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Organization: International Day of Peace in Nigeria
The following information may be cited or quoted as long as the source is accurately mentioned and the words are not taken out of context.
Posted: Mar. 21 2010,04:23 If you wrote this report, you will find a button here that you may click
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Postal address of organization/institution

---

E-mail address of organization/institution

info@cultureofpeace.org

Website address of organization/institution

http://cultureofpeace.org

Telephone of organization/institution

1-413-329-7517

PRIORITIES: All of the organization's domains of culture of peace activity

EDUCATION FOR PEACE
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
HUMAN RIGHTS
WOMEN'S EQUALITY
DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION
UNDERSTANDING, TOLERANCE AND SOLIDARITY
FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION
INTERNATIONAL PEACE AND SECURITY

TOP PRIORITY: The organization's most important culture of peace activity


PARTNERSHIPS AND NETWORKS: What partnerships and networks does your organization participate in, thus strengthening the global movement for a culture of peace?

See website

ACTIONS: What activities have been undertaken by your organization to promote a culture of peace and nonviolence during the ten years of the Decade? If you already made a report in 2005, your information from 2005 will be included in the 2010 report.

2009:

Abuja: Teachers Without Borders aired a live show on the significance of Peace Day 2009. A few hundred attended an international forum for Peace, on the theme: “Humanitarian and Democratic issues of the Niger Delta: Our challenges, responses and prospects”. Organized by HAVIDS Center for Environment and Development.

Benin City: Cultural carnival which included comedians, and talks on a Nigeria Intercultural Exchange Program.

Lagos: Ikeja Youth attended a Peace discussion/lecture at the Heath Centre Building. Organized by Alausa Community Development Association. 100+ attended a Peace celebration at Kairos Peace and Love Club at Yaba College of Technology for presentations on how to embrace Peace.

Yenagoa: Seminar on Peace, including research presentations, a youth interactive session, Peace achievement award presentation and Peace march within the city along a major road.

2007:

The African Foundation for Peace and Love Initiatives held seminars, workshops, street peace rallies involving various proactive peace clubs including: KAYERO and KAIROS Peace and Love Clubs, Youth Peace Alliance Clubs , African Children of Peace Clubs, City Peace Clubs in several parts of Nigeria, with mobilization of Royal Fathers, Local Government Chairmen and Women, Media, Religious and Community Leaders.

The Center for Preventive Action Nigeria planned various Peace Day events with the theme "Blessed are the Peacemakers". The Center held lectures on the 21st of September and rallies on the 22nd in Lagos and Enugu promoting peace and preventive diplomacy. Invitations were extended to government agencies and civil society groups.

Religious Youths Initiative arranged a three-day program involving a March of peace and a Recognition Award for Peace and Peace Declaration by the Speaker of the State House of Assembly. There was also a jumat service dedicated to Peace by a Central Mosque in Imo State.

The United Nations Information Center (UNIC) Lagos collaborated with the United Nations Association of Nigeria and Human Rights Information Network (HURINET) Nigeria, to organize a seminar on the culture of peace and non-violence. The event brought together participants from the media, NGOs, primary and secondary school pupils in Lagos, government agencies and religious leaders. The Director General of the Citizenship and Leadership Training Centre at the Office of President of Nigeria delivered the keynote speech, entitled "Youth Empowerment and Sustainable Peace in Nigeria". Cultural dance groups from schools in Lagos put up colorful dance and drama displays on the culture of peace and non-violence. Attendees were given various materials on peace and peacekeeping.

The Universal Peace Federation, Nigeria Imo State Chapter hosted an International Day of Peace awareness event with a Peace Walk, Youth and Peace Seminar, Recognition and conferment as Ambassadors for Peace to people whose lives made a difference for peace in communities of the states of Imo and Enugu.

Peacemakers in Warri, Nigeria appeared on Delta Rainbow Television for a live discussion of the International Day of Peace. The celebration was broadcast on the news throughout the day. A peace rally was held, and the mayor proclaimed September 21st to be the International Day of Peace in Warri.

Women’s Health and Economic Development Association Nigeria arranged a series of events for the International Day of Peace. The children of the St. Paul’s Seminarium International Nursery School said the Peace Pact on the radio, informing the government that they wanted peace in the Niger Delta and for Nigeria as a whole. There was a youth workshop on peace and conflict resolution. A peace party was organized for the children at the end of the day.

World Peace Prayer Society (WPPS) organized Peace Day celebrations in Akwa Ibom State.

