IV 111th CONGRESS 1st Session H. RES. 948 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES December 3, 2009 Mr. Lewis of Georgia (for himself, Ms. Lee of California, Mr. Rush, Mr. Payne, and Mr. Rangel) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs RESOLUTION Commending the participants and organizers of the World March for Peace and Nonviolence.

Whereas World Without Wars is coordinating a World March for Peace and Nonviolence; Whereas the international team of participants began their 93-day, 99,000-mile journey around the world on October 2, 2009, the 140th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi; Whereas, October 2, 2009, is also the United Nations’ International Day of Non-Violence, which is observed globally and is intended to promote peace through education and increased public awareness; Whereas the World March for Peace and Nonviolence started in Wellington, New Zealand, and will end in Punta de Vacas, Aconcagua, Argentina, on January 2, 2010; Whereas New Zealand was selected as the country in which to start the march because it was the first country to grant women the right to vote and to ban nuclear weapons and it is the only country in the world to create a Minister for Disarmament and Arms Control; Whereas New Zealand was also ranked first on the 2009 Global Peace Index, an annual study ranking 144 countries on their relative peacefulness; Whereas the idea of a World March for Peace and Nonviolence was developed during the Symposium of the World Center for Humanist Studies held at the Park of Study and Reflection in Punta de Vacas, Aconcagua, Argentina, on November 15, 2008; Whereas participants in the World March for Peace and Nonviolence will travel through six continents and visit at least 90 countries in 3 months; Whereas the World March for Peace and Nonviolence will visit Washington, DC on December 1 and 2, 2009; and Whereas the purpose of the World March for Peace and Nonviolence is to raise awareness about global movements against violence, war, weapons, and nuclear proliferation: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives commends the participants and organizers of the World March for Peace and Nonviolence for their commitment to global peace and nonviolence.