Pal Moen Speaks

"Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, I welcome you all to Aker Brygge to join this ceremony in this beautiful weather with all these beautiful children from all over the world. I wish you all good luck with the ceremony and to all of you a hearty welcome!"

Deputy Mayor Svenn Kristiansen Speaks

"I am thrilled to welcome the runners of the World Harmony Run into Oslo and I extend my heartiest congratulations and encouragement to these wonderful children who have participated today.  They might not know what an important step they have taken today for peace.  Indeed, in a world of seemingly unending conflict and constant focus on war, it is refreshing and heart-warming to see these children developing into world leaders who will focus on the importance of peace.  

Peace, like running, is accomplished step by step.  Here we have seen children from 40 nations running hand in hand and heart in heart, moving in the same direction, with one common purpose – peace.  We can learn quite a bit from children and I congratulate and thank these wonderful children for showing us that the most important thing for peace is taking that first step and taking it with cheerfulness, enthusiasm, confidence and love.

I also offer my deepest respect to the religious leaders here today who have demonstrated the true power of faith and its power to unite people in the spirit of oneness.  Indeed their Walk for World Harmony is a most significant and most important testimony to their true love of the Almighty.

And I thank the founder and inspiration of this Run, Sri Chinmoy, for creating such a simple, but powerful way for us to take a step for peace.  For over 40 years, Sri Chinmoy has been working to unite people from different religions, nationalities and backgrounds through a number of novel initiatives.  He is an author, a poet, an athlete, but most importantly a true man of peace.

Lastly, I wish to thank Aker Brygge for the installation of the Eternal Peace Flame, a most significant symbol of our shared aspirations for peace and I wish to thank all the distinguished guests here today for being part of these important activities.  Certainly your presence helps to show the world the true commitment of Oslo to world peace."

- Deputy Mayor Svenn Erik Kristiansen
14 June 2006

Vice President of Parliament Carl I. Hagen Speaks

"Dear Children,
I would like to thank you for supporting and taking part in the World Harmony Run.  It is important to try to convince and teach all children of all religions and all nations that we live on one planet, we all have one goal in common, and we should be able to live in peace and harmony with each other and with our neighbors, to try to prosper and alleviate our quarrels peacefully.

If all members of the children of the world would grow up with this basis,  with this basis as a fundament, it would become more difficult for those with a different view that want solve problems with force, violence and weapons.

I would like to thank the initiator and the children  in Oslo for making those of us here more aware our common goal which is peace and harmony."

Carl I. Hagen
Vice President of the Parliament

Executive Director of UNICEF Kjersti Flogstad Speaks

"In UNICEF we say "children first", so dear boys and girls, ladies and gentlemen, Vice President of Parliament, your excellencies,

It is  pleasure and a privelege to be here today and to participate in this very very important event.  And i think it is appropriate that children are focusing on peace and are trying to participate to create more harmony in this world because war and conflicts really are not very good for children. 

Around the world thousands and millions of children are actually suffering because grown-ups fight in wars. Armed conflicts have left children vulnerable to appalling forms of violence - things that we don't even like to think about.  And people are very cruel to each other when it comes to war.  The wide availability of small arms has enabled children to participate in wars as soldiers.  The breakdown of the social structure leaves girls vulnerable to unwanted pregnancy and threatens all children with separation from their families, orphaning children. And, there is an increased risk of infectious diseases and serious ongoing psychosocial consequences. 


Ninety percent of global conflict-related deaths since 1990  have been civilians.  So wars are not hurting just soldiers anymore.  Civilians are the victims and 80 percent of them are children and women.

There are many ways we can create a protective environment in all countries.  One thing we at UNICEF believe in strongly is children's own participation because children have the capacity to contribute to their own protection.  We need children's participation especially in situations of displacement so children can feel safe and talk to each other and  help each other to learn how to avoid land mines and other problems.  We must talk about it and children can be very very strong voices talk to grown-ups  and say that we don't want war.

I participated in the Special Session for Children in the UN in 2002 and the strongest messages  there came from children,  particularly children that had experienced  war themselves.  And the sad thing is that these children have faith in the grown-ups because they promise to do something and nothing happens.

So I think what you are doing here today is extremely important because you are showing and demonstrating to grown-ups and to influential people that you would like a peaceful world, that you would like to live and grow up in a world that is much more harmonious and much more peaceful than it is today.

So I think it is highly appropriate and a great pleasure to be here today.  I thank you from the bottom of my heart and I wish you all a good peaceful day and a good peaceful life.  Thank you for focusing on this very important issue."

Kjersti Fløgstad
Executive Director
UNICEF Norway

Images from the Welcoming Ceremony

A collection of images from the Welcoming Ceremony of the World Harmony Run in Oslo on 14 June 2006.

Up-and-coming Norwegian R&B Artist Siri Stranger
Siri Stranger, signed to Wyclef Jean's label in New York, captivated the audience with an original song. Siri's inspired performance concluded the program and deeply engrained the memories of the day in people's hearts and minds. Thank you Siri!

The Norwegian Girls Choir Sings the National Anthem of Norway

An incredible performance by the most devoted singers in Norway moved the audience to tears, literally.

The Heroes from the Oslo International School

Norwegian National Director Ole Johnny Johnsen is surrounded by the fleet-footed and big-hearted students of Oslo's beloved International School. The Children hail from more than 40 nations, but all love peace and pizza which they ate afterward to their hearts' content!

Children from the Oslo International School

Fresh from their Run from the Palace to the Pier led by Oslo's finest horse back mounted police, the children of the Oslo International School lend brightness and joy to the day's events!

Harmonemail:
You can send a message to the runners or read the messages.