- Millions of scouts from around the world Wednesday marked the 100th anniversary of the scouting movement founded by British Army general Robert Baden-Powell.

The focus of the celebrations Wednesday moved to Brownsea Island, in Dorset in south-west Britain, where Baden-Powell set up his first camp for 20 boys on August 1, 1907.

Some 300 scouts from 160 countries set up camp on the site, as a further 40,000 scouts and leaders from across the world continued a 12-day jamboree near Chelmsford, in the south-eastern county of Essex.

At Brownsea Island, chief scout Peter Duncan signalled the start of ceremonies by blowing the original kudu horn that Baden-Powell used to start his camp.

The highlight of Baden-Powell's military career was the defence of the besieged South African town of Mafeking during the Second Boer War between 1899 and 1902.

Scouts from more than 160 countries, including Britain, Lebanon, Nepal, Rwanda, Serbia, Libya and Argentina, paraded their flags before taking part in a the sunrise ceremony on Brownsea Wednesday.

They led the way for scouts around the globe in re-affirming their multi-lingual promise to build a tolerant and peaceful society.

'Our aim is to bring up the next generation of useful citizens with a wider outlook than before and thereby to develop goodwill and peace in the world with comradeship and co-operation,' it says.

In his foundation speech, Baden-Powell had called for 'peace, comradeship and cooperation instead of rivalry between classes, creeds and countries which have done so much in the past to produce wars and unrest.'

Events to mark the anniversary were held as far afield as Namibia, in southern Africa, and Ecuador in Latin America, while in the Romanian capital, Bucharest, scouts formed a human chain around the parliament building.

There are believed to be 28 million scouts worldwide.

Unlike their founding fathers, modern scouts no longer sit around camp fires, forbidden by wildlife protection rules.

Instead, they focus on the Baden-Powell motto of making friends across the social divide and 'making the world a better place while having fun and adventure at the same time,' said scout leader Jon Grimes.

'If young people around the world can repeat what has happened here today - then we really can help to build a more friendly world,' said 17-year-old Mariama Irele, from Senegal, at the Brownsea ceremony.

'Two days ago I arrived here on a boat with 300 strangers - now they are all my friends,' added Irele.

Ana Mejia, 14, from Honduras, added: 'It doesn't matter what our nationality, our religion, our colour, we are a family and we have to support each other.'

'If Baden-Powell knew just how successful the movement he founded all those years ago has become, he would be delighted,' said 17-year-old Alastair Frankl from Manchester.

Only scouting could bring together so many young people from different backgrounds, said Frankl, adding: 'I'm already looking forward to our next 100 years.'