PRESS RELEASE
February 20, 2009

Even though we are still eight months away from the beginning, the World March for Peace and Nonviolence appeal is gathering consent throughout the planet. An enormous variety of people are gathering around it to ask for a great change in direction and mentality: the end of wars, the rejection of violence.

The first public demonstration of the March was the European mobilization against the US missile defense system (NMD). Events took place in more than 100 cities, in support of the delegation of Czech Mayors, Europe for Peace and the non-violent Czech movement protesting against the installation of the US radar base in the Czech Republic. There was a public hearing at the European Parliament and a group of MEPs committed to bringing the issue at the centre of the debate.

Besides the thousands of common persons, forming march committees and carrying out projects everywhere, the following personalities have endorsed the March:

The first President, Michelle Bachelet, Chile
The first President of a European country, Stjepan Mesic, Croatia.
The first religious leader, Dalai Lama, Tibet; but many other spiritual leaders of different religions such as Desmond Tutu, Alex Zanotelli, Ashin Sopaka.
The first internationally famous philosopher Noam Chomsky, USA
The first director: Alejandro Jorodowsky, Chile
The first astronaut: Umberto Guidoni, Italy
The first singer: Juanes, Colombia
The first orchestra director: Zubin Mehta, India
The first writer: Eduardo Galeano, Uruguay
The first MEP: Luisa Morgantini, Italy
The first economist: Susan George, France
The first leader of an international movement: Silo, Argentina
The first soccer team manager: Gianluca Pessotto, Italy
The first cartoon: Eva Kant, Clerville
The first Nobel Laureate: Jose Saramago, Portugal
The first soccer team: FC Internazionale, Italy
The first ballet dancer: Carolyn Carson, USA

The World March for Peace and Nonviolence will begin in New Zeland on October, 2, 2009, the anniversary of Gandhi's birth, and conclude in Punta de Vacas, in the Andes Mountains, on January, 2, 2010. During these 90 days, the march will cross 90 countries, over 100 cities, 6 continents, covering a distance of over 160'000 km.

The goal of the march is send a clear signal against arm's race, conventional and nuclear, so that governments will abandon war as a solution of conflicts and to create global awareness about the need to condemn all forms of violence.

www.theworldmarch.org