Sedona is one of 130 to hold the distinction of being a City of Peace as recognized by the International City of Peace organization.
And now, the city has officially recognized it as well.
On April 26, the Sedona City Council unanimously approved a resolution proclaiming the city of Sedona to be an International City of Peace and to declare Sept. 21 International Peace Day in Sedona. By having this as a resolution, members from the Sedona International City of Peace won’t have to appear before council every year to extend the proclamation.
“This is something we’ve been working on for some time and to now have the city engaged with this resolution is really great,” Margaret Joy Weaver, one of eight volunteer professionals who lead the SICOP efforts, told council.
In 2012, Sedona received a proclamation making Sedona the 35th International City of Peace at that time. Since then, nearly 100 others have been added worldwide. Other U.S. cities include Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Eugene, Ore.
“This designation will help elevate Sedona as a City of Peace in both statewide and global discussions on important issues,” Weaver said. “One of our initiatives is to see Arizona have 25 Cities of Peace over the next couple of years and be the first State of Peace.”
The group’s mission and vision states, “The Sedona International City of Peace elevates awareness, deepens connections, and engages our community in establishing and advancing a culture of peace. We envision Sedona as a place where people respect and listen to each other, celebrate a diversity of backgrounds, opinions and expressions, and come together to take action for the greater good of our community and beyond.”
According to information from the SICOP, they discovered several avenues for creating peace with opportunities and strategies to nurture each of them. They found that for Sedona, there are three key elements to creating a culture of peace: Elevating consciousness, expanding connections with others and engaging the community.
Within three months of forming, SICOP took part in an array of events, which included hosting Sedona’s inaugural International Day of Peace. Since they have partnered with the Sedona International Film festival to bring awareness through film on topics such as hunger, mental health, racism, bullying and sex trafficking. They were also instrumental in creating the Sedona Human Rights Ordinance, which was approved by council last year.
“I see nothing in any of the material that is ideological, I see nothing that is confrontational or that is provocative in any way,” Councilwoman Jessica Williamson said. “Their behavior in terms of actions over the last couple of years has been nothing but positive and respectful of the city. It tickles my fancy to think of Arizona as a State of Peace.”
