Peace education, gathered around the UN calendar.

GPEN events celebrate meaningful United Nations days related to peace education. Our primary annual event takes place on September 20—the day before the UN International Day of Peace—and we advocate for its recognition as an official Global Peace Education Day.

Ideas, voices and performances worth carrying forward.

Alongside Global Peace Education Day, GPEN highlights other UN Days that meaningfully relate to the concerns of peace education. Watch any collection directly, and open the program where detailed schedule or speaker information is available.

Global Peace Education Day

Every September 20, GPEN brings peace educators, advocates and communities together in the lead-up to the UN International Day of Peace.

Global Peace Education Day — 2025 Paris highlights

Highlights from GPEN’s annual gathering in Paris.

Global Peace Education Day — 2024 Segments

Conference presentations on impact, security, sustainability, culture of peace, justice and human rights.

Event program

Global Peace Education Day 2024

The complete four-hour program, including participants and links to individual recordings where available.

Hour One

Impact of Peace Education

Opening perspectives

  • Federico Mayor Zaragoza — President, GPEN Advisory Council; former Director-General, UNESCO
  • Stefania Giannini — UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education
  • Francisco Rojas Aravena — Rector, University for Peace
  • Prem Rawat — Founder, TPRF Peace Education Program

Song Around the World

  • Music video by Playing for Change
Hour Two

Safety, Security and Sustainability

Safety and Security

  • Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury — former UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative; interviewed by Dr. Darlene Shelton
  • Ouided Bouchamaoui — 2015 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate; interviewed by Dr. Darlene Shelton
  • Elvis Ndansi — Founder, Unite 4 Health
  • Mother Nature — featuring Angélique Kidjo

Sustainability

  • Francisca Cortés Solari — Founder and Executive President, Philanthropy Cortés Solari
  • Alexia Leclercq — Founder, Colorado River Conservancy and Start:Empowerment
  • Fungal Elders / Hongos Ancestors
  • Kehkashan Basu — Green Hope Foundation
Hour Three

Promoting a Culture of Peace

Culture of Peace

  • Gabriela Ramos — UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences
  • Steve Killelea — Founder, Institute for Economics and Peace
  • Tony Jenkins — Mapping Peace Education
  • Muriel Ricard — Deputy Mayor for a Culture of Peace
  • Garry Jacobs — World Academy of Art and Science
Hour Four

Justice and Human Rights

Justice and Human Rights

  • Dr. Doudou Diène — Global human rights advocate and former UN Special Rapporteur
  • Ambassador Hend Al Otaiba — UAE Ambassador to France and Monaco
  • Bishop Horace Smith, M.D. — Apostolic Faith Church

30 Rights in 30 Minutes

  • The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Closing

Watch

Global Peace Education Day — 2023

The third annual conference on human rights, children and peace education.

Event program

Global Peace Education Day 2023

Conference leadership and featured speakers from the Human Rights — Empowering Children program.

Stefania Giannini

Conference Chair; Assistant Director-General for Education, UNESCO

Michael Nouri

Conference Host; screen and stage actor; Goodwill Ambassador for Seeds of Peace

Ouided Bouchamaoui

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate; CEO, Hédi Bouchamaoui Group; former President, Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts

Dr. Marty Casey

Founder, unGun Institute, St. Louis, Missouri

Dr. Doudou Diène

Senegalese jurist; former United Nations Special Rapporteur

Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury

Former UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative; Founder, Global Movement for the Culture of Peace

Diane Whitehead

CEO, Childhood Education International

Federico Mayor Zaragoza

Chair, Foundation for a Culture of Peace; former Director-General of UNESCO

Prem Rawat

Founder, The Prem Rawat Foundation and Peace Education Program

Watch

Global Peace Education Day — 2023 (Spanish)

Spanish-language presentations from the 2023 conference.

Event program

Global Peace Education Day 2023

Conference leadership and featured speakers from the Human Rights — Empowering Children program.

