• It was proposed in 2004 during a meeting between World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia and then-United Nations secretary general Kofi Annan.
  

• It is celebrated annually on September 21 (or the closest Sunday), the UN International Day of Peace.
  

• It is one of the initiatives of the WCC's Decade to Overcome Violence (DOV).

The International Day of Prayer for Peace and On Earth Peace

• On Earth Peace and the Brethren Witness/Washington Office organized 102 participating congregations in 2007.
  

• In 2008, over 160 congregations and organizations from all over the United States, Puerto Rico, and four other countries took part in the second On Earth Peace campaign.
  

• This year marks the third On Earth Peace campaign for the International Day of Prayer for Peace.