We see war, climate change, or human rights abuses on the news. We want to help. But we feel small and unsure where to start.
The International Day Of Peace began in 1981 by the United Nations General Assembly. The theme this year, Act Now for a Peaceful World, asks us all to mobilize for peace. In this post, you will find hands-on ways to help.
You will learn about community peacebuilding workshops and world peace day marches. You will join online conflict talks and art and music for harmony. You will see school lessons on the culture of peace and tips to support the sustainable development goals.
Keep reading.
Key Takeaways
- The UN began the International Day of Peace in 1981. The 2025 theme “Act Now for a Peaceful World” asks groups and brands to join a 100-day countdown on un.org and marks the 20th anniversary of the UN Peacebuilding Commission.
- The UN Peacebuilding Fund backs workshops in over 70 countries. More than 2 million peacekeepers have served since 1948, and over 4 200 made the ultimate sacrifice. Volunteers ran 834 local peace events in 2024.
- In 2023, 942 peace marches took place in 93 countries. Groups like Code Pink and the Coalition of Women for Peace led calls for a 22-hour global ceasefire and rang the UN Peace Bell.
- Leaders hold virtual talks that link climate action to peace, such as the 2019 UN Student Observance. The Peace Crane Project, eco-friendly murals, art and music events, school lessons, and the ActNow platform help millions support the Sustainable Development Goals.
2025 Theme: Act Now for a Peaceful World
The United Nations marks the International Day of Peace 2025 with the theme Act Now for a Peaceful World. It urges community members and socially-conscious brands to mobilize for peace today.
This theme follows “Cultivating a Culture of Peace” in 2024 and “Action for Peace: Our Ambition for the #GlobalGoals” in 2023. The UN Peacebuilding Commission celebrates its 20th anniversary after its start at the 2005 World Summit.
The Pact for the Future takes on science, technology and innovation to boost human rights and international law.
A 100-day countdown on un.org starts each year to build engagement. The SDG tracker links sustainable development goals with action on climate change. The ActNow platform has helped millions pick issues, commit to action and verify facts.
Community building in virtual conferences on conflict resolution uses digital tools. Movements like “Peace Begins with Me” push people to share peace above all differences. The UN Peace Bell rings on the International Peace Day to honor global unity.
Key Activities for International Day of Peace 2025
Neighborhoods buzz with live harmony gatherings, as community members ring the global peace bell and paint murals of human rights. Conflict-resolution experts beam in on video chat apps, stirring up peace talks that inch us closer to the sustainable development goals.
Community Peacebuilding Workshops
Local facilitators host community peacebuilding workshops in schools, parks and community centers for the International Day of Peace. The U.N. Peacebuilding Fund has backed projects in over 70 countries, tackling poverty, inequality, discrimination and injustice.
Trainers use role-play sessions, dialogue circles and facilitator guides from the Peacebuilding Support Office, cultivating a culture of peace. Participants discuss human rights, map conflict resolution steps, and plan climate change initiatives under sustainable development goals.
Veteran peacekeepers join as guest speakers. Over 2 million individuals have served since 1948, and more than 4,200 have made the ultimate sacrifice. Women officers share field stories to highlight their critical role in strengthening the ideals of peace.
Community members, socially-conscious brands and local envoys mobilize for peace above all differences, driven by a firm commitment to peace.
Global Peace Marches
Marchers flood city streets each September on the u.n. international day of peace. ThinkPEACE and CPNN log 942 Peace Day events in 93 countries in 2023. Participants call for a 22-hour global ceasefire inspired by the 2005 observance.
The first action in 1981 kickstarted Peace Day marches worldwide. Peace Begins with Me leads large public demonstrations for social change.
Code Pink and the Coalition of Women for Peace organize big rallies. Protesters wave a white dove, a symbol approved in 1996. Many chant messages such as peace above all differences or mobilize for peace.
Community members, activists, and socially-conscious brands push for action on climate change and human rights. Volunteers ring the united nations peace bell and urge a new u.n. resolution to strengthen sustainable development goals, cultivate a culture of peace, and act now for a peaceful world.
Virtual Conferences on Conflict Resolution
Leaders join live video calls on the international day of peace to discuss ways to end conflict and build peace. The united nations runs online summits that highlight the 2020 theme, Shaping Peace Together, and push the sustainable development goals.
Spectators from ten nations translate in real time. Sponsors from socially-conscious brands help host live Q and A sessions. Community members log in from four continents, they verify facts and propose solutions.
A virtual Student Observance at the UN on September 20, 2019, showed how the Paris Agreement links climate change to peace. The Pact for the Future lets youth map ideas in online dialogues and spark innovation.
The ActNow Campaign uses these formats to mobilize for peace, and bring light to climate projects. Observers also tune in for the International Day of Conscience and the World Science Day for Peace and Development.
This mix of events aims at strengthening the ideals of peace, it bids us to act now for a peaceful world.
Art and Music for Harmony Events
Artists and musicians join community members in vibrant concerts and murals. Hosts ring the UN Peace Bell at the opening ceremony. It uses coins from every continent except Africa to symbolize global harmony.
The Peace Crane Project invites youth to fold cranes as a sign of hope. Public murals and art collections fill parks and schools. Socially-conscious brands display works that address climate change, human rights, and build a culture of peace.
Artists drew eco-friendly art under the 2012 theme ‘Sustainable Peace for a Sustainable Future.’ In 2018 communities marked the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights under ‘The Right to Peace.’ Actors perform sketches for the Stand-Up For International Peace initiative.
