Peace Bell Ceremony in commemoration of “International Day of Peace”
2026/9/9
On September 9th, the annual Peace Bell Ceremony was held in the Japanese Garden at the United Nations Headquarters, with Ambassador and Mrs. YAMAZAKI, Ms. TAKASE Seiko, Representative of the Association for the Preservation of UN Peace Bell, and Mr. ABE Shinichiro, Trustee of ZEN Associates, Inc. attending this event.
The Ceremony was also attended by H.E. Mr. António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General, H.E. Mr. Khalilur Rahman, President of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly, H.E. Mr. Earle Courtenay Rattray, Chef de Cabinet to the United Nations Secretary-General, and Ms. Melissa Fleming, Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications of the United Nations.
Secretary-General Guterres and President of the General Assembly Rahman gave remarks and rang the Peace Bell to commemorate the “International Day of Peace” with strong and renewed hopes for World Peace. Ms. TAKASE also rang the Peace Bell with Secretary-General Guterres, and the ceremony concluded in a warm and cordial atmosphere at the Japanese Garden, which had been maintained and refurbished with support from the Government of Japan.
※The Peace Bell was originally cast from coins collected from 60 different countries. It was donated to the United Nations through the United Nations Association of JAPAN by Mr. NAKAGAWA Chiyoji, the President of its Uwajima Branch, on June 8th, 1954. Ms. TAKASE, who attended this year’s ceremony, is the daughter of Mr. NAKAGAWA. It has become a tradition to ring the bell to celebrate the “International Day of Peace” (September 21st) every year.
※A video of the ceremony is available on UN WEB TV.
The Ceremony was also attended by H.E. Mr. António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General, H.E. Mr. Khalilur Rahman, President of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly, H.E. Mr. Earle Courtenay Rattray, Chef de Cabinet to the United Nations Secretary-General, and Ms. Melissa Fleming, Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications of the United Nations.
Secretary-General Guterres and President of the General Assembly Rahman gave remarks and rang the Peace Bell to commemorate the “International Day of Peace” with strong and renewed hopes for World Peace. Ms. TAKASE also rang the Peace Bell with Secretary-General Guterres, and the ceremony concluded in a warm and cordial atmosphere at the Japanese Garden, which had been maintained and refurbished with support from the Government of Japan.
※The Peace Bell was originally cast from coins collected from 60 different countries. It was donated to the United Nations through the United Nations Association of JAPAN by Mr. NAKAGAWA Chiyoji, the President of its Uwajima Branch, on June 8th, 1954. Ms. TAKASE, who attended this year’s ceremony, is the daughter of Mr. NAKAGAWA. It has become a tradition to ring the bell to celebrate the “International Day of Peace” (September 21st) every year.
※A video of the ceremony is available on UN WEB TV.