Milton Keynes Awarded 'Peace Messenger City' Status

2.43.34pm GMT Mon 8th Nov 2004

Milton Keynes joined the ranks of Tokyo and Chicago when it was recently recognised as an official Peace Messenger City .

In recognition of all the great work being done locally by the Liberal Democrat Council towards achieving equality, tolerance and environmental awareness, Milton Keynes Council applied for membership of the International Association of Peace Messenger Cities earlier this year.

The matter was discussed at the Association's general assembly in New Haven, Connecticut last month. The executive and the members unanimously approved Milton Keynes' application.

The application listed all the positive projects and events organised in Milton Keynes to promote peace, solidarity, tolerance and human rights. The judges also looked at local schemes to protect and educate children, environmental projects and initiatives to encourage cultural exchange.

Liberal Democrat Councillor Alan Pugh gained all-party support for Milton Keynes Council to apply. "We are now in discussion with other members of the International Association of Peace Messenger Cities to see how future educational and community projects in Milton Keynes may be included," he said.

The scheme to officially recognise pro-peace cities was born in 1986, the International Year of Peace, with a remit to "participate in the construction of a less violent and more humane world, spreading the spirit of peace, tolerance and mutual respect, promoting a better understanding of the requirements for lasting peace, founded on justice and human rights." This was a time when the world was seeking a new ethos for a new age marked by the end of the Cold War and the crumbling of the Berlin Wall.

Leader of Milton Keynes Council, Isobel Wilson, said: "It is fantastic that Milton Keynes has been recognised alongside cities like Lisbon, Beijing and San Francisco and acknowledged as a place which values peace."