AFRICAN UNION UNION AFRICAINE UNIÃO AFRICANA Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, P.O. Box: 3243 Tel.: (251-11) 5513 822 Fax: (251-11) 5519 321 Email: situationroom@africa-union.org, situationroom@ausitroom-psd.org Annex 1 PRESS RELEASE A few days before the celebration of the International Day of Peace, as part of the Year of Peace and Security in Africa, the Commission releases the following editorial from the Chairperson of the Commission, Jean Ping WHAT WILL YOU DO TO MAKE PEACE HAPPEN? On September 21, the African continent will join with the rest of the world to celebrate the International Day of Peace (Peace Day). Every year since 1982, that day has provided a rallying point for the United Nations and its member states, but also for civil society, private sector and individuals, to join forces to advance global peace. This year, September 21 will have a special meaning to Africans, for it will be the culmination of the 2010 Year of Peace and Security, declared during the AU Special Session on the Consideration and Resolution of Conflicts in Africa, held in Tripoli on August 31, 2009. On that occasion, African Heads of State and Government outlined their collective commitment to bring peace to the continent: “…We are determined to deal once and for all with the scourge of conflicts and violence on our continent, acknowledging our shortcomings and errors, committing our resources and our best people, and missing no opportunity to push forward the agenda of conflict prevention, peacemaking, peacekeeping and post-conflict reconstruction. We, as leaders, simply cannot bequeath the burden of conflicts to the next generation of Africans.” Peace Day is the symbolic focus of this commitment. While peace cannot be achieved in a day, September 21 nevertheless affords Africans the opportunity to celebrate notable successes in the realm of peace-building and to put peace in practice through a collective, cooperative moment of unity. A cessation of hostilities on Peace Day will allow humanitarian agencies to dispense life-saving medicines and provide inoculations and other humanitarian assistance to communities which would otherwise be inaccessible. More importantly, a successful Peace Day will create hope for a better future for the entire continent. The activities of a single day can energize Africans from all walks of life, helping to generate a widespread grassroots peace movement across the continent. And that