A Brief History

The culture of peace idea emerged on the world scene when in 1997 the United Nations General Assembly first proclaimed the year 2000 to be the International Year for the Culture of Peace. The UN defines the Culture of Peace as: a set of values, attitudes, modes of behavior and ways of life that reject violence and prevent conflicts by tackling their root causes to solve problems through dialogue and negotiation among individuals, groups and nations.

During this time, given that the great majority of victims of war in the 20th Century were innocent women and children, a group of Nobel Peace Prize laureates circulated a petition among themselves so that all living Peace laureates signed onto an appeal to world leaders. This was the Appeal of the Nobel Peace Prize laureates for a Decade of Peace and Nonviolence for the Children of the World, with Dr. Michael Nobel serving as chairman of the Appeal Foundation.

Subsequently, with the success and popularity of the principles of the Year, and with the hard work of the Appeal Foundation and others, on Nov. 10, 1998, the U.N. General Assembly proclaimed the period 2001–2010 as the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Nonviolence for the Children of the World. The International Decade is not just a continuation of the principles of the International Year for the Culture of Peace. The mandate for the Decade specifically emphasizes the need for the international community to recognize and implement strategies to focus on and ensure assistance for children exposed to harmful and violent situations, something the SGI-USA took to heart in creating its new exhibition.

An indispensable component of the Year and the Decade is Manifesto 2000.The Manifesto was drafted by a group of Nobel Peace Prize laureates who translated the resolutions of the United Nations into everyday language to make them relevant to people everywhere. It was immensely popular. Although the Manifesto was presented to the General Assembly in the fall of 2000, the document is still open for signature. As of December 2003, more than 75 million people have signed this document and committed themselves to the principles of peace and nonviolence that the Manifesto espouses.