Some 1,000 people are expected to take part today in a peace walk to the Irish first World War memorial near the Belgian town of Messines.
The Lord Mayors of Dublin and Belfast, Mr Dermot Lacey and Mr Alex Maskey, will be among about 100 participants from Ireland.
The walk will raise money for an International School for Peace Studies established close to the Island of Ireland Peace Park, which was inaugurated by the President, Mrs McAleese four years ago.
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Belgium's King Albert II attended the inauguration of the memorial, which was initiated by a group of people from both parts of Ireland and both sides of the political divide in the North.
The Flanders government has agreed to fund a 72-bed accommodation facility in Messines for visitors to the memorial and peace school. The purpose of the school is to promote reconciliation in Ireland.
The Fianna Fáil MEP, Mr Niall Andrews, who will take part in the walk, yesterday welcomed the commitment of the Flanders government to developing Messines as a centre of remembrance.
