International Anti-Corruption Day
2022-12-09 00:00 - 23:59 (Australia/Sydney)
“On this International Day, I urge people everywhere to continue to work on innovative solutions to win the battle against corruption and to ensure that precious resources serve the peoples of the world.” UN Secretary-General, António Guterres

Corruption is a serious crime that can undermine social and economic development in all societies. No country, region or community is immune. To mark International Anti-Corruption Day, we will leverage the recognition of the multi-year United Against Corruption theme and will continue to support the 2030 Agenda, which forms the backbone of the campaign. In addition, the campaign will also have a youth component.

Human Rights Day
2022-12-10 00:00 - 23:59
“It is clear that social divisions are being replicated online. More worryingly, as essential services continue to shift online, digital inclusion becomes mandatory for basic participation in society. It should therefore be considered a human right. This is especially important in the context of e-government, where the welfare of the most vulnerable is at stake.” Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, Social Justice Sunday Statement 2020, p 8.

Human Rights Day is observed every year on the day the United Nations General Assembly adopted, in 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Declaration affirms that all human beings have inalienable rights as human beings regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. It is available in more than 500 languages, and is one of the most translated documents in the world.

Catholic Social Teaching sees human rights as demands made by our human dignity. Our human rights do not come from the Declaration, but rather from the fact that we are made in the image and likeness of God and each one of us is of inestimable value. The Declaration, together with related human rights conventions, upholds rights that arise from our human dignity.

1948: Adoption of United Nations Declaration of Human Rights
2022-12-10 00:00 - 23:59
Celebrate the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by reading a simplified version [PDF ] or the illustrated booklet of the Declaration, or watching the Declaration in sign languages.

International Mountain Day
2022-12-11 00:00 - 23:59
International Mountain Day has its roots in the document “Managing Fragile Ecosystems: Sustainable Mountain Development” (called Chapter 13), adopted in 1992 as part of the action plan Agenda 21 of the Conference on Environment and Development.

Mountains are home to 15% of the world´s population and a quarter of the world’s land animals and plants. They provide freshwater for everyday life to half of humanity. Unfortunately, mountains are under threat from climate change and overexploitation. As the global climate continues to warm, mountain people — some of the world’s poorest — face even greater struggles to survive. The rising temperatures also mean that mountain glaciers are melting at unprecedented rates, affecting freshwater supplies downstream for millions of people.

International Migrants Day
2022-12-18 00:00 - 23:59
“All migrants are entitled to equal protection of all their human rights. On this International Day, I urge leaders and people everywhere to bring the Global Compact to life, so that migration works for all.” – UN Secretary-General António Guterres

The observance of International Migrants Day this year focuses on the stories of social cohesion, which are as varied and unique as each of the 272 million migrants living new lives and building new communities in every corner of the globe. In December 2000, the General Assembly proclaimed 18th December International Migrants Day. On that day in 1990, the Assembly adopted the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families.

Today, more people than ever live in a country other than the one in which they were born. While many individuals migrate out of choice, many others migrate out of necessity. In 2019, the number of migrants globally reached an estimated 272 million, 51 million more than in 2010.

International Human Solidarity Day
2022-12-20 00:00 - 23:59
International Human Solidarity Day is a day to celebrate our unity in diversity, a day to remind governments to respect their commitments to international agreements, a day to raise public awareness of the importance of solidarity, a day to encourage debate on the ways to promote solidarity for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals including poverty eradication, and a day of action to encourage new initiatives for poverty eradication.

Solidarity is identified in the Millennium Declaration as one of the fundamental values of international relations in the 21st Century, wherein those, who either suffer or benefit least deserve help from those who benefit most. Consequently, in the context of globalization and the challenge of growing inequality, strengthening of international solidarity is indispensable.

1946 First UN General Assembly Opens
2023-01-13 00:00 - 23:59
Fifty one nations were represented at the opening of the first General Assembly of the United Nations in 1946. You can find out about the resolutions of this General Assembly here.

2021: International Treaty Prohibiting Nuclear Weapons enters into force.
2023-01-22 08:00 - 17:00
In his encyclical, Fratelli Tutti (On Fraternity and Social Friendship), Pope Francis questions nuclear deterrence as a way of promoting peace noting “the catastrophic humanitarian and environmental consequences that would follow from any use of nuclear weapons, with devastating, indiscriminate and uncontainable effects, over time and space” (n 262). He concludes that “the ultimate goal of the total elimination of nuclear weapons” is both “a challenge and a moral and humanitarian imperative” (n 262).

