10 Days of Peace - International Day of Peace 2022

100 Million Acts, 10 Days, 1 Community

International Day of Peace is one of the most celebrated days of the year for our PeaceJam & Billion Acts community. In the past, this day has been marked by PeaceJam conferences, global calls-to-action, youth speeches at the United Nations, or even the launch of a youth & Nobel Laureate led campaign.

This year, we are calling each and every one of you to help make peace ‘trend’ this International Day of Peace! We believe that 1 billion acts is more than a number, it is a critical tipping point for change and a way to build a more peaceful world chosen intentionally by our Nobel Peace Laureates and youth from over 40 countries. 

We are beyond humbled to share that our community has almost reached 100 million acts of peace in over 171 countries! We’re on track to reach 100 million by this International Day of Peace, September 21st, but cannot reach it unless we do it together. 

Please share your acts of peace to our community here. Acts can range from everyday actions that inspire positive change in your community - to large-scale projects that impact hundreds of people. 

Starting September 11th, we will be counting down to International Day of Peace. Join us as we share visions and stories of peace from across the world, and inspire peace through our 100 Million Acts Campaign! Highlights from our #redefinepeace campaign will be shared on this page as well as through our social media channels. 

Day #1: Peace as Conflict Resolution

What is required of us in these modern times is a profound understanding of the new realities created by an increasingly interconnected and interdependent world, and a strong belief in the path of nonviolence.

Awareness of the multiple negative consequences of conflict on the global population has increased in recent years as well as the need to raise our voices towards peace. Watch Mairead Corrigan, 1976 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and PeaceJam Mentor,  talk about the impact of non-violent resolution of conflict. 

We are immensely proud of the young people around the world that invest time, energy, and resources into creating a world with less violence. Their courage and commitment into creating impactful projects and organizations are incredibly inspiring. Check-out two conflict resolution projects being featured through our #redefinepeace campaign.

PeaceJam Liberia, “Don’t Touch My Peace”

Jok Abraham Thon, "Bullets to Books"

Day #2: Peace as Global Health & Wellness

Wellness is commonly viewed as having several dimensions: mental, physical, social, financial, spiritual, environmental, and vocational. To create true global health and wellness, we must address each of these in our quest for a more healthy society.

We have been reminded through this recent pandemic just how intertwined we are and how globalization and health issues are a concern for us all.  We have learned to not be indifferent and that to succeed in creating a healthier world, we need to be there for one another. Watch José Ramos-Horta, 1996 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and PeaceJam Mentor, talk about these important ideas.

We are so grateful for the young people around the world that invest time, energy, and resources into prioritizing their community members' health and wellbeing. Their generosity and commitment to create impactful projects and organizations that solve this issue are very inspiring and necessary. Learn more about some of the youth working to create more global health and wellness. 

PeaceJam Ghana: Ambassadors for Community Safety Against Covid-19

Detroit Feedback Loop

Day #3: Peace as Community-Building/Education

Quality education is a basic human right that changes people’s lives for the better and people around the world are redefining what this means. We need to teach an integral quality education that teaches students how to grow in all areas that make up the human experience that goes beyond basic knowledge. We must make sure that every person gets access to a high quality education continuously throughout their lives because education never ends. 

It is also key to create communities with a peaceful and supportive environment in which people feel safe to live their most authentic lives. “Safety is really just overcoming fear through the feeling of community” - Adolfo Pérez Esquivel.

We are grateful for the many people around the globe that are raising their voices on this matter, such as Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, 1980 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and PeaceJam Mentor. Watch this video where he talks about what we should be teaching in schools across the world.

We are immensely proud of the young people around the world that invest time, energy, and resources into making sure that everyone is able to get a good quality education and build strong communities. Their perseverance and dedication into creating impactful projects and organizations that solve this issue are incredibly inspiring. Learn more about some of the youth working to improve  education and community development.

Kiara Ramklass, Marimba Jam

Messages from Our Global Community

Day #4: Peace Led by Women

Today we have both the knowledge and the opportunity to end preventable deaths among all women, children and adolescents. As well as to greatly improve their health & well-being and bring about the transformative change needed to shape a more prosperous and sustainable future.

However, far too many women, children and adolescents worldwide still have little or no access to essential good-quality health services and education, clean air and water, adequate sanitation and good nutrition. They face violence and discrimination, are unable to participate fully in society, and encounter other barriers to realizing their human rights.

Thankfully, we live in an era in which the global population has realized how necessary and important it is to protect children and women around the world in order to advance as a society. 

One of the biggest positive changes we have seen in recent times is the rise of women empowerment. Watch Leymah Gbowee, 2011 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and PeaceJam Mentor, talk about this topic.

We are immensely proud of the young people around the world that invest time, energy, and resources into creating solutions for these issues. Their dedication and tenacity into creating impactful projects and organizations are incredibly inspiring. 

The Nobel Women's Initiative

PeaceJam South Africa, Young Women Inspiring Social Engagement

Day #5: Peace as Disarmament 

It is incomprehensible that the world still wastes nearly a trillion dollars each year on weapons of war. We must end the ever increasing expenditures for arms (both nuclear and conventional) and find ways to better handle conflict that takes us from endless wars to more sustainable peace.

