On 21st December 1976, on the occasion of the 20th Anniversary of the adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of the Child, the UN General Assembly proclaimed 1979 as the International Year of the Child (IYC). Bulgaria supported that decision and through the proposal of Mrs. Lyudmila Zhivkova, the then Minister of Culture, the preparation for the First International Children’s Assembly “Banner of Peace” got started.
Patron of the First Assembly was Amadou-Mahtar M’Bow, Director-General of UNESCO.
The Bells monument “The Bells” is situated 14 km eastwards from the center of Sofia at the foot of Vitosha Mountain.
Children from all over the planet built into this unique monument their faith in the good and bright days to come, days without war and violence.
On the opening day, 25th August 1979, builders put in the foundations of the Monument a capsule containing a children’s address to the future generations. It says: “Children of the future accept the eternal, fiery call of immortality – Unity, Creativity, Beauty.”
The Foundation “Lyudmila Zhivkova – Banner of Peace” is a non-government organization, registered in public benefit. It was established in 1999 in connection with the 20th anniversary of the creation of the International Movement “Banner of Peace”.
The Foundation is a continuer of the International Movement “Banner of Peace” and is the successor of Lyudmila Zhivkova’s ideas about “Unity, Creativity and Beauty” – a motto that contains high humane essence: care for children’s development and upbringing, discovering of child’s capabilities and encouraging of the creative growing of children.
