III 111th CONGRESS 1st Session S. RES. 274 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES September 17, 2009 Mr. Menendez (for himself, Mrs. Gillibrand, and Mr. Harkin) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Supporting the goals and ideals of Peace Day.

Whereas, beginning in 2002, the United Nations has designated September 21 of each year as the International Day of Peace, which is known in the United States as Peace Day; Whereas the United Nations dedicates the International Day of Peace to the cessation of hostilities and nonviolence, and calls upon all Nations and people to commemorate the day appropriately, including through educational efforts, and public awareness; Whereas Peace Day activities around the world include vaccination campaigns, peace walks, concerts, peace-related discussions and debates, poetry readings, mass prayer ceremonies, art exhibitions, memorial services, school assemblies, and sporting events; Whereas, on Peace Day 2006, the World Food Programme carried out a 60-ton food drop in Southern Sudan; Whereas, on Peace Day 2007, the Peace One Day organization worked alongside the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Afghan Ministry of Public Health to vaccinate 1,400,000 children of Afghanistan against the polio virus and, on Peace Day 2008, approximately 14,000 health workers and volunteers delivered polio vaccinations to 1,600,000 children under the age of 5 in 6 Afghan provinces; Whereas, on Peace Day 2007, Star Syringe vaccinated children in rural areas against measles, diptheria, tuberculosis, hepatitis, and whooping cough in 20 locations, including Uganda, India, Ethiopia, and Indonesia; Whereas, on Peace Day 2007, in the conflict-torn South Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo, UNICEF and other organizations provided insecticide-treated mosquito nets to protect 600,000 children from malaria, and also provided vitamin A, de-worming medication, and measles immunizations; Whereas, on Peace Day 2007, there were 82 Peace Day initiatives in Afghanistan alone, involving more than 30 United Nations agencies, government departments, radio stations, and civil society organizations, and including arms handover ceremonies, community prayers for peace, painting schools white, educational activities, and a Peace Walk through the streets of Heart, Afghanistan; Whereas the Peace One Day organization provides free educational materials to schools in the United States and worldwide that enable young people to prepare for and participate in Peace Day activities, learn the skills needed to resolve conflicts peacefully, and cultivate a sense of active global citizenship; and Whereas the One Day One Goal initiative promotes soccer matches in all member states of the United Nations on Peace Day, and One Day One Goal soccer matches reflect cooperation, unity, and the power of soccer to bring people together as part of Peace Day in many countries, including Iraq, Uganda, Afghanistan, Burundi, Cambodia, the United Arab Emirates, the Côte d’Ivoire, the United States, and the United Kingdom: Now, therefore, be it

That the Senate— (1)expresses its support for the goals and ideals celebrated on Peace Day, which is observed each year on September 21; (2)supports continuing efforts to raise global awareness of the goals of Peace Day and to engage all sectors of society in the peaceful observance of the International Day of Peace, in accordance with United Nations General Assembly Resolution 55/282 of September 7, 2001, including work with United Nations agencies and non-governmental organizations to promote life-saving and humanitarian activities on Peace Day; and (3)encourages people in the United States to observe Peace Day, September 21, 2009, with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and educational activities, in order to raise awareness of the need for peaceful resolution of conflicts of all kinds.