New Delhi, India - The United Nations Information Centre for India and Bhutan and UPF-India jointly organized two programs in commemoration of the UN International Day of Peace and the UN International Day of Non-violence.

The first was an Inter-collegiate Debate at Sri Venkateswora College in New Delhi on September 27. Students made statements in favor or opposed to the question: "Non-Violence for Sustainable Peace: Is It Relevant Today?"

The best debater on each side was invited to present his argument at a forum on the same topic at the UN Conference Hall in New Dehi on September 30.

Amb. K.V. Rajan, Former Ambassador of India to Nepal and Executive Vice Chairman of UPF-India, delivered the welcoming speech. Ms. Kiran Mehra-Kerpelman, Director of the United Nations Information Centre for India & Bhutan, read UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's message for the day, and Sri Srivatsa Goswami, Acharya of the Sri Radharamana Mandir and Trustee of UPF-India, gave the keynote speech on “The Power of Non-violence.” In addition, Dr. Hema V. Raghavan, Dean of Student Welfare at Delhi University, addressed the forum.

To read the UN Secretary-General's message on the International Day of Non-violence, September 30, click here.