Peace-A Fight for Survival

The One Day. One Goal. Soccer Campaign

Celebrate peace with oneanother.

Let it grow and be a part of you

that you will never let go.

Jeremy Gilley is a documentary filmmaker who established the first ever Peace Day. He grew up in a place with anger and full of violence; he never understood why we humans can't get along with one another. The more he noticed this, he knew what he had to do. The more hate and violence he saw, the more frustrated he got with not being able to change anything. In July 1998 he committed himself to make a film about peace. Only then he realized there was no day of peace, there was nothing that united the world. Jeremy decided he was going to do whatever it takes to make peace, and ventured across the planet meeting people like Mary Robinson, the Dalai Lama and Kofi Annan.

On September 7, 2001 the Costa Rica Government suggested Jeremy Gilley’s plan at the UN Assembly . The decision was that 21 September was to be PEACE DAY. Peace day was observed to be a global ceasefire day and which everyone is caring for one another.
Peace links with development very well because if we have a day of global cease fire and nonviolence you could transport supplies to warzones that would normally be impossible to reach. In Afghanistan 1.4 million children were immunised on peace day last year. The Taliban said that they wouldn't shoot any aid movers and they handed in their weapons. I thought this was a magnificent idea so now they can get even more children vaccinated and they can hand out more bed nets to protect children from Malaria.

There are open costs and hidden cost of war. The most well-known open cost of war is when the military uses money on weapons and gunpowder. We should put effort into changing these costs from bad to good. Some hidden costs are in struggling countries which are mostly poor and have a wat going on. Some hidden costs are that most people must leave and fight including farmers and worker. . Without these people there crops grow bad and their kettle dies which all leads to starvation and sickness. Children at the age of 8+ leave for war because their families aren’t able to feed them but the army will. Also if everyone leaves there is no-one to support you and to protect you. The next hidden cost is directed at children, in countries with wars going on children see violence and death every day and it becomes a part of their life and they become much influenced. So when they would move they would always use physical solutions to their problems and since they weren’t educated they wouldn’t how to make a mental solution. Also people can never live a happy day because they don’t know where the next bomb or bullet is coming from. There are also some costs that I have explained before. Humanitarians can't bring food to the people who need when there is violence going on in that area. Eventually many people turn ill and their immune systems get destroyed and then they die.

In over 100 countries Peace day is now being celebrated, so do whatever you can to help. Some people organise football matches. The UN has started a campaign called “One day, One Goal” which helps people. In over 180 countries soccer games are being held for peace.

In conclusion Jeremy Gilley wished for a equal world and his summary in one sentence. It is "If we want to move from a culture of war to a culture of peace then we are going to have to unite and the 21st of September is that starting point”.