UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations (UN) on Monday hosted a musical commemoration to observe the International Day of Peace, calling on all nations and people to reaffirm their commitment to living in harmony with one another.
The United Nations Academic Impact co-hosted the virtual event with musician and producer Beth Nielsen Chapman, featuring music by Grammy-winning artist Keb' Mo', songwriter and artist Victoria Canal, legendary international artist and songwriter Melanie, and many more. Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Jody Williams, among others, sent a video message to the event.
In a virtual discussion, former NASA astronaut Leland Melvin shared his thoughts about peace inspired by his experience working at the International Space Station in 2008.
"If we do anything in space that's wrong, we all die," Melvin said. "So if we can channel that down here, if we don't work together on the planet, we're going to have some dire consequences."
The International Day of Peace was established in 1981 by the United Nations General Assembly and is observed on Sept. 21. Two decades later, in 2001, the General Assembly unanimously voted to designate the day as a period of non-violence and cease-fire. The 2020 theme for the International Day of Peace is "Shaping Peace Together."
The musical commemoration of the International Day of Peace also served as a warm-up for a high-level meeting to mark the UN's 75 anniversary. The 75th session of the General Assembly opened on Sept. 15, and the world leaders' general debate will open on Tuesday. Enditem
