in the six official languages of the United Nations: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. This Peace Pole was constructed with a slot so that visitors to the UN could insert their own prayers and messages for peace. The Peace Pole accepted messages at the tour desk in the center of the UN headquarters lobby for almost two years, an unprecedented amount of time for any unofficial object to be on display!
The UN Peace Pole now continues to stand vigil on the lower level of the UN, in the visitors’ area, where it quietly radiates its powerful call to all nations: May Peace Prevail On Earth!