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World Habitat Day

7 Oct 2013

For more than half a century, most countries have experienced rapid urban growth and increased use of motor vehicles. This has led to urban sprawl and even higher demand for motorized travel, with a range of environmental, social and economic consequences. Urban transport is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions and a cause of ill-health due to air and noise pollution. The traffic congestion created by unsustainable transportation systems is responsible for significant economic and productivity costs for commuters and goods transporters. These challenges are most…

International Day of Non-Violence

2 Oct 2013

Today we celebrate the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi and his resonant legacy of non-violence. Gandhi showed the power of peacefully opposing oppression, injustice and hatred. His example has inspired many other history-makers such as Martin Luther King Jr., Václav Havel, Rigoberta Menchú Tum and Nelson Mandela. Their message to each of us is to champion human dignity, reject intolerance and work for a world where people of all cultures and beliefs live together on the basis of respect and equality. Non-violence is neither inert nor passive. It takes courage to stand up to …

International Day of Older Persons

1 Oct 2013

The global community has reached a critical moment in our collective efforts to address poverty and usher in a better future. The 2015 deadline for achieving the Millennium Development Goals is fast approaching while discussions on shaping a vision for development beyond that date are intensifying. In this effort, we must address shifting demographics, especially the needs and concerns of the world's increasing number of older persons. By 2050, the number of older persons will be twice the number of children in developed countries, and the number of older persons in developing countries is exp…

International Day of Peace

17 Sep 2013

The International Day of Peace is a time for reflection - a day when we reiterate our belief in non-violence and call for a global ceasefire. We ask people everywhere to observe a minute of silence, at noon local time, to honour those killed in conflict and the survivors who live with daily trauma and pain. This year we are highlighting Education for Peace. Education is vital for fostering global citizenship and building peaceful societies. In June, Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani schoolgirl targeted for assassination by the Taliban for campaigning for the right to educatio…

International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer

16 Sep 2013

Extraordinary challenges require extraordinary responses. A generation ago, the world's nations agreed to act definitively to protect the ozone layer, initiating an inter-governmental process that blazed new trails. As we implement the outcomes of the 2012 Rio+20 Conference on Sustainable Development, the remarkable success story of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer provides a beacon of hope. It provides protection for the ozone layer, significantly contributes to climate mitigation and reminds us that, faced with existential threats, the nations of t…

International Day of Democracy

13 Sep 2013

This year's International Day of Democracy falls amid volatile political transitions in several countries, prolonged economic crisis, and dramatic demographic and social change. These events all underscore the need to strengthen people's voices in how they are governed - an imperative that lies at the heart of democracy. Despite advances in civic engagement, apathy has become democracy's most insidious enemy in a growing number of societies. Inclusive participation is the antidote. It is not only an end in itself, it prepares communities, societies and entire countries to add…

United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation

12 Sep 2013

Delivered by Ms. Rebecca Grynspan, Associate Administrator of the UN Development Programme. This year's observance of the United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation comes amid intensifying international efforts to accelerate progress on the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals by the end of 2015, the internationally agreed deadline. Concurrently, the South has assumed a greater role in the global development landscape. In many developing countries incomes are up, poverty is declining and hope is rising. The goal of reducing extreme poverty by half has been achieved. …

World Humanitarian Day

19 Aug 2013

Every year on August 19th, we mark World Humanitarian Day in honour of aid workers who have lost their lives in the line of duty. We commemorate their sacrifice and reaffirm our commitment to the life-saving work that humanitarians carry out around the world, every day, often in difficult and dangerous circumstances where others cannot or do not want to go. This year's commemoration marks the 10th anniversary of the attack on UN headquarters in Baghdad that killed Special Representative Sergio Vieira de Mello and 21 other United Nations colleagues and partners. That tragedy was among the…

International Youth Day

12 Aug 2013

"Youth Migration: Moving Development Forward" This year's observance of International Youth Day focuses on the issue of youth migration. Of the annual total of some 214 million international migrants, young people constitute more than 10 per cent, yet too little is known about their struggles and experiences. The reasons young people migrate are many. Some are fleeing persecution, others are escaping economic hardship. Some are alone, others part of a family - with parents, siblings and even children of their own. Some have communities to go to, others must make new co…

International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples

9 Aug 2013

On this International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, we highlight the importance of honouring treaties, agreements and other constructive arrangements between States, their citizens and indigenous peoples. Such consensual arrangements enable better understanding of their views and values and are essential for protecting and promoting rights and establishing the political vision and necessary frameworks for different cultures to coexist in harmony. Indigenous peoples represent remarkable diversity - more than 5,000 distinct groups in some 90 countries. They make up more than 5 per cent …