Stefania Giannini

Conference Chair; Assistant Director-General for Education, UNESCO

Michael Nouri

Conference Host; screen and stage actor; Goodwill Ambassador for Seeds of Peace

Ouided Bouchamaoui

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate; CEO, Hédi Bouchamaoui Group; former President, Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts

Dr. Marty Casey

Founder, unGun Institute, St. Louis, Missouri

Dr. Doudou Diène

Senegalese jurist; former United Nations Special Rapporteur

Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury

Former UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative; Founder, Global Movement for the Culture of Peace

Diane Whitehead

CEO, Childhood Education International

Federico Mayor Zaragoza

Chair, Foundation for a Culture of Peace; former Director-General of UNESCO

Prem Rawat

Founder, The Prem Rawat Foundation and Peace Education Program

Watch

Global Peace Education Day — 2022 (Spanish)

Spanish-language presentations from the 2022 conference.

Global Peace Education Day — 2021

The inaugural Global Peace Education Day presentation archive.

Global Peace Education Day Invites

Invitations and introductions to GPEN’s Global Peace Education Day.

International Women’s Day · Femina Vox

Femina Vox is GPEN’s recurring forum for women’s voices, social justice and peace education.

Femina Vox — 2025

Women’s voices, social justice and peace education.

Femina Vox — 2024

A forum for women’s rights held in partnership with GPEN.

Femina Vox Forum — 2023

Women’s Voices in Peace Education, honoring International Women’s Rights Day.

Femina Vox Exclusives — 2023

Additional Femina Vox conversations and presentations.

Global Peace Education Forum — Women’s Day

A related women’s rights and peace education collection.

Women’s Rights Day Music

Music and artistic contributions to the Women’s Day program.

World Art Day

Collections connecting art, imagination and cultural expression with peace and human dignity.

World Art Day — 2025

Art, imagination and cultural expression as practices for peace.

World Art Day — 2024

A GPEN collection connecting the arts with peace and human dignity.

World Art Day Forum — 2023

The World Art Day Forum on art, rights and peace.

World Art Day Online — 2023

Online presentations for World Art Day.

GPEN Global Art Day Introduction

An introduction to GPEN’s World Art Day work.

Arts and Peace

Artistic approaches to peace education and cultural expression.

World Science Day

Science, trust and transformation in service of a more peaceful future.

World Science Day for Peace and Development — 2025

Trust, transformation and tomorrow: the science we need for 2050.

Event program

The Science of Peace Education

The complete published program from GPEN’s World Science Day gathering in Paris.

Section I

Taking Peace to Heart

Introduction

  • Darlene Shelton, Ph.D.
  • Philippine Dolbeau

Opening Plenary

  • António Guterres — United Nations Secretary-General
  • Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury — President, GPEN Advisory Council; former UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative
  • David Weinberg — CEO, Global Peace Education Network
  • Mabingue Ngom — GPEN Global Ambassador; Senior Advisor, Global Health and International Development

The Transformative Power of Peace Education

  • Chair: Philippine Dolbeau — Entrepreneur, journalist and television host
  • Ambassador Professor Karim Errouaki — UNACCC High Representative to the European Union; GPEN Global Advisory Council
  • Helena Murseli, Ph.D. — Senior Education Advisor for Education in Emergencies, UNICEF
  • Kehkashan Basu — Founder and President, Green Hope Foundation; UN Human Rights Champion
Section II

Going Far Together

Partnerships for Peace Education

  • Chair: Donato Kiniger-Passigli — Vice President, World Academy of Art and Science
  • Aryan Salman — President and General Director, Global Citizenship Foundation
  • Bea Gasca — Founder, Womanpalooza; philanthropist
  • Helena Murseli, Ph.D. — Senior Advisor for Education in Emergencies, UNICEF
  • Usaama Kaweesa — Cabinet Member for Children’s Services and Councilor, Merton Council, United Kingdom
  • Anna Maria Lubelska — Chair of Trustees and Founder, The Peace Building Project; author and interfaith minister

Lifetime Achievement Award

  • Constance Rivière — Director, National Museum of Immigration History, Paris
  • Presented by Guila Clara Kessous — GPEN Human Rights Ambassador

