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About International Day of Prayer for Peace

World Council of Churches (WCC) member churches worldwide are once more invited to pray for peace on September 21, 2008 or the closest Sunday. The International Day of Prayer for Peace offers an opportunity for church communities in all places to pray and act together to nurture lasting peace in the hearts of people, their families, communities and societies. The idea was proposed in 2004 during a meeting between WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan (press release), and coincides with the UN International Day of Peace. The Day of Prayer is one of the initiatives of the WCC's Decade to Overcome Violence.

UN International Day of Peace

In 1981 the United Nations General Assembly passed resolution 36/67 declaring an International Day of Peace. In 2001, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a new resolution 55/282 declaring September 21 of each year as the International Day of Peace. The intention of the resolution is to have the entire world observe a day of peace and nonviolence. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has asked all United Nations departments and agencies to expand their observance this year, extending a special invitation to civil society as well.