The International Association of Peace Messenger Cities (IAMPC) is a United Nations organization of cities around the world that have volunteered to promote peace and understanding between nations.
The movement began in the International Year of Peace, 1986. During the period 1987–1991, 74 cities were chosen from among thousands and appointed as messengers of peace by the UN Secretary-General Javier Perez DeCuellar. Representatives of 63 cities met on 7 and 8 September 1988 in Verdun, France, to participate "in the building of a world less violent and more humane, a world of tolerance and of mutual respect to enable the requirements of peace based on justice and human rights to be better understood."
The IAMPC was established in 1988 and now administers the programme according to the statute of the association and criteria for membership. The association was established to recognize and encourage the role and responsibility cities have in creating a culture of peace. It was formalized at a General Assembly meeting in New Haven, Connecticut, USA, in 1990. Their first statute was adopted in Marrakesh, Morocco, in 1991. The organization was born out of a United Nations General Assembly designation as peace messengers based on the idea that municipal authorities have profound responsibility to assume an active, creative role in establishing a culture of peace within their borders. Member cities of the association meet twice a year with the aim of exchanging programmes, ideas and experience in cities around the globe. The IAPMC has been extensively involved in numerous peace campaigns, banning of anti-personnel landmines campaign, nuclear non-proliferation, human rights, and has attracted substantial public awareness in peacemaking efforts of the United Nations Organization, Economic and Social Council, Department of Public Information and other bodies. The participation at the international conferences throughout the years of IAPMC activities has been notable at prominent events such as World Social Forum, First World Conference on City Diplomacy (The Hague, 2008) etc. It has been one of the sponsors and co-organizers of Haifa International Conference for a WMD-Free Middle East in 2013. The organization is also a member of Abolition 2000 and cooperates well with similar organizations, such as Mayors for Peace.
Representatives President: Victor Hadjiavraam, Mayor of Morphou (Cyprus)
Vice Presidents: Andrzej Pietrasik, Mayor of Plonsk (Poland), Vincent N'cho, Vice-Governor of Abidjan District (Ivory Coast)
Secretary-General: Andrej Čas, Mayor of Slovenj Gradec (Slovenia)
Deputy Secretary-General: Dušan Stojanovič, Slovenj Gradec (Slovenia)
UN Representative: Sylvester E. Rowe (New York)
Honorary members Alfred L. Marder, Honorary President, New Haven (US)
Andre Hediger, Geneva (Switzerland)
Brian Fitch, Brighton & Hove (UK)
Sylvester E. Rowe, New York (US)
Executive board The following member cities are members of the executive board of IAPMC: Abidjan (Ivory Coast) Kragujevac (Serbia) Kumanovo (FYR Macedonia) Morphou (Cyprus) Orestiada (Greece) Płońsk (Poland) Sarajevo (Bosnia & Herzegovina) Slovenj Gradec (Slovenia) Volgograd (Russia) Zurrieq (Malta)
General assemblies 1988 – Verdun, France 1989 – Warsaw, Poland 1990 – New Haven, United States 1991 – Yokohama, Japan 1992 – Marrakesh, Morocco 1993 – Geneva, Switzerland 1994 – Arnhem, The Netherlands 1995 – Lisbon, Portugal 1996 – Bologna, Italy 1997 – Abidjan, Ivory Coast 1998 – Pori, Finland 1999 – Kruševac, Serbia 2000 – Oswiecim, Poland 2001 – Yokohama, Japan 2004 – New Haven, United States 2005 – Slovenj Gradec, Slovenia 2006 – Vancouver, Canada 2007 – Kruševac, Serbia 2008 – Sochi, Russia 2009 – Sarajevo, Bosnia And Herzegovina 2010 – Limassol (Morphou), Cyprus 2011 – Kragujevac, Serbia 2012 – Slovenj Gradec, Slovenia 2013 – Missolonghi, Greece 2014 – Kalavryta, Greece 2015 – Kumanovo, North Macedonia 2016 – Wielun, Poland 2017 – Orestiada, Greece
Member cities New member cities can apply for membership, providing they fulfill and comply with the membership criteria, either by contacting the officials (president or secretary-general) or any of the member cities which can propose the new member city at the General Assembly.
As of 2023, the 115 member cities are:
Joined in 1987
Abidjan Arnhem Assisi Atlanta Bangui Beijing Brighton and Hove Buenos Aires Chicago Como Concord Dakar Delphi Dhaka Florence Geneva Hammam-Lif Helsinki Hiroshima L'Hospitalet de Llobregat Kyiv Copenhagen Kragujevac Lima Lomé Madrid Maputo Marrakesh Marzabotto Melbourne Minsk Moscow Nagasaki New Delhi New Haven La Paz La Plaine-sur-Mer Pori Prague Ravenna Rijswijk Rome San Francisco San José Saint Petersburg Sheffield Sochi Split Stockholm Tbilisi Toronto Vancouver Verdun Vienna Villa El Salvador Volgograd Warsaw Wollongong Yokohama
Joined in 1988 Košice Liège Lisbon Wrocław
Joined in 1989 Antwerp Bogotá Tashkent Slovenj Gradec
Joined in 1990 Berlin Kruševac
Joined in 1991 Bandung Coventry Quito Tokyo Vladivostok
Joined in 1997 Cambridge, Massachusetts
Joined in 1998 Oświęcim Płońsk Lublin
Joined in 1999 Morphou Libreville
Joined in 2000 Suwon
Joined in 2001 Havana
Joined in 2004 Milton Keynes
Joined in 2005 Sarajevo Milan
Joined in 2006 Freetown Jeju
Joined in 2007 Puebla
Joined in 2008 Paju Kotor Kyrenia Wieluń
Joined in 2009 Barcelona Caracas Friedrichshafen Kumanovo Mexico City Yamoussoukro Ypati Zagreb
Joined in 2010 Kandanos
Joined in 2011 Messolonghi Poltava Torun
Joined in 2012 Berane
Joined in 2014 Kalavryta Ljubljana Orestiada Sparta Żurrieq
Joined in 2015 Strumica
Joined in 2017 Rostock
Joined in 2018 Lefkoniko
Joined in 2019 Prilep Sremski Karlovci
Trivia
There is an annual Amateur Radio Contest focusing on the peace messenger cities. https://www.s59dcd.si/index.php/sl/ww-pmc/ww-pmc-contest-rules
References
External links International Association of Peace Messenger Cities