'Building a Culture of Peace
for the Children of the World'
exhibition opens at the United Nations Public Lobby, 45th Street and First Avenue, New York, NY. Reception and opening February 4, 2004 at 5:00 pm, 5:30 pm ceremony followed by special concert.

Exhibit celebrating the limitless potential of the individual to build peace in today's world is FREE and open to the public February 5 - 27, 2004 weekdays, 9am to 4:30pm

The opening reception and ceremony, which are by invitation only, feature the chorus of the United Nations International School and remarks by UN Under Secretary-General Anwarul K. Chowdhury and 1976 Nobel Peace Laureate Betty Williams. Following the ribbon cutting, award winning jazz greats Herbie Hancock, Nestor Torres, Larry Coryell and Buster Williams will perform a special concert hosted by actor Patrick Duffy.

The exhibition is an inspiring multi-media production that demonstrates ways in which everyday people -- not only professionals or diplomats -- contribute to peace, while stimulating viewers to consider how each can make their own peace contribution. The presentation features Eight Actions for Building a Culture of Peace, and includes materials aimed at individual empowerment, a salute to peace leaders and organizations, including Manifesto 2000, and 21st Century networking resources. There is an interactive section, especially for children, which includes peace essays and artwork. There will also be a focus on local community programs and their contributions to peace.

This exhibit brings together the ideas and examples of hundreds of people, organizations and movements dedicated to opening a path to lasting peace and focuses on the limitless potential of the individual to build peace in today's world. It concentrates on concepts such as self-mastery, dialogue and tolerance, community and culture. Some 12 peace builders featured in the exhibition are examples of ordinary people who display their commitment to peace through the powerful and effective work they accomplish in their efforts to establish harmonious, productive and peaceful environments. Among those featured are Nanda Pok, a Cambodian woman who fled that country only to return years later to lead a women's movement for empowerment, and Geoffrey Canada, an advocate for children and education, who developed an acclaimed model for community building in New York's Harlem as a means to overcome violence.

The special sections for Children feature their moving essays, poems and artwork that poignantly express their deep desire to inherit and live in a peaceful world.

This exhibition is a joint venture of the United Nation's Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (OHRLLS), UNESCO, the Permanent Missions to the United Nations of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, the Republic of Mozambique and Tuvalu, the Soka Gakkai International-USA and the International Committee of Artists for Peace (ICAP).