Messages of Peace for the New Millennium: the world’s leaders in a single book
On 14 September 2002, one year after the 11 September attacks, the first special edition of Messages of Peace for the New Millennium was published: 2,000 copies in English, with a deluxe binding, intended mainly for governments and embassies.
The book is the result of the call that gave rise to the World Organization for Peace (OMPP · WOFP). It began in 1991 in Madrid, promoted by journalist Carlos Peralta, with a simple request to each head of state of the UN member countries: “one minute of peace for the world”, a message of 200 or 300 words.
A decade of work
Gathering the messages took more than ten years of calls, letters and travel, with the help of over a hundred journalists around the world. Swiss publisher Eric Tschumi, of Swiss Graphic Design Group, joined the project in 1997. In 1998 the message from UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan arrived, giving the call a decisive boost.
The book gathers messages from the leaders of the UN member countries, plus Palestine and the Vatican, from every region and political orientation. In 2003 the definitive edition in English and Spanish was prepared in Switzerland, with translations planned into the other official UN languages. The originals are destined for the Peace Museum.
Sources: Swissinfo, 18 March 2003 (in Spanish) · OMPP historical summary.
