YOKO ONO is staging two events in Iceland to promote world peace today (09OCT06), on what would have been her late husband JOHN LENNON's 66th birthday.
Campaigner Ono will award the Lennon Ono Grant For Peace at a private ceremony in Reykjavik, at which two grants of $50,000 (£28,000) will be given to the medical humanitarian charity Doctors Without Borders and the non-profit legal and educational group Center For Constitutional Rights Both organisations are being recognised for their global commitment to peace, truth and human rights.
Ono says, "These two groups look beyond today's conflicts and destruction and envision a positive future for our society, while working selflessly and tirelessly towards establishing a more peaceful environment for our planet.
"They are strong representatives of the many groups who are working in the same direction, today. They need and deserve all of our support and respect." Ono will also be present at the dedication of the site for her long-envisioned Imagine Peace Tower.
To be constructed in Reykjavik, the base of the tower will be filled with prayers and wishes from people of all nations and will serve as a beacon of light for all people who dream of world peace.
Ono's husband, former BEATLE Lennon, was shot dead in New York City in December 1980.