"The Olympic Movement and the United Nations share fundamental ideas: tolerance and understanding; equal opportunities and fair play; and, most of all, peace. In a world growing ever closer and more interconnected, and yet still driven by brutal conflict, dire poverty and cruel injustice, it is more important than ever that we all join forces to give life to those ideals.

One way we can do that is to observe the Olympic Truce - the call for warring parties to lay down their arms while athletes from the community of nations meet under the noble flame of the Olympic torch. While limited in duration and scope, the Olympic Truce can offer a neutral point of consensus, a window of time to open a dialogue, a pause to provide relief to a suffering population. Over the years, a great deal of support has been voiced worldwide for the concept of the Truce. The challenge before us is to ensure that it has as many practitioners as it has supporters on paper.s

The United Nations General Assembly has called for observance of the Olympic Truce during the XIXth Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City. Today, I join the Assembly in urging that athletes participating in the Games be afforded safe passage, and that all engaged in hostilities respect the Truce. For these next few weeks, may the serenity of the Olympic flame silence the sound of gunfire."

Kofi Annan
UN Secretary-General

"May the Olympic Truce, inspired by the ancient Greek tradition of Ekecheiria, serve to promote dialogue, reconciliation and the search for durable solutions to all conflicts destroying peace around the world."

Juan Antonio Samaranch
President of the International Olympic Committee

"It is our desire and intent to support the effort of reviving the ancient tradition of the Olympic Truce; we shall be able to contribute to the advancement of the goals of the Olympic Charter, as well as of those outlined in the United Nations resolutions."

Costas Simitis
Prime Minister of Greece

"Achieving a Truce during the Olympic Games would constitute a small revolution in international affairs. It would educate future generations on the importance of tolerance and negotiation as a means of conflict resolution. The host city of the Games, or even better the site of ancient Olympia, could become the meeting point for opposing parties during this period. Institutions and civil society groups the world over could participate in this campaign for peace."

George Papandreou
Greek Minister for Foreign Affairs

"The Olympic ideals closely resemble those of the United Nations in seeking peace and understanding among nations and people... I call upon all nations to observe the Olympic Truce. I am convinced that in this observance, and by working with the International Olympic Committee to promote the Olympic Ideal, we will draw the world's attention to what humanity can achieve in the name of international understanding."

Kofi Annan
UN Secretary-General

"Sport can serve diplomacy and diplomacy can serve sport. Yet, in the last analysis, everything depends on what men do - for better or for worse."

Fekrou Kidane
Director of the Department of International Cooperation, International Olympic Committee

COMMON DECLARATION OF POPE JOHN PAUL II AND HIS BEATITUDE CHRISTODOULOS, ARCHBISHOP OF ATHENS AND ALL GREECE, BEFORE THE BEMA OF ST. PAUL, THE APOSTLE TO THE NATIONS
Athens, at the Areopagus, 4 May 2001

We, Pope John Paul II, Bishop of Rome, and Christodoulos, Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, standing before the bema of the Areopagus, from which Saint Paul, the Great Apostle to the Nations, "called to be an Apostle, set apart for the Gospel of God" (Rom 1:1), preached to the Athenians the One True God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and called them unto faith and repentance, do hereby declare:
...

4. We are anguished to see that wars, massacres, torture and martyrdom constitute a terrible daily reality for millions of our brothers. We commit ourselves to struggle for the prevailing of peace throughout the whole world, for the respect of life and human dignity, and for solidarity towards all who are in need. We are pleased to add our voice to the many voices around the world which have expressed the hope that, on the occasion of the Olympic Games to be held in Greece in 2004, the ancient Greek tradition of the Olympic Truce will be revived, according to which all wars had to stop, and terrorism and violence had to cease.
...

DECLARATION COMMUNE DU PAPE JEAN-PAUL II ET DE SA BEATITUDE CHRISTODOULOS DEVANT LA BEMA DE SAINT PAUL, L'APOTRE DES NATIONS
Athenes, a l'Areopage, le 4 mai 2001

Nous, le Pape Jean-Paul II, Eveque de Rome, et Christodoulos, Archeveque d'Athenes et de toute la Grece, devant la bema de l'Areopage, d'ou saint Paul, le grand Apotre des Nations, "appele a etre apotre, mis a part pour annoncer l'Evangile de Dieu"(Rm 1,1), precha aux Atheniens l'Unique Vrai Dieu, P&egravere, Fils et Esprit Saint, et invita ses auditeurs a la foi et au pardon, par la presente, nous declarons:
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4. Nous sommes consternes de constater que les guerres, les massacres, la torture et le martyre constituent une terrible realite quotidienne pour des millions de nos freres. Nous nous engageons nous-memes a lutter pour le progres de la paix dans le monde, pour le respect de la vie et de la dignite humaines, et pour la solidarite avec tous ceux qui sont dans le besoin. Nous sommes heureux d'associer nos voix a la voix de beaucoup a travers le monde qui ont manifeste l'espoir que, a l'occasion des Jeux olympiques qui auront lieu en Grece en 2004, revivra l'antique tradition grecque de la treve olympique, de sorte que cessent toutes les guerres et que s'arretent le terrorisme et la violence.
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United Nations Millenium Declaration that included a paragraph on the observance of the Olympic Truce
....
10. We urge Member States to observe the Olympic Truce, individually and collectively, now and in the future, and to support the International Olympic Committee in its efforts to promote peace and human understanding through sport and the Olympic Ideal.
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United Nations Millennium Declaration
New York, 6-8 September, 2001

"I sincerely hope that all the countries and regions in conflict can observe the Olympic Truce and will seek at all times to resolve international disputes through dialogue, consultation and other peaceful means, and work together for an endurable world peace."

Jiang Zemin
President of the People's Republic of China

"I would like to convey my profound respect to you and all those concerned who have been contributing so actively to world peace by fostering friendship and goodwill among all nations through the Olympic Movement. May I remind you on this occasion that Japan has established very close and friendly relations with the IOC, and I can assure you of our full cooperation and support to further extend and enhance the Olympic Movement. I sincerely hope that, under your presidency, the forthcoming Olympic Games in Sydney will be most valuable and of a standard worthy to commemorate the beginning of a new millennium, and that they will provide a place for friendly encounters and fraternity among people gathering from all over the world."

Yoshiro Mori
Japanese Prime Minister

"Over the coming weeks, Australia will have the honour of hosting the first Olympic Games of the new century. I hope that this Summit and the Games, each in its own way, will help cement the cause of peace throughout the world."

John Howard
The Australian Prime Minister

"As Heads of State and Government and eminent personalities, we must add our voices to the call for the observance of the Olympic Truce during the forthcoming Olympiad, which will be held in Sydney, Australia, from 15 September to 1 October 2000. Our message for global solidarity, goodwill and human brotherhood must be clear and solemn. We are doing this in the spirit of building a peaceful and better world though sport. May peace prevail on earth!"

Sam Nujoma
The Head of State of Namibia