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For Immediate Release
(Stowe-VT, 16 October 2007) Cities and towns across
Canada re-dedicated parks to peace today commemorating
the 15th Anniversary of their original dedication as
part of Canada 125 Celebrations in 1992.
Fifteen Years ago as Canada celebrated its 125th
Birthday, some 400 cities and towns across Canada
dedicated a Park to Peace – with most parks dedicated at
Noon local time, October 8th, as the National
Peacekeeping Monument was being unveiled in Ottawa. Each
of the original Peace Parks incorporated a ‘Bosco Sacro’
(Peace Grove) of 12 trees as a symbolic link with one
another, and with nature - and as a symbol of hope for
the future. The 12 trees were also symbolic of Canada’s
10 Provinces and two Territories. As there are now three
Territories, a 13th tree was planted as part of the
“Re-dedication Ceremonies.”
In more than 25,000 creative grass roots initiatives,
Canadians everywhere harnessed the occasion of Canada
125 in 1992 to express their enormous and completely
justified pride for their nation - which that year was
officially designated by the United Nation as the number
one nation in the world to live in.
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The re-dedication of Canada’s Peace Parks
served as an occasion to reflect on these values and as
a reminder of the common commitment of Canadians to
peace and understanding at home and throughout the
world.
“Peace Parks Across Canada” was conceived and organized
by the International Institute for Peace through Tourism
(IIPT) in collaboration with “CANADA 125” and the
National Capital Commission. Supporters included the
Federation of Canadian Mayors and Municipalities, Canada
Parks and Recreation Association, the Tourism Industry
Association of Canada, Heritage Canada, World Wildlife
Fund Canada, Friends of the Earth, Canadian Society of
Landscape Architects, and local Rotary Clubs all across
Canada.
Project sponsors included VIA Rail, Greyhound Lines
Canada, Ltd., CP Hotels and Resorts, Ramada
International Hotels and Resorts, Four Seasons Ltd.,
Meridien Hotels, Concept 3 Advertising and Programmed
Communications, Ltd.
“Peace Parks Across Canada” has served as the foundation
in launching the “IIPT Global Peace Parks Program” on
the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month, 2000
– the first year of the new Millennium - from Bethany
Beyond the Jordan, site of Christ’s baptism. The Program
continues as a living legacy of the 1st Global Summit on
Peace through Tourism, November 8-11, 2000 hosted by the
Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. His Majesty King Abdullah
II was Patron of the Summit which – like the Global
Peace Park Program - was in support of the UN Decade of
Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World.
Notable among the IIPT Peace Parks dedicated to date in
addition to that at ‘Bethany beyond the Jordan” are IIPT
Peace Parks at Pearl Harbor, Honolulu, Hawaii; the Dag
Hammarkskjold Memorial Site, Ndola Zambia (site of UN
Secretary Dag Hammarskjold’s plane crash while on a
peace mission to the Congo in 1961); Waterton Glacier
International Peace Park (the world’s first
international peace park); Bagamoyo, Tanzania, (a UNESCO
Heritage Site which served as a center of the slave
trade for Eastern Africa); Victoria Falls, Zambia (one
of the seven natural wonders of the world); Niagara
Falls, Ontario, Canada; and Namugongo on the Uganda
Martyr’s Trail, a World Heritage site.
Cities and towns wishing to become part of the IIPT
Global Peace Parks Program by dedicating a park to peace
are invited to contact IIPT at:
PeaceParks@iipt.org .
About International Institute for Peace through Tourism
(IIPT)
IIPT is dedicated to fostering and facilitating tourism
initiatives which contribute to international
understanding and cooperation, an improved quality of
environment, the preservation of heritage, and poverty
reduction, and through these initiatives, help bring
about a more peaceful and sustainable world.
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