Go Live / Congo Tales

  • Music by Jenn Johns
  • Photography by Pieter Henket
Section III

Securing Life

Human Security, Health and Well-Being

  • Chair: Donato Kiniger-Passigli — Vice President, World Academy of Art and Science
  • Felipe Domingues — Country Director for Portugal, Institute for Economics and Peace; biographer of António Guterres
  • Ramata Almamy Mbaye, Ph.D. — Chief of Human and Social Sciences, ICESCO
  • Charlotte Courtois — Founder and Director, Constellation Association
  • Sabrina Gaffre Vallicelli — Educator and facilitator, Peace Education Program, TPRF

Peace Education, Prosperity and Sustainability

  • Chair: Felipe Domingues — Institute for Economics and Peace
  • Jihane El Ghiati — ICESCO Youth Peace Ambassador; student
  • Kehkashan Basu — Founder and President, Green Hope Foundation; GPEN Global Advisory Council
  • Jacob Johns — Artist, activist and Executive Director, Wisdom Keepers Delegation
Section IV

Arcing Toward Justice

Human Rights and Justice

  • Chair: Massimo Scaliotti — International lawyer; International Human Rights Council of the European Union
  • Delia Mamon — Founder and President, Graines de Paix Foundation, Geneva
  • Jacob Johns — Artist, activist and Executive Director, Wisdom Keepers Delegation

Chronicle of Peace

  • Vicky the Poet
Section V

Celebrating Peace

Cultural Arts Forum: People Unite as One

  • Chair: Jenn Johns — Multidisciplinary artist; Founder, The F.U.N. Manifesto
  • Jacob Johns — Artist, activist and Executive Director, Wisdom Keepers Delegation
  • Hussein Al Amry — Television host, poet and media advisor
  • Juan Antonio Simarro — Composer and concert pianist
  • Pieter Henket — Fine art photographer
  • Justin Gaspar — Creative producer

Voices for Peace Education

  • Chair: Henar Maillo Valdés — Poet, activist and student
  • Jacob Johns — Artist, activist and Executive Director, Wisdom Keepers Delegation
  • Noé Levasseur — Poet
  • Juan Antonio Simarro — Composer and concert pianist

Youth Leadership — Part 1

  • Chair: Alexandra Torres — European Youth Parliament Representative for Spain; Chair, GPEN Youth Leadership Team
  • Nuria López Méndez — Student in economics
  • Indira Pera González — Student in political science
  • Hannah Neo Khambule — Student in archaeology, anthropology and Arabic
  • Mitesh Desai, M.D. — Global Representative, Peace Education Program, TPRF
  • Christelle Despagne — Youth Peace Ambassador, ICESCO

Youth Leadership — Part 2

  • Aylina de la Mano Markau — Vice Chair, GPEN Youth Leadership Team; student in philosophy, politics and economics
  • Lidia López — Student in media and marketing
  • Carolina García — Student in international management and development
  • Marina Acosta Andrés — Student in feminist social studies
  • Gonzalo Galván — Student in international relations
  • Henar Maillo Valdés — Poet, activist and student in European studies

Adagio for Violin, Piano and String Orchestra

  • Juan Antonio Simarro

Closing Remarks

  • Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury — President, GPEN Advisory Council; former UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative

Overture for Human Rights

  • Juan Antonio Simarro
Watch

International Day of Education

Education-focused programs from GPEN’s global community.

Global Peace Education Forum — UN Education Day

Education-focused presentations from GPEN’s global community.

GPEF Education Day Forum

A second collection from the Education Day forum.

Other GPEN collections

Additional GPEN playlists that do not belong to a specific United Nations Day series.

Peace and Leadership

A GPEN peace education collection on leadership and action.

Peace and Justice

A GPEN peace education collection on justice and human dignity.

Peace and War

A GPEN peace education collection examining peace and war.

Restoring Humanity

A GPEN collection on restoring human dignity and connection.

Campaign & learning

The campaign and learning work that continues between GPEN’s annual events.

You Are Designed for Peace — GPEN Learning Lab

Practical learning and reflection for making peace a lived practice.