UN PRESS RELEASE

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, /MONTSAME/ In a world where the media daily reports news of human conflict and prejudice of all kinds including racial, gender, class, political and religious prejudice, Mongolia's annual celebration of UN International day of Peace on September 21st stands out as a call for unity and peace. On this day the United Nations calls for people around the world to devote a specific time to focusing their efforts on promoting the ideals of peace. This will be the ninth year that the different religious communities in Mongolia have cooperated with the United Nations by joining countries throughout the world in observing the 28th United Nations International Day of Peace.
During the day, each of the religious communities in Mongolia will be holding prayers and meditations for peace in their various places of worship, culminating in a joint program of prayers from all faiths around the Peace Bell in Sukhbaatar Square at 18.30 p.m. This ceremony will be opened by the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations in Mongolia, Ms Sezin Sinanoglu, reading the Peace Message from the Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon, and will be closed by Mr. Tsedendamba, representing the President of Mongolia's Council of Religious Affairs.
On the evening of Monday, September 20th from 6.30 p.m. to 7.30 p.m. Brahma Kumaris Mongolia will be preparing for the UN International Day of Peace the next day by hosting a Meditation for World Peace at the Brahma Kumaris Center, Sukhbaataar District, Bld 65 10.
Prayers and Meditations during the day on Tuesday 21 September, in which all are welcome to participate, will begin at 9.30 in the Meditation Room at Shedrup Ling at the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition and will continue at 11.00 am at Dashchoiling Monastery, at 12.00 am at the Ananda Yoga Meditation Centre (Sukhbaatar District, Baga Toiruu, Building 26, 4th entrance, 2nd floor) at 1.30 at the Baha'i Centre (Sukhbaatar district, Baga Toiruu, Building 26, 3rd floor) and at the Federation of Mongolian Muslim Associations in Bayangol district, and at 4.00 p.m at the Cathedral of Saint Peter and Saint Paul Cathedral, Amgalan.
The culminating ceremony of the day will be a program of prayers from all faiths around the Peace Bell in Sukhbaatar Square at 18.30 p.m. The ceremony will be opened by the United Nations Resident Coordinator, Ms. Sezin Sinanoglu, who will read in the Message from the Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon. Following the reading of the message, representatives of the Buddhist, Shinto, Ananda Marga, Brahma Kumaris, Christian, Muslim and Baha'i Faiths will each light a candle before offering their prayers and ringing the Bell of Peace. Each faith will ignite the candle of the next religious group to offer prayers. Finally representatives of all faiths will ring the Peace Bell together.
This simple ceremony demonstrates that peace is central to the spiritual teachings of all faiths, and echoes the ringing of the Peace Bell at the United Nations Headquarters every year on the International Day of Peace. The Peace Bell in New York was cast in 1954 from coins donated by children from 60 countries, and was a gift from the UN Association of Japan. For half a century since the bell has sent a powerful message around the world about humankind's aspiration for peace.
On Tuesday in Mongolia we will be ringing our own Peace Bell to remind ourselves of the oneness of humankind, the oneness of all religions and the need for peace, unity and tolerance among the peoples of the world.
B.Khuder