The Peace Poem

What a beautiful concept:

The Peace Poem - children around the world were invited to submit 2 lines of poetry about peace to the United Nations. The lines were then collated together as one big poem and published on the web.

Ce long poème consacré à la paix, fruit de la réflexion et de la conviction de milliers d’enfants de par le monde, est pour moi comme une guirlande d’espoir qui, par la vertu des nouveaux moyens de télécommunication, ceint notre planète, en se riant des nationalités et des frontières.

In their wisdom, the children whose intermingled voices gave birth to the Peace Poem know that peace is far more than the absence of war. Children know that peace comes from the heart; it lives in the way we see others; it survives in the respect we show our neighbors every day. They also know, often better than adults, that today’s world is a global village and that we are all neighbors.

Sepamos escuchar a los niños poetas. Sus palabras sencillas y elocuentes nos recuerdan las verdades esenciales, pilares sobre los que sustentan la paz y la concordia : conocer y aceptar a los demás y, en ellos, reconocer nuestra humanidad común.

- Kofi A. Annan