[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 132 (Thursday, September 17, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S9568]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE RESOLUTION 274--SUPPORTING THE GOALS AND IDEALS OF PEACE DAY

  Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself, Mrs. Gillibrand, and Mr. Harkin) submitted 
the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 274

       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 Cote d'Ivoire, the United States, and the 
     United Kingdom: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, 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.

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