Harmony for Peace Foundation
Messages from Our Leaders
| Tomoko Torii |
 |
Our activities in 2013 Upon reflecting over 2012, the most natural and poignant symbol of our message is when our world was filled with so many beautiful artworks by children and teens. We are very fortunate to have had this opportunity to communicate such a strong voice for our common goal, a peaceful world, and a world free of nuclear weapons. This is a step toward our collective effort. We will continue with an even greater effort this year. Please keep your support for us and look forward to our united work with young people in the form of film, music presentation and art exhibitions in 2013. Thank you again for your continued warm and strong support for the Harmony For Peace Foundation and hope you will join us in our many exciting and inspiring events this year. More news to follow soon! With gratitude, Much Peace and Harmony
Tomoko Torii
President & Executive Director, Harmony For Peace Foundation
|
| Tomoko Torii |
 |
After Hurricane Sandy ...
All of us at Harmony For Peace express our deepest thoughts to everyone who is affected by Hurricane Sandy. Our hearts go out to many who are suffering from unimaginable hardships. We hope that you and your loved ones are now safe and are on your way to recovery. We wish you all our very best during this challenging time. With Much Peace
|
| Ban Ki-Moon |
Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks at the award ceremony for the “Art for Peace” Contest, in New York on 23 October: It is a great pleasure for me to participate in this very moving event. This is an inspiring event. I spend a great deal of time urging Governments to create a nuclear-weapon-free world for the sake of children and youth. Today, I get to see how children and youth themselves envision a nuclear-weapon-free world. As was introduced by Angela Kane, more than 6,600 young people from 92 countries shared one message for this project — a call for peace. I am delighted to be here with our first-place winner, 17-year-old Haruka Shoji. Congratulations. Her beautiful painting is called “Someday”. We see a young woman looking into the distance to a better future. I am presenting this painting to the Permanent Mission of Japan. I know they will treasure it. Haruka said: “Maybe it is your child, or your grandchild, or [a] much later [generation] who says ‘bye’ to nuclear weapons.” I hope that leaders around the world hear this message. I hope they stop to consider what young people have told us through this contest. One girl said: “Under the threat of nuclear war, the world cries day and night. For those who love peace, let us demolish nuclear weapons.” A young boy said: “With no threat of nuclear war on the planet, there will be smiling children everywhere.” All of the contestants said they want peace. They inspire me to fight even harder for a safer world. They inspire me to keep insisting that spending on education and health care is much more valuable than spending on tanks and missiles. They inspire me to keep demanding that everyone work for a world free of nuclear weapons. Ms. Shoji, today we honour you. You have enormous artistic talent. But, I am even more impressed by your vision and your idealism. You have a wonderful future ahead of you. I promise I will do everything possible to make your beautiful painting a vision of the present, not the future — so that you can be the one waving bye to nuclear weapons and entering a safer world. Congratulations on winning this year’s Art for Peace contest. I am pleased to present you with this award certificate and cheque.
Thank you very much. |
|
| Tomoko Torii |
 |
September 21 is International Peace Day!
It marks UN International Day of Peace (https://www.facebook.com/unpeaceday) as well as Peace One Day campaign (https://www.facebook.com/peaceoneday) - A global base campaign in spreading efforts to bring about a peace – a day of ceasefire and non-violence, - To lay down weapons, to stop fighting and conflicts. Non-violence is not only in war zones and battlefields between countries, regions, and ethnic groups but must be observed at homes, at schools, workplaces between people around you. Everyone and each one of us need to make a greater effort in creating unity among us and sharing friendships. We can make a difference. Please go to these Face book pages to support this day of non-violence and celebrate lives and peoples. Much Love and Peace from all of us at Harmony For Peace Foundation |
| Tomoko Torii |
 |
Art for Peace 2012 - Now closed, over 6600 submissions! View the results HERE! Big congratulations to the winners!Dear Friends,
It has been most wonderful inviting young artists to the Art for Peace 2012 art contest. The last three months have been very busy but each day was filled with so much joy witnessing so many images flooding in with messages for peace echoed throughout. It is with enormous pleasure that we share the final count to be over 6600 entries from 92 countries.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the team at the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs headed by Chief John Ennis who worked tremendously hard to make this contest successful. With their kind guidance and cooperation, we work together to make this initiative of great global interest. Please go to http://www.un.org/disarmament/ to find out more about the work they do. We would like to extend our thanks from the bottom of our hearts to all who have shared Art for Peace and to those who have submitted: Children, Teens and their parents and teachers. It is you who have made our Peace Art contest a great success! Please continue sharing its gallery with your friends and families, and enjoy viewing the submitted images. An international panel of jurors was assembled and worked hard to select the finalists in all three categories. They spent many hours dedicated their effort with much care in their consideration on the entries. Their contribution was very much apprciated by all of us. We could not have completed the art contest without their support.
The results of the contest can be viewed by following this link.
Everyone who entered the contest is a winner for peace!
Visit www.unartforpeace.org/gallery to view the submitted artworks. With warm gratitude and much peace.
Tomoko Torii
|
| Tomoko Torii |
 |
March 11, 2012 - This day marks the first anniversary of Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami. Our heart goes out to so many people who lost everything. Today Japan sees the unprecedented calamity with the aftermath of this tragedy. We continue to pray for safety and health of all who are affected and that their lives will be restored in not too distant future. We continue to work along with many countless people in the world to take a part in the smallest way but to the extent it could be some consolation. |
| Tomoko Torii |
 |
Launch of “Art for Peace 2012” – All join in! Dear Friends, Today, I am excited to introduce "Art for Peace 2012". The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs and the Harmony for Peace Foundation has jointly launched the 2012 Art for Peace Contest. |
| Tomoko Torii |
 |
Thanking our supporters for their generous and kind gifts ... |
| Hiroshi Senju |
 |
In March, there was an unbelievable scale of devastation in Japan. In the midst of such difficulty when many are facing hardship to survive, people wondered what art can do. There may be some who may think that it is powerless. No, I don’t believe so. Art is not powerless. Art, I believe, is a communication itself that tells that no one is alone; that we cry when we feel sad, that we laugh when we are happy. People stand in a long queue to see an opera or to see an art exhibition to confirm this thought. |
| Yasuko Mitsui |
 |
Our Founder, Ms. Mitsui’s Peace Day Message |
Add Your Voice
Join us in the effort to promote peace and a nuclear free world by signing your name to our pledge.