2005:

Nigerian Group for Goodwill and the Seed Group of Port Harcourt organized a workshop on Peacebuilding on September 17 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. The theme of the workshop was "Sustainable development and sustainable living in the quest for world Peace" and the program included a keynote speech by Val Usifoh and a discussion around the theme of the day. There was also a break out session, where four groups deliberated on the following themes: "Governance accountability and anti-corruption campaign”" "Education and employment", "Ecological challenges and agriculture" and "Right relations between religious and ethnic groups in Nigeria". Each group made a presentation of their deliberations, conclusions and action points in the final plenary section. Participants were invited to write essays expressing their own views on the topic. The contributions will be added to the Peace Day Essay Project, which was launched in 2004. The workshop closed with a group meditation.

Religious Youth Service (RYS) has been involved in promoting International Day of Peace since 2002. This year RYS organized an international gathering of high school students who took part of a one day Peace education under the theme "Inter-Ethnic Integration: a Road Map to Peace". Over 60 participants from different states in Nigeria as well as from Ghana and Togo attended. The program was divided into sessions such as: a prayer for those who have died in conflicts and violence, three minutes of silence at noon, a lecture on Peace and a recitation of the Peace Pledge book. A consensus was reached to form a Peace Peer Group Educators for next year. RYS also promoted International Day of Peace 2005 by notifying networks of NGOs on the need to respond to and join in the celebrations.

The Nigerian Chapter of WPPS pitched a tent at Ika Local Government Area on September 21 for their Peace Day celebrations. The event started with a prayer of thanksgiving to God for his enduring mercies, after which the youth wing performed inspirational songs to honor God. The Chairman of the day’s event, Mr. Imo Ukpongette, called upon parents, churches, NGOs, the government and young people to embrace Peace as a pathway to productive ventures. A thought-provoking speech was presented by WPPS-Nigeria Peace Representative, Mr. Mojima Umo Etokudo. During the prayer session, fervent prayers were offered by Ministers of God for the unity of the local government, the council staff, the state, the nation and the world at large. Dr. Iniodu Ukpong presented a paper on the need for Peace, in which he stated that Peace is a panacea for communal harmony, community development and for harmonious worship of God. The Head of the local government thanked WPPS for choosing them for this year’s event and promised to adopt the prayer "May Peace Prevail on Earth" as a tool. Deserving individuals of Ika Land received Peace Awards in the form of certificates of honor and desktop Peace poles. A large-scale Peace pole was planted outdoors at the end of the event.

Agenda for Community Development (AFCODE) started their preparations for International Day of Peace with a Peace Art Camp for Children, September 1 to 15. The Art Camp, which had 35 participants in the age of four to nine years old, was scheduled to enable the children to participate in the 8th Annual International Peace Pals Art Competition and Exhibition, announced by Peace Pals of the WPPS. On September 21, AFCODE took another step by dedicating a Peace pole and celebrating International Day of Peace at the campus of Royal Field School in Olambe Village. AFCODE’s representative explained that the decision to bring a Peace pole to the school was a symbol of his group's commitment to Peacebuilding and promotion of a culture of nonviolence. Two of the students prayed for Peace in places within Nigeria where there are communal and religious crises. They also prayed for Peace in families. The four-sided desktop Peace pole was presented to the school’s Proprietor, and in his response, Mr. Otunla affirmed the school’s commitment towards promoting tolerance among students. He stated that the school would work towards becoming a bullying-free zone

PROGRESS: Has your organization seen progress toward a culture of peace and nonviolence in your domain of action and in your constituency during the second half of the Decade?

On a global level, reported events for the International Day of Peace continue to grow year after year (see the website listed above):

In the 2005 Report, 155 Peace Day events in 47 countries are presented.

The 2007 records show that:
* We had 623 commitments across the world
* 70 countries
* 225 cities (outside of the USA)
* 42 US states
* An estimate of nearly 500,000 participants
* An average of 500 people per event

2009 annual report listed 700+ events

OBSTACLES: Has your organization faced any obstacles to implementing the culture of peace and nonviolence? If so, what were they?

not reported

PLANS: What new engagements are planned by your organization in the short, medium and long term to promote a culture of peace and nonviolence?

The International Day of Peace is an annual event.

GLOBAL MOVEMENT: How do you think the culture of peace and nonviolence could be strengthened and supported at the world level??

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Organization: International Day of Peace in Nigeria

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