UNIS/INF/282
19 September 2008
"Uniting for Peace in Vienna"
Students Mark the International Day of Peace, 21 - 24 September 2008
VIENNA, 19 September (UN Information Service) - Under the theme "Uniting for Peace" 60 students from Southeast Central European capital cities will gather in Vienna to share experiences, learn from each other, discuss and debate issues of intercultural cooperation and cross-border dialogue. On the occasion of the International Day of Peace (21 September), a Student Forum, jointly organized by the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) Vienna and the City of Vienna, offers a platform for young people from Belgrade, Ljubljana, Podgorica, Sarajevo, Skopje, and Zagreb to come together in the international hub of Vienna to discuss questions of common concern, revisit the past and look towards a peaceful future.
The students will spend four programme-packed days in the Austrian Capital at the invitation of the host city, as member of the Union of Capitals of the Central and Southeastern European Countries (UCSEEC), supported by UNIS Vienna and a number of other partners and sponsors. The programme kicks off on the International Day of Peace (Sunday, 21 September) with a colourful youth peace festival in the Vienna Museumsquartier hosted and organized by 'Willfriede', an initiative of the City of Vienna's youth office (Jugend in Wien: www.jugendinwien.at, http://www.wienxtra.at/detail.asp?ev=30561).
22 September is the group's 'day at the UN': at the Vienna International Centre, the students will listen to lectures about the United Nations, peacekeeping and peacebuilding measures, as well as the work of the various UN offices and entities in Vienna. After a brief guided tour, the group will be joined by UN senior management and staff members to ring the Peace Bell in the Memorial Plaza at 12 noon -- a symbolic gesture to call upon all nations to work harder to build and preserve peace and to observe a Day of Ceasefire.
The third day of the programme (Tuesday, 23 September) includes hands-on workshops at the Diplomatic Academy Vienna and the Modul University on Kahlenberg; there will be a visit to the offices of the OSCE and talks with private business representatives on career opportunities and economic development. To round off the day, and as a visual record of the project, each city group will produce parts of a larger picture during an art workshop.
On their final day in Vienna, the students are invited to a reception at the Vienna City Hall. The formal programme and agenda will be supplemented by a number of cultural and informal activities, allowing the students to explore their host city and to build bridges between the participating capitals.
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For further information, please contact:
Renate
Henke
NGO Liaison
Telephone: (+43-1) 26060-3324
Email:
renate.henke@unvienna.org
