Disarmament Week
2022-10-24 00:00 - 2022-10-31 23:59 (Australia/Sydney)
“The adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was a defining moment for global efforts to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit arms trade: the Agenda included a specific target to significantly reduce illicit arms flows by 2030.”— UN Secretary-General’s report

Disarmament Week begins on the anniversary of the founding of the United Nations (24 October). The creation of this week was recommended in the Final Document of the General Assembly’s 1978 special session on disarmament (resolution S-10/2). That document called for abandoning the use of force in international relations and seeking security in disarmament.

World Cities Day
2022-10-31 00:00 - 23:59
The United Nations General Assembly designated the 31st of October as World Cities Day, by its resolution 68/239. The Day is intended to promote