International Day of Peace observance at the URI Global Staff and Council meeting in Sarajevo, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
On September 15th, 2017, the United Religions Initiative (URI) observed the International Day of Peace with a World Peace Flag Ceremony at our Global Council and Staff meeting in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The event opened with Amb. Mussie Hailu introducing the International Day of Peace video message from UN Secretary-General António Guterres. URI founder,The Right Reverend William Swing, read The Nuclear Prayer that he originally wrote for our Voices for a World Free from Nuclear Weapons Cooperation Circle. (The prayer can be found at www.nuclearprayer.org.)
URI UN Team:Victor Kazanjian, Monica Willard, Maria Crespo, and Mussie Hailu
The flags were presented by 80 people from 40 different countries and displayed around a Peace Pole to create a sacred place in the center of our meeting space. “May Peace Prevail on Earth” was sung together to open, close and to take time to pray together during the ceremony. URI has cooperation Circles in 102 countries, so The World Peace Flag Ceremony connected our meeting to our members and to the UN observance that was also held on September 15th.
URI Trustee Chief Phil Lane used the sacred space as the center to bless the 20 young participants and future generations
The Flags after the ceremony at the Peace Pole with Ribbons panels that were held during The Nuclear Prayer
May Peace Prevail on Earth,
Monica
Monica Willard
United Religions Initiative (URI),
United Nations Representative