Service For Peace

September 14, 2006

Service For Peace – Cote d’Ivoire holds a PeaceConference as part of their International Day of Peace Project Series

To start the celebration of the International Day of Peace, more than 100 young people from youth organizations, as well as representatives from the UN and UNESCO, attended a Peace Conference organized by Service For Peace.

The Conference took place in Abidjan at the Reseach Center of Peace Action. It began with the film by Jeremy Gilley "Peace One Day," the story of one man’s attempts to persuade the global community via the United Nations to officially sanction a global ceasefire day; a day of non-violence; a day of Peace, which culminated in 24 years ago with the UN International Day of Peace, every September 21st.

After the film, Philbert SEKA, Executive Director of SFP–Cote d’Ivoire delivered the SFP Peace Message and welcomed all participants to the opening of IDP 2006. "In our world, the resolution of conflicts is based on the power. People acting using the law eye for eye, tooth for tooth. That way of doing, is the wrong one and doesnt resolve anything. They have to focus on the origin of the conflict before starting the resolution," Mr. Seka said. Later, Denis Maugenest, Director of the Human Rights Institute and Dignity gave a lecture focused on the theme "Let’s Create Peace for the Next Generations" in which he said: "…peace has to be a model for society and to find a way for conflict management needs a minimum of order in the society…to resolve the conflicts, we have to educate people's hearts." Mr. Amani Nguessan Michel, Minister of National Education, who met with SFP staff members later in the day, stated that "Peace is a real base of good education and all of us must contribute to create that peace."

The partcipants shared their happiness that Service For Peace brought people working for Peace together. Some of them recited some peace poems for everyone.

The next event of the International Day of Peace will be a Peace Festival in the locality of the ex-rebels zone. Please click on "Upcoming Projects" in the menu above to see what's happening for Peace Day around the world, including in Cote d'Ivoire.