Nelson Mandela International Day

18 Jul 2013

This year's commemoration of Nelson Mandela International Day comes at a moment of deep reflection on the life and work of Madiba, as the universally revered leader remains in the hospital. As we extend our best wishes to President Mandela on his 95th birthday, let us also give tangible meaning to our feelings of concern by taking action on behalf of others. Nelson Mandela gave 67 years of his life to the struggle for human rights and social justice. In marking this Day, the United Nations is joining the Mandela Foundation in asking people around the world to devote at least 67 minutes of th…

World Population Day

11 Jul 2013

As a staunch advocate of the education, health and rights of girls and an enduring believer in the power of young women to transform our world, I welcome the focus of this year's World Population Day on adolescent pregnancy. This sensitive topic demands global attention. Far too many of the estimated 16 million teenage girls who give birth each year never had the opportunity to plan their pregnancy. Complications from pregnancy and childbirth can cause grave disabilities, such as obstetric fistula, and are the leading cause of death for these vulnerable young women. Adolescen…

Teenage Pregnancy - Early Warning Sign for Inequality

8 Jul 2013

In Latin America, almost 30% of women become mothers during adolescence. As a region, Latin America and Caribbean only follows Africa in terms of teenage fertility (and our region is well above the world average). Although the trend in recent years has been downward, between 1990 and 2010, the percentage of adolescents who are mothers increased in most countries with available data (12 out of 18 countries). Also, although motherhood was concentrated in the 18 to 19 year age group, the increase was relatively larger among teenagers aged 15 to 17. The number of early pregnancies is systematical…

International Day of Cooperatives

5 Jul 2013

We live in a time of global uncertainty. Multiple crises and natural disasters are testing even the most robust economies and communities. The International Day of Cooperatives is an annual opportunity to highlight how cooperatives can contribute to building resilience in all regions and all economic sectors. Over the course of the ongoing global financial and economic crises, financial cooperatives have proven their strength and resilience, benefitting members, employees and customers. They have maintained high credit ratings, increased assets and turnover, and expanded their membershi…

Climate Change and Trade - from Evidence to Action

2 Jul 2013

Our civilization has been built on the basis of fossil fuels. Before the oil crisis in the 1970s and the microelectronics and telecommunications revolution, the DNA of our productive paradigm was based on the theory of cheap and abundant oil. This explains the ongoing resistance to accepting scientific evidence of climate change and its repercussions for the plant and humankind. According to a recent article by journalist Martin Wolf in the Financial Times (Global inaction shows that the climate sceptics have already won), 1991 to 2011 saw the publication of 11,194 scientific articles on clima…

International Day in Support of Victims of Torture

26 Jun 2013

As we mark International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, I call on Member States to step up efforts to assist all those who have suffered from torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. This year is also the 25th anniversary of the Committee against Torture. This body -along with other UN human rights mechanisms such as the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture and the Special Rapporteur on Torture- is vital to strengthening a victim-oriented approach that also includes a gender perspective. This effort was further strengthened by the adoption this year …

World Refugee Day

20 Jun 2013

The number of forcibly displaced people in the world continues to rise. There are now more than 45 million refugees and internally displaced people - the highest level in nearly 20 years. Last year alone, someone was forced to abandon their home every four seconds. War remains the dominant cause, with the crisis in Syria a leading instance of major displacement. More than half of all refugees listed in a new report by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees come from just five war-affected countries: Afghanistan, Somalia, Iraq, Syria and Sudan. Major new displaceme…

World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought

17 Jun 2013

With the rallying call "Don't let our future dry up", this year's World Day to Combat Desertification is dedicated to highlighting the global risks of drought and water scarcity. The social, political and economic costs of drought are evident from Uzbekistan to Brazil, from the Sahel to Australia. In May, Namibia declared a national drought emergency, with 14 per cent of the population classified as food insecure. In 2012, the United States experienced its worst drought since the 1950s, affecting 80 per cent of agricultural land. In 2011 drought in the Horn of Africa - …

World Environment Day

5 Jun 2013

Watch video "Think.Eat.Save: Reduce Your Foodprint" We live in a world of plenty, where food production outstrips demand, yet 870 million people are undernourished and childhood stunting is a silent pandemic. To create the future we want, we must correct this inequity. We must ensure access to adequate nutrition for all, double the productivity of smallholder farmers who grow the bulk of food in the developing world, and make food systems sustainable in the face of environmental and economic shocks. This is the vision of my Zero Hunger Challenge, launched last year at the Rio…

International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers

29 May 2013

Watch video This year's International Day of Peacekeepers is an opportunity to raise awareness about new developments in the field while honouring those who lost their lives over the past year serving under the blue flag. United Nations peacekeeping is increasingly called on to deploy multi-dimensional operations to help countries transition from conflict to peace, with a significant focus on protecting civilians, including the most vulnerable among them: women and children. To meet emerging threats and rise to new challenges, United Nations peacekeeping is adapting its policies to bet…

258 search results. Displaying 20 per page.