Two academics from the School for Policy Studies, Professor Marianne Hester OBE and Dr Emma Williamson, will be speaking at events to mark Peace Day on 21 September 2012. Peace Day is an annual event that seeks to reduce violence and conflict around the world and includes the 'Reducing Domestic Violence' Coalition.

This year Professor Hester, Chair in Gender, Violence & International Policy, will be speaking at an event in Brussels organised by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), while Senior Research Fellow, Dr Williamson, will be giving a talk at the Peace Day event being organised by Scottish Women's Aid in Edinburgh.

Peace Day has been celebrated each year since 2002, and provides a window of opportunity for aid organisations to carry out life-saving work as well as enabling individuals to become part of wide-scale community action.

This year the focus has been on the Global Truce 2012 campaign, which aims to reduce violence globally on Peace Day 2012. Qualitative and quantitative data will be gathered via individuals/grassroots organisations, online registrants via peaceoneday.org and social media. Peace One Day will work together with The Institute for Economics and Peace (IEto provide an independent assessment of the impact of the campaign.