The University of Queensland has partnered with the United Nations Association of Australia, Griffith University and several other peace organisations to celebrate this year’s International Day of Peace (IDOP).
Taking place at St John’s Cathedral in Brisbane’s CBD on Saturday, 21 September, this free event promises a much-needed antidote to the daily newsfeed of war and human tragedy.
Launched in 1981 as a United Nations resolution, IDOP marks a date when all of humanity can commit to overcoming their differences and build a culture of peace.
The celebrations will include the ‘Celebrating Queensland Agents of Peace Award’ - designed to highlight the work done by individuals and organisations from the Brisbane region.
Past recipients of the award include the Queensland branch of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom; the Romero Centre, which provides support for asylum seekers; Ritchie Yorke, a Brisbane journalist who was John and Yoko Lennon’s Peace Envoy in their anti-war campaign; and Ralph Summy, an American scholar who launched the University’s first Peace and Conflict Studies program at UQ in the 1970s.
Dr Marianne Hanson from UQ’s School of Political Science and International Studies said as the only one of its kind in the region, UQ’s Rotary Peace Centre plays an important part in IDOP, offering postgraduate courses in conflict resolution and peacebuilding, and attracting Rotary Peace Fellows from all over the world to study and become change agents in the community.
“In a world where we hear all too often the voices of division and hatred, IDOP provides a space where we can hear instead about the achievements of everyday people working for peace and where we can all commit to working for a better world,” Dr Hanson said.
The event will also feature a keynote lecture from Four Corners journalist Sophie McNeill, whose award-winning work has focussed on the plight of children in Middle East war zones.
Along with a supper, the event includes special musical performances, and messages from the Dean of St John’s and the UN Secretary General.
IDOP promises to be an uplifting night in Brisbane’s social calendar.
This is a free public event supported by UNAA Queensland, St John’s Cathedral, Just Peace, Rotary, Griffith Uni, UQ, WILPF, and Quakers.
Event Details:
Saturday, 21 September 2019, 6pm - 8pm
St John’s Cathedral, 373 Ann St, Brisbane
For further details contact Dr Marianne Hanson - m.hanson@uq.edu.au