The International Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is an important response to this moral imperative. ICAN (the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons) have produced a booklet explaining the Treaty. You can read the full text of the treaty here.

The Holy See is a strong backer of the Treaty and was amongst the first to sign and ratify the Treaty. Here in Australia, Bishop Terry Brady, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference Delegate for Social Justice, has called on the Australian Government to sign the Treaty and work towards its ratification. Bishop Brady says that the use of nuclear weapons is immoral as they are inherently indiscriminate and their impact is uncontainable in time and space. Furthermore, their continued existence “poses an unacceptable risk of deliberate or accidental use, and it diverts resources from the things that positively foster peace”.

Action

You can join ICAN’s action to ask the Australian Government to sign the Treaty, to encourage our cities and towns to support the Treaty, and to ask superannuation funds to cut ties with companies that produce nuclear weapons.

Pray for an end to nuclear weapons. Printed copies of the prayer card can be purchased here.

World Leprosy Day
2023-01-29 00:00 - 23:59

World Interfaith Harmony Week
2023-02-01 08:00 - 2023-02-07 17:00

World Wetlands Day
2023-02-02 00:00 - 23:59
In 2021 World Wetlands Day marks the 50th anniversary of the Ramsar Convention. Get more information about World Wetlands Day and a range of resources on how the Convention protects wetlands here.

The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, is called the Ramsar Convention, after the Iranian city where the Convention was adopted in 1971. It is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. It came into force in 1975. Find out more about the Ramsar Convention here.

Coral reefs are among the wetland types covered by the Convention. In 2004, the Catholic Bishops of Queensland issued a pastoral letter ‘Let the Many Coastlands Be Glad!’ on the need to care for the Great Barrier Reef.

In safeguarding the integrity of the waters of the Pacific and the Great Barrier Reef, we are in a profound sense, honouring and sharing in the life of the risen Christ. As St Paul taught us, ‘So he who came down is the same one who went up, above and beyond the heavens, to fill the whole universe with his presence’ (Ephesians 4.10). This is the very same ‘presence’ that today fills the universe and lovingly graces, impregnates, stimulates and sustains the sparkling bluegreen waters and gloriously coloured coral necklace of Queensland’s eastern coastline we call, ‘the Reef’. It should be understood, that to do wilful harm to the integrity of the Great Barrier Reef is to diminish the image of Christ which is radiated to us through our world. Queensland Catholic Bishops, Let the Many Coastlands be Glad, 2004.

International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation
2023-02-06 00:00 - 23:59
Female genital mutilation comprises all procedures that involve altering or injuring the female genitalia for non-medical reasons and is recognized internationally as a violation of the human rights of girls and women.

It is an attack on the human dignity and physical integrity of women and girls. It undermines their well-being, and can threaten life itself.

Learn more about female genital mutilation here.

International Day of Women and Girls in Science
2023-02-11 00:00 - 23:59
In 2015 the General Assembly of the United Nations decided to establish an annual International Day to recognize the critical role women and girls play in science and technology. You can read about the decision in Resolution A/RES/70/212.

UNESCO and UN-Women are the two UN agencies responsible for the implementation of the Day’s celebration.

World Day of Social Justice
2023-02-20 00:00 - 23:59
On 26 November 2007, the General Assembly of the United Nations declared that, starting from 2008, 20 February will be celebrated annually as the World Day of Social Justice. It invited Member States to:

devote this special day to the promotion, at the national level, of concrete activities in accordance with the objectives and goals of the World Summit for Social Development and the twenty-fourth special session of the General Assembly. Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 26 November 2007

Learn more here.

International Mother Language Day
2023-02-21 00:00 - 23:59
As the United Nations’ website explains:

Languages, with their complex implications for identity, communication, social integration, education and development, are of strategic importance for people and planet. Yet, due to globalization processes, they are increasingly under threat, or disappearing altogether. When languages fade, so does the world’s rich tapestry of cultural diversity. Opportunities, traditions, memory, unique modes of thinking and expression — valuable resources for ensuring a better future — are also lost. https://www.un.org/en/events/motherlanguageday/

This is a great day to learn more about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages. The website of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies provides extensive information here.

