A ceremony was chaired by the Special Representative for the Secretary-General for Western Sahara and head of MINURSO, Hany Abdelaziz, at the Mission Parade Ground.
The SRSG read the message of the Secretary-General to all MINURSO personnel (military, police, civilian, UNVs) gathered for the celebration and addressed the UN staff recalling the historical daily commitment to the peace of the world body, set up after the destructive World War II.

This year the celebration in Layoune was marked by the presence of the UN Police Adviser, Anne- Marie Oerler, who visited MINURSO to inspect the Mission UNPOL contingent.
The ceremony was attended also by the African Union Representative, Ambassador Yilma Tadesse and MINURSO staff.

MINURSO also celebrated the International Day of Peace at its Tindouf (Algeria) Liaison Office. The Head of Tindouf Liaison Office, in a joint ceremony which gathered MINURSO and the other UN agencies operating there, read aloud the message of the Secretary-General.

The International Day of Peace was established in 1981 by resolution 36/67 of the United Nations General Assembly to coincide with its opening session, which was held annually on the third Tuesday of September.

The first Peace Day was observed in September 1982. In 2001, the General Assembly by unanimous vote adopted resolution 55/282, which established 21 September as an annual day of non-violence and cease-fire.

The UN invites all nations and people to honour a cessation of hostilities during the Day, and to otherwise commemorate the Day through education and public awareness on issue