Belfast City Hall hosted a special event today to mark International Day of Peace, bringing together representatives from diverse communities and local organisations delivering PEACEPLUS projects. The theme for this year's event was "End Racism, Build Peace."

A highlight of the event was a speech by guest speaker M V Narasimha Rao, also known as Bobby Rao, a former test cricketer who has lived in Northern Ireland for over 30 years. Rao shared his early struggles with integration and how he became involved in promoting peace and cultural understanding. The event also featured insights from Father Martin Magill and a performance by the Yallaa Dabke Dance group. Guests had the opportunity to engage with several PEACEPLUS projects taking shape across the city, including Streetbeat, a youth empowerment programme; the Corrymeela Community, which works with different faiths; People 1st, which provides language support; and GEMS NI, which supports the integration of minority ethnic communities.

In total, a £15.1 million (€17.4 million) investment from the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) is supporting 16 projects across Belfast. Councillor Ian McLaughlin, Deputy Chair of Belfast City Council's Shared City Partnership, said that the council secured the funding last year and is now beginning to engage over 17,000 residents in activities designed to "break down barriers, promote inclusion and boost integration." The event concluded with attendees writing their own "peace pledges" to be added to a special Belfast "peace tree."

For more information on the various PEACEPLUS Local Community Action Plan projects, visit belfastcity.gov.uk/PEACEPLUS