The "Peace Begins With Me" poetry video was created as part of UN Peacekeeping's ongoing campaign of the same name, recognizing the dedication and sacrifice of United Nations peacekeepers and their commitment to the communities they serve.
The campaign and video celebrate the millions of people, peacekeepers, and community members striving towards peace together, and showcase the impact of all those who fight against all odds to build a better future.
To highlight the universality of this message, the campaign featured a diverse group of individuals from different backgrounds and regions. The goal was to unite peacekeepers, community members, and influencers for the International Day of Peace through an interactive global call to action, encouraging people to share the message of peace.
The poem titled "Peace Begins with Me," is a creative collaboration between Congolese peacekeeper and musician Pacifique Akilimali and Nigerian peace advocate and poet Maryam Bukar Hassan. Both have experienced the effects of conflict firsthand, and their poem carries a personal yet universal message, urging everyone to take responsibility for peace, no matter how small the gesture.
The video featured participants from some of the 12 countries where peacekeeping operates, including nations that contribute troops and financial support to UN missions. Through this collaborative effort, the video helped bring the message of peace to a global audience, fostering unity and inspiring action.
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 campaign 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. The participants included: Malini Agarwal, Nancy Ajram, Pacifique Akilimali, Frieha Altaf, Michael Douglas, Tyler Knott Gregson, Maryam Bukar Hassan, Sheena Melwani, Maboto Motivated. This diverse group ensured that the message resonated with a wide range of demographics, particularly younger 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.
The campaign’s execution involved several phases:
Poet Collaborations: The poem served as the campaign’s centerpiece, blending personal experiences with a universal message. Collaborating with poets who had lived through conflict ensured the authenticity of the message.
Influencer Outreach: 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.
Teaser Campaign: Designed for each platform, teasers helped generate interest. The Instagram collaboration feature allowed influencers to co-post with the campaign, increasing audience engagement.
Simultaneous Release: 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 campaign faced challenges in coordinating a diverse group of influencers across multiple platforms. However, strong communication and the effective use of social media features helped overcome these hurdles.
Ultimately, the "Peace Begins With Me" campaign and the 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.
The campaign'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 campaign reinforced the idea that peace requires a collective effort, and the overwhelming response affirmed that our message resonated with a global audience.
Ultimately, the "Peace Begins With Me" campaign’s reach and engagement exceeded expectations, marking a significant step in raising awareness about peacekeeping and the importance of individual action toward peace. The campaign brought a total of 440K new followers to UN Peacekeeping digital channels which increased by 42% in 2023 reaching 1.5 million followers in early 2024.
