Earth Trustee Award & Peace Bell Ceremony

Peace Times 11

The United Nations Earth Day Committee this year honoured the Lama Gangchen World Peace Foundation with an Earth Trustee Award which was presented to Lama Gangchen during a special celebration event given at Unicef House, on the occasion of the Peace Bell ceremony at the United Nations Headquarters on the 20th of March.

Earth Day signals the beginning of Spring with the traditional sounding of the Peace Bell, celebrating the interdependence of all living things, reminding people of the world that continuing care is vital for the safety of the earth.

The Peace Bell, which was first tolled on the 4th of October 1966 to mark the first anniversary of His Holiness Pope Paul VI’s visit to the United Nations Headquarters - by three girls and four boys from the United Nations International School - was this year rung by Lama Gangchen and Father Ignatio Harding (Franciscans International) following a message by the Secretary General for the occasion, who spoke of the global environmental movement which «has given us some of our most useful words to live by, “think globally, act locally”, “Save the Earth”, “Our common future”. These and similar slogans reflect the fragility of the earth and the human position upon it. They have helped to raise our environmental awareness and inspire men, women and young people throughout the world to “go green” and join the cause. On this Earth Day, let us again take our cue from the planet itself ... The United Nations will continue to do its part to protect and enrich the web of life on Earth».

On behalf of the Iranian people, H.E. Mr Hadi Nejad Hosseinian, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Iran congratulated all Earth Trustees for their noble efforts, confirming their own commitment to becoming «real Earth Trustees and working hard together to make choices in environment, politics and economics that are ethical and provide a sustainable future for the whole human family on earth».

The bell, bearing the inscription “Long Live Absolute Peace”, was presented to the United Nations on the 8th of June 1954 by the then Japanese Observer to the United Nations,who told that the bell «embodies the aspiration for peace of the people of the entire world, thus symbolising the universality of the United Nations». Its marble base came from a quarry in Jerusalem and was donated by Israel.

Isthar D.-Adler