THIS year’s theme for the International Day of Peace, observed on Sept 21, is ‘Education for Peace’.

The UN General Assembly declared this day devoted to strengthening peace, both within and among nations and peoples. Special activities and celebrations include festivals, concerts, a global Peace wave with silence observed at noon in every time zone, and public as well as private gatherings.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on his 100-day countdown message to the International Day of Peace said: “It is not enough to teach children how to read, write and count. Education has to cultivate mutual respect for others and the World in which we live, and help people forge more just, inclusive and peaceful societies.”

Painting for Peace (Pakistan-India-Afghanistan), organised by Devika Mittal, a young Indian peace activist, is a one-day painting programme to spread love between Pakistan, India and Afghanistan.

The one-day painting competition, she said, is being organised simultaneously in New Delhi and Islamabad as a part of a larger initiative, ‘Tree for Harmony’, to create posters which spread the message of peace and love between Pakistan, India and Afghanistan. The aim is to strengthen the strained relations between the countries.

A detailed analysis conducted by McKinsey and Company on the Peace One Day 2012 report found that approximately 280 million people in 198 countries across the world were aware of Peace Day 2012 -- 4pc of the world’s population.

The report further estimates that approximately 2pc of those people (5.6 million) behaved more peacefully as a result. Peace One Day expects to double those figures for this year, creating a solid foundation for informing three billion people about Peace Day by 2016.

Let us show our children that we demand a better future for them. Let us stand united as one human race and demand that our leaders start living up to their word for our children. I hope the fellow beings will participate in the activities for the day and make them more meaningful.

HAROON JANJUA Rawalpindi