Every year, the 21st of September marks the International Day of Peace. Established in 1981 by unanimous United Nations resolution, Peace Day provides a universally shared date in which all citizens of the world re-commit to Peace above all and to set aside differences to contribute to building a Culture of Peace. In recognition of the goals of Peace Day a webinar was organized by the Kenya National Commission for UNESCO (KNATCOM), the UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa and the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology of Kenya (MoEST). The theme of this year's Day of Peace was "Shaping Peace Together".
Arigatou International - Ethics Education for Children, together with End Child Poverty launched in September 2020 the Children’s Solutions Lab, an opportunity for children and youth from different backgrounds to come together to discuss, learn, and take action against child poverty through education backed solutions
The global pandemic has brought a halt to many important aspects of life and imposed major obstacles to organizations all over the world, yet the work done by Arigatou International and its partners remains unflinching. Nowhere is this best epitomized than the work done in collaboration with our GNRC Youth Committee. These dedicated young people have taken an active role in helping secure the rights of children around the world. During the last six months, we have seen members of the GNRC Youth Committee in a wide array of workshops, meetings, and dialogues all while facing their own obstacles imposed on them by the COVID-19.
Ms. Maria Lucia Uribe, Executive Director of Arigatou International Geneva was invited to contribute to the Week of Prayer and World Fellowship, which took place from 8 to 14 November 2020.
Since 1904, the Young Woman's Christian Association (YWCA) and the Young Man's Christian Association (YMCA) have traditionally come together to deliver the World Week of Prayer and World Fellowship. This year, the Week extended an invitation to communities to use biblical text to shed light on the lived experiences of those affected by the global pandemic. These contributions were compiled into a booklet entitled Rays of Hope: Creating Resilient Communities Through Practical Spirituality, which can be accessed here.
For a third consecutive year, Arigatou International Geneva participated at the Geneva Peace Week, which has held online from 2 to 6 November 2020. This year's theme was "Rebuilding trust after disruption: Pathways to reset international cooperation" with the aim of galvanizing leadership, building trust, and working towards international collaboration in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
