In honor of the International Day of Peace (September 21, 2008), established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1981 to be "devoted to commemorating and  strengthening the ideals of peace both within and among , all nations and peoples," the United Nations organized a global peace messaging campaign inviting citizens from every country to urge world leaders to work harder for peace. With international conflicts and crises around the world in mind, the UN wished to provide ordinary people with the opportunity to have their voices heard by those who influence policy. In total, 150,000 text and online messages in many different languages were sent from 140 countries.