Zero Discrimination Day
2023-03-01 00:00 - 23:59
Zero Discrimination Day is an opportunity to promote everyone’s right to live a dignified life free from discrimination regardless of their age, gender, sexuality, nationality, ethnicity, skin color, height, weight, profession, education, and beliefs.

While many countries have laws against discrimination, it is remains a problem in reality around the world. Some countries even use discrimination as a way of governing.

1999: International Treaty to Ban Landmines enters into force.
2023-03-01 00:00 - 23:59
Find our more about the Treaty here.

The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) provides advocacy tools for campaigners, including multimedia resources, ICBL statements, partner resources, and the Landmine Monitor, to keep you up to date on the landmine issue.

World Wildlife Day
2023-03-03 00:00 - 23:59
Find out more on the official United Nations website for the day here.

1970: International Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons
2023-03-05 00:00 - 23:59

International Women's Day
2023-03-08 00:00 - 23:59
Pope Francis is making small but significant steps towards greater inclusion of women in decision making and leadership roles in the Church. He has amended Canon Law so that women may be officially recognized as exercising the ministries of Lector and Acolyte. And he has appointed a woman as Under-Secretary to the Synod of Bishops – with the right to vote. This is a good day to pay attention to women’s contributions in our local Church too. Here is a list women theologians in Australia and New Zealand 160+ Australian and New Zealander Women in Theology You Should Know About

In 2020 we marked the twentieth anniversary of the Australian Bishops’ response to research on the participation of women in the Catholic Church in Australia. The research results were published as Woman and Man: One in Christ Jesus (Harper Collins, 1999) and the Bishops’ Social Justice Sunday Statement for 2000 was titled Woman and Man: the Bishops Respond. In 2019 the Office for Social Justice published a collection of essays marking these anniversaries. Titled Still Listening to the Spirit: Woman and Man Twenty Years Later, the book was a collaboration with the Office for the Participation of Women.

In their foreword to the collection, Archbishop Christopher Prowse and Bishop Vincent Long Van Nguyen acknowledge:

… twenty years down the track, women are still listening to the Spirit and seeking to engage the whole Church in a conversation about a more fulsome development of the participation of women in the Church, for the sake of us all, and for the sake of the Reign of God. There is unfinished business from the action commitments made by the bishops in 2000. There is also an opportunity to contribute to the communal discernment process of the Plenary Council 2020. This collection of essays enrages creatively with both of these elements of the present moment. Archbishop Christopher Prowse and Bishop Vincent Long, Foreword, Still Listening to the Spirit

Buy Still Listening to the Spirit: Woman and Man Twenty Years Later here. Download the discussion guide for the book here.

2003: Invasion of Iraq by USA and Allies
2023-03-19 00:00 - 23:59

International Day of Happiness
2023-03-20 00:00 - 23:59

International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
2023-03-21 00:00 - 23:59

International Day of Forests
2023-03-21 00:00 - 23:59

World Down Syndrome Day
2023-03-21 00:00 - 23:59

World Poetry Day
2023-03-21 00:00 - 23:59

Week of Solidarity with the Peoples Struggling against Racism and Racial Discrimination
2023-03-21 08:00 - 2023-03-22 17:00

World Water Day
2023-03-22 00:00 - 23:59
“The earth’s biodiversity, the functioning of the various biomes and of the atmosphere, the cycles of water and climate remind us of how versatile and fundamental this precious creature of God is.” Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development, Acqua Fons Vitae, p 13.

World Water Day has been celebrated since 1993. Now a core focus of the day is to support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030. The theme of World Water Day in 2021 is valuing water.

In Aqua Fons Vitae, the Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development point out that as well as an economic value, water has a religious value, socio-cultural and aesthetic value, and even an institutional value and a value for peace. You can access a collection of Church statements, tools and initiatives related Aqua fons vitae here.

For Reflection

How do you value water?

Which of the proposals in Aqua Fons Vitae are the most important for your community?

World Meteorological Day
2023-03-23 00:00 - 23:59

International Day for the Right to the Truth concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims
2023-03-24 00:00 - 23:59