Our priorities and values that support wealth and military spending rather than allocating more resources for true human security have grave effects in countries around the world.  Watch Oscar Arias Sánchez, 1987 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and PeaceJam Mentor, speak about arms sales as big business, and how we should be using some of our resources to solve the world's problems instead. 

We are so proud of the young people around the world that invest time, energy, and resources into making sure that we live in a world free of arms and violence. Their courage and commitment into creating impactful projects and organizations that solve this issue are very inspiring. Learn more about some of the  youth working on non-proliferation and disarmament.

Humanium Metal

Harshwardhan Zala

Day #6: Peace as  Clean Water for Everyone

The lack of access to clean water and land that is suitable for farming is an increasing problem for many people around the world - and the struggle over these limited resources provides fuel for war and conflict. We must work to ensure access to at least the most basic of natural resources, safe drinking water, for everyone.

Safe, reliable, and equitable water access is critical to human health and livelihoods, yet many communities worldwide still lack access to clean water. Listen to Desmond Tutu, 1984 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and PeaceJam mentor, speak about the importance of sharing resources and living more sustainably.

We are immensely proud of the young people around the world that invest time, energy, and resources into creating solutions for this issue that impacts the lives of so many. The passion and knowledge they put into creating impactful projects and organizations that serve this purpose are incredibly inspiring. Learn more about youth working on supplying clean water for everyone.

Mari Copeny, aka “Little Miss Flint”

Equal Access to Clean Water in India

Day #7: Peace as Ending Racism & Hate

Racism and hate based on perceived differences is causing issues in nearly every society worldwide. To combat hate we must learn to break down stereotypes, remove the us and them framework, and build acceptance and support within our human family.

Hate, discrimination and tensions between ethnic groups are on the rise in many communities around the world. Listen to these words from Shirin Ebadi, 2003 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and PeaceJam mentor, providing insight into the two main causes of racism and hate - ignorance and prejudice- and offering some solutions that can combat these issues as early as elementary school.

We are so proud of the young people around the world that invest time, energy, and resources into making sure that their communities foster an inclusive and accepting environment where everyone can feel safe and appreciated. Their courage and passion into creating impactful projects and organizations that solve this issue are incredibly uplifting. Learn more about some of the youth working to end racism and hate.

PeaceJam European Youth Team, Campaign for an Inclusive Europe

Day #8: Peace as a Sustainable Future

It is essential that we make a concentrated effort involving civil society, businesses, and our government leaders to address the many issues that are endangering our lives such as: pollution, deforestation, waste, climate change, natural disaster, and the exploitation of natural resources. We must learn to work together to protect all of these - all of our futures depend on it.  

The solutions to combat the issues we face are out there, but each of us needs contribute to bring about the changes we need. No deed is considered too small when it comes to protecting the environment. Watch Rigoberta Menchú Tum, 1992 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and PeaceJam Mentor, tell us that Mother Nature is sending us signals, and her hope for the future.

We are so proud of the young people around the world that invest time, energy, and resources into solving this issue. Their courage and determination into creating impactful projects and organizations are very inspiring. Learn more about some of the youth working on protecting the environment.

Madhvi Chittoor

Go Green Africa

Day #9: Peace as Alleviating Poverty

Our world cannot be secure when so many billions of people are forced to exist on less than $1 per day; without access to even the most basic levels of shelter, sustenance, or education. Extreme poverty can be eliminated in our lifetimes and poverty in general can also be significantly reduced. Establishing economically sustainable futures for all of humanity must remain a fundamental goal.

Many strides have been made in the fight against hunger and poverty, though there is still much work to do.. Listen to Betty Williams, 1976 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and PeaceJam Mentor, share a story of the tragic consequences of poverty and how we should all be taking on this fight.

We are immensely proud of the young people around the world that invest time, energy, and resources into creating solutions to fight against poverty and hunger. Their commitment to create impactful projects and start organizations that serve this purpose are incredibly inspiring and their solutions are often unique. 

Learn more about some of the youth working to alleviate extreme poverty in their communities.

Restoring Hope, PeaceJam South Africa

Peace as Human Rights for All

The lack of basic human rights and the persistence of social injustice over long periods of time always creates a backlash. We need to address the fundamental issues at the core of society and ensure that all people have the right to participate in government processes without fear of retribution and can live freely in the pursuit of their own happiness.

The fight to ensure human rights is one of the most important of our time. We need to help one another. In order to do that we need to be aware of what is happening in the world. Ignorance is a big problem. Watch Jody Williams, 1997 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and PeaceJam Mentor, talk about the biggest ignorance that we need to combat.

We are incredibly inspired by the young people around the world that invest time, energy, and resources into making sure that theirs and others’ human rights are being respected. Their tenacity and commitment into creating impactful projects and organizations that solve this issue are very necessary. Learn more about some of the youth working to obtain  human rights for all.

PeaceJam Greece, The Lifebag Project