On August 16, 1979 in Sofia the first international children's assembly Zname na mira was opened, along with that the Kambanite complex was opened in the area of the same name near Sofia. The forum continues until August 25.
The International Children's Assembly “Flag of Peace“ in Sofia is a festival of children's art under the auspices of the United Nations, organized by the idea of Ludmila Zhivkova, who is the chairman of the Committee for Culture.
On the occasion of the International Year of the Child declared by the United Nations for 1979, the Culture Committee initially thought of organizing an international exhibition of children's works. The idea was developed and Sofia hosted the first assembly with the participation of children from 79 countries, opened on August 16, 1979.
As a symbol of the assembly, a memorial was built in a new park complex, which was later called “The Bells”, with 68 bells from different countries to be rung only by children. The opening of the memorial was attended by Amadou-Makhtar M'Bow, the Director General of UNESCO. The complex is located at the foot of Vitosha, beyond the ring road, opposite the Mladost residential complex; and today's Sofia Business Park.
The whole project is united by the motto “Unity, creativity and beauty“.
The name and motto of the assembly are borrowed from the philosophical system of the Russian philosopher and artist Nikolai Roerich. The “Banner of Peace“ created a foundation and center of the same name (which publishes its own newspaper), a square in Sofia (Pavlovo quarter) is named after him, a sculpture is dedicated to him in Varna.
The initiative was planned as a one-time event, but due to the positive international response, it was decided to hold the meetings every 3 years. The 1988 Assembly set a record by welcoming participants from 135 countries. Until then, 4 assemblies have been held – festivals with meetings of children from all over the world. A total of 3,900 children from 138 countries and 14,000 children from Bulgaria participated in them.
The Assembly is a new form of diplomacy and cooperation in the name of peace. It is supported by the United Nations, its divisions UNESCO (for education, science, culture) and UNICEF (for children), as well as other international organizations. The UN awards the “Peace Flag” with the title “Messenger of Peace“ in 1987
In 1990, the 18 "Banner of Peace" structures created abroad were closed.
After a 10-year hiatus, Evgenia Zhivkova – the daughter of the initiator Lyudmila Zhivkova, restored the assembly in 1999, but on a significantly more modest scale, recalls "Wikipedia".