When doves fly: World celebrates International Day of Peace

Twenty-one white doves in Kabul? Hand-painted pinwheels in Texas? "Peace biking" in Phnom Penh? Massive concert in Havana?

In case you missed it, today is the United Nations' International Day of Peace.

The UN was so excited that it kicked off celebrations last week.

The Kabul headquarters of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) marked the occasion by releasing 21 white doves into the sky last Wednesday.

Then UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon marked the day on Friday by ringing the "Peace Bell" at UN headquarters in New York. (The official commemoration of the day came on Friday, says the UN, because Monday is a public holiday in most regions around the world.)

Mr. Ban used the moment to call on nations to increase their efforts to reduce stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). "As long as such weapons exist, no one is safe," he said.

UN Messenger of Peace Michael Douglas and actor Rainn Wilson (you know, Dwight from NBC's hit show "The Office") have tried to raise awareness on the dangers and costs of nuclear weapons by using Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace, according to the UN.

After the ceremony, Ban spoke at a gathering of over 1,000 students and teachers at the UN Headquarters, explaining that the Twitter messages were attempts to involve everyone in the campaign against WMDs.

“Not just political leaders but citizens everywhere – including students like you…. You are the future leaders and owners of this planet earth,” he said. “Because the world is over-armed and peace is under-funded ... because disarmament contributes to development... and because nukes threaten humankind…. Let's get rid of them for good.”

How people are marking the occasion

From small events to massive ones, people around the world are marking the day.

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