Fighting for peace: A call for collective action
The poem featured in the video originates from a creative collaboration between Congolese peacekeeper and musician Pacifique Akilimali and Nigerian peace advocate and poet Maryam Bukar Hassan.
Having both experienced first-hand the impact of conflict on their lives, families and communities, they have crafted a personal yet universal poem, calling on everyone to take responsibility and act towards peace, no matter how small the gesture.
Participants in the video come from some of the 12 countries where peacekeeping operates, nations that contribute troops to our missions, and provide financial support.
The "Peace Begins With Me" poetry video campaign was designed to amplify the message of peace and personal responsibility by leveraging influential voices and engaging a diverse, global audience. The campaign aimed to build momentum in the lead-up to the International Day of Peace 2023 through a structured approach involving partnerships, social media engagement, and a coordinated release strategy.
The creation process began with a collaboration between Congolese peacekeeper and musician Pacifique Akilimali and Nigerian peace advocate and poet Maryam Bukar Hassan. Both poets, having experienced conflict firsthand, crafted a poem titled after the campaign, becoming the emotional core of the video. The poem conveyed a universal call for everyone, regardless of background, to take meaningful actions toward peace.
To broaden the campaign’s reach, high-profile influencers and celebrities from various regions, particularly from countries where UN Peacekeeping operates. Figures like actor and UN Messenger of Peace Michael Douglas, singer Nancy Ajram, and influencer Sheena Melwani were among the participants. This diverse group ensured that the message resonated with a wide range of demographics, particularly younger, digital-savvy audiences.
A key part of the campaign's strategy involved building anticipation through social media teasers, starting on 1 September 2023. Teaser clips of the poetry video were posted across platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and LinkedIn. Each teaser featured influencers and celebrities, helping to spread the campaign’s message and engage their followers. The Instagram collaboration feature was used strategically, allowing influencers to co-post the campaign content, effectively increasing its reach.
The poetry video was officially released on 14 September 2023, ahead of the International Day of Peace, across all the campaign’s platforms, including YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X. The participating influencers also shared the video on their own platforms, creating a coordinated launch that maximized the campaign’s visibility and reached a wide audience across different regions.
On 14 September, the video was launched across all platforms, ensuring a synchronized, wide-reaching release that drove engagement ahead of the International Day of Peace.
The creation of the "Peace Begins with Me" video required a meticulous editing process and close coordination among various stakeholders to effectively convey the message of peace and honor the sacrifice of UN peacekeepers. The editing played a critical role in blending personal stories of peacekeepers with the global call for peace, ensuring that the emotional tone was both powerful and respectful of the gravity of their work.
The final product successfully depicted the bravery and dedication of peacekeepers worldwide while promoting a global call for personal responsibility in peace efforts. Influencers and celebrities from diverse regions expanded the campaign’s reach, ensuring that the message of peace was heard by a wide range of audiences.
Ultimately, the "Peace Begins With Me" collaborative poetry video succeeded in raising awareness of UN Peacekeeping and inspiring individual action toward global peace, using modern digital strategies to engage new audiences while remaining true to its original call for peace.
The "Peace Begins With Me" poetry video achieved remarkable success and viewership, becoming our best-performing video across all platforms. With no media ad spent, the video and its teasers garnered impressive organic reach, amassing 2.2 million views on Instagram, 40,000 views on YouTube, and 50,000 views on X (formerly Twitter). This significant engagement helped draw attention to the broader "Peace Begins With Me" campaign.
The collaboration with influencers and celebrities played a pivotal role in the campaign’s success, allowing us to reach a global audience, including many who were previously unaware of the work of UN Peacekeeping. Notably, the majority of views and engagements came from non-followers, demonstrating the campaign’s ability to resonate with new and diverse audiences. Influencers like Michael Douglas, Nancy Ajram, and Sheena Melwani helped expand the campaign’s reach, bringing the message of peace to people who might not have otherwise encountered it.
The video's success highlights the power of partnerships in amplifying the important message of peace. Through this initiative, we hope to continue uniting diverse voices under the shared goal of promoting peace. The video reinforced the idea that peace requires collective effort, and the overwhelming response affirmed that our message resonated with a global audience. Ultimately, the "Peace Begins With Me" video’s reach and engagement exceeded expectations, marking a significant step in raising awareness about peacekeeping and the importance of individual action toward peace.
