Secretary-General commends swimmers and Meditation Group 1986 Jan 24, IYP events

Filed under 2 or more | Peace walk/run for UN | UN Anniversaries

Swims for the International Year of Peace – And S-G: Mr. Javier Perez de Cuellar

During 1986, four members of the Peace Meditation group, staff members of the United Nations Secretariat and UNICEF, undertook a number of “Swims for Peace” to draw attention to the United Nations International Year of Peace. Their first swim was on 1 January in the frigid waters off Hiroshima, Japan, and five days later they swam in Nagasaki Harbour.

Encouraged by a letter of appreciation from the Office of the Secretary-General commending:

the “intrepid endeavors” and “admirable commitment, which you and your colleagues in the Meditation Group share for the principles of the United Nations Organization and its International Year of Peace,”

The swimmers traveled to a total of 35 sites around the globe—all at their own expense—to swim for peace. The enthusiastic response, reflected in the over 50 newspaper articles that covered the swims, inspired them to continue into January 1987.

for a list and more detail of press coverage see: Swims in 31 locations for UN International Year of Peace 1986

Below is the text of message from the Office of the Secretary general

UNITED NATIONS -NATIONS UNIES

Executive Office of the Secretary-General

CABINET DU SECRETARIE GENERAL

24 January 1986

Dear Mr. Davidson,

I have been asked by the Secretary-General to thank you for your letter of 16 January apprising him of your intrepid endeavours in support of the International Year of Peace.

He read with gratification of the admirable commitment, so widely recognized, which you and your colleagues in the Meditation Group share for the principles which underly both the United Nations Organization and its International Year of Peace. There could be no more fitting venue than Hiroshima and Nagasaki to make such a demonstration.

He has asked me particularly to send to you and your colleagues in the Group his very good wishes foe the year ahead.

Yours sincerely,

J. Paul Kavanagh

Second officer

Dear Mr. Secretary-General/

16 January 1986

Attached are a number of newspaper clippings which I think might be of interest to you. They show the efforts of some of your staff to support the ideals of the International Year of Peace and, by example, may encourage others to take appropriate actions during this year. The media were clearly impressed by these efforts.

On 1 January 1986 in Hiroshima, Japan, three staff members — Shraddha Howard of the Secretariat, and Adhiratha Keefe and I of UNICEF — each swam two kilometres in the frigid waters around the sacred Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima Island. Because of the overwhelming response of the Japanese people and the media, and the encouragement of our colleagues, we swam again on 6 January. This time we chose the Nagasaki Harbour. The City Hall supported the swim and the Director of the Peace Museum was on hand for the event. Members of a 400-year-old cold-water swim club built a big bonfire to keep us warm on land, and some children entered the water for the start and finish bearing signs with messages of world peace. As in Hiroshima, the media were very enthusiastic, with four television stations and nine newspaper and radio reporters covering the event and requesting interviews.

I feel the success of these events was due in large part to the influence of the Meditation Group in teaching us to be respectful of different cultures and at the same time to strive to better ourselves, and the world, through positive actions.

We were visiting Japan as part of a Peace Concert tour. The fact that we attend the Peace Meditations in New York and that we would swim in such cold water to call attention to the International Year of Peace seemed to move many people. We were grateful for the opportunity to present a view of international civil servants as members of a oneness-world family.

Mr. Secretary-General, I hope that our contribution may encourage or inspire other United Nations staff to seek their own ways of supporting this most significant year.

Yours sincerely,

Sunil Davidson

Mr. Javier Perez de Cuellar

Secretary-General

United Nations, New York