Paint sessions and science-art exhibits appear during the international day of peace. They tie into the International Day of Non-Violence and World Science Day for Peace and Development.
The united nations urges youth to join art events and show peace above all differences. These acts help mobilize for peace and support sustainable development goals.
Educational Initiatives
Teachers use e-learning platforms and role-play games to link human rights and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Check out our next section to see how simple online forums and neighborhood talks unite families, brands and community members for peace.
Peace Education Programs for Schools
School groups mark the international day of peace with colorful decorations. The UN set the 2013 theme as Education for Peace, and it urged lessons on nonviolence, disarmament, and human rights.
Classrooms add respect, justice, and diversity to the curriculum, and inspire students to act now for a peaceful world. Some campuses use the Sustainable Development Goals, the 2016 theme, to link climate change action with peace.
Students join art, music, and essay competitions on peace day. A 2010 theme, Youth for Peace and Development, let young voices lead community dialogues. Educators teach fact checking and critical thinking, to verify facts in every lesson.
This work helps mobilize for peace and supports cultivating a culture of peace among community members.
Public Awareness Campaigns
Millions join the UN ActNow drive each year on the International Day of Peace. It has engaged over one hundred countries in climate change pledges and fair treatment drives. Outreach teams challenge hate speech at work and urge people to report online or offline bullying.
Socially-conscious brands partner with NGOs to highlight human rights and the culture of peace. These efforts echo the 2022 theme End Racism Build Peace. They align with act now for a peaceful world and aim to mobilize for peace above all differences.
Back in 2017, Together for Peace, Respect, Safety, and Dignity for All inspired peace walks and concerts around the globe. Many public initiatives then ran alongside the Multilateralism and Diplomacy Day.
Community members cast videos, share verified facts, and use hashtags to boost impact. The Peacebuilding Fund funds projects on justice, reconciliation, and gender equality to help meet the sustainable development goals.
How to Participate in Peace Day 2025
Grab your phone, post on your favorite social network with #PeaceDay2025, and send a wave through the culture of peace community. Visit the neighborhood hub, share your voice in a local chat, and light a spark for human rights where you live.
Volunteer for Local Events
Community centers seek helpers to run art, music, and sports events. Volunteers fueled 834 International Day of Peace celebrations in 2024, mobilizing for peace. The Peacebuilding Fund supports local conflict resolution and reconciliation projects.
Over 2 million people served as UN peacekeepers, many after volunteering. The 2015 theme Partnerships for Peace: Dignity for All highlighted volunteerism at grass roots.
Groups partner with the United Nations to advance a culture of peace and act now for a peaceful world. Community members from varied backgrounds sign up on community boards or social media.
Helpers protect human rights, address climate change, and promote peace above all differences. You can verify facts on United Nations websites or join the Peacebuilding Commission drive.
Organize a Community Dialogue
Host small gatherings in local halls, church basements, or parks. Invite community members of all ages. Use guidance from the Peacebuilding Support Office. Cite the 2011 theme, Peace and Democracy: Make Your Voice Heard, to spark discussion.
Share ideas on poverty, inequality, discrimination and injustice. Tie in human rights and climate change as linked challenges. Show how socially-conscious brands can mobilize for peace above all differences.
Register the event on the United Nations Peace Day event site, under the International Day of Peace, to reinforce the culture of peace.
Add the white dove motif from the 1996 Seanad Éireann proposal. Link to the International Day of Living Together in Peace. Encourage each person to share a short story. Mention the 2014 theme, The Right of Peoples to Peace, to inspire dialogue.
Use simple conflict resolution tools, like a talking stick or a digital timer. End with a collective pledge to act now for a peaceful world.
Post one simple line on a social platform. Use the United Nations toolkit for official hashtags and message templates. The International Day of Peace site runs a 100-day countdown, and community members can post daily.
ActNow pledge tracker lets fans share pledges and track impact. This act echoes the 2025 theme, act now for a peaceful world, and boosts a culture of peace.
Share art or a quote to link climate change to peace, like the 2019 theme climate action for peace that went viral. Report hate speech and bullying on digital networks. An origami crane initiative invites every creator to fold paper cranes and post them worldwide.
Many posts nod to the 2020 theme, shaping peace together, and lift digital solidarity. Socially-conscious brands can add peace above all differences and show they support human rights on peace day.
Takeaways
Big waves start with small ripples. Global peace acts spark change, from youth walkabouts to online talks. The United Nations invites community members to join art fairs, peacebuilding seminars, or charity drives.
No passport proves you care. Each act lights a spark, each voice matters. Your small step links arms across borders, builds bridges of kindness.
This drive honors human rights and Sustainable Development Goals.
FAQs
1. What is the international day of peace?
It is a day the united nations picked on September 21. We honor human rights, pause fights, plant seeds of hope, build a culture of peace.
2. How can I join peace day events in 2025?
Find a local gathering or start one, like a picnic under a shady tree. Share pictures with #PeaceDay, tag your posts with peace day, and hold a sign that says act now for a peaceful world. Invite friends.
3. Why does the united nations promote a culture of peace?
They want to end fights, protect human rights, make life safe for all. They know kindness is contagious. When we teach respect, we grow forests of peace.
4. What does peace above all differences mean?
It means we look past flags, fast tongues, odd habits. We step in each other’s shoes, share stories over pancakes. It asks us to act now for a peaceful world, every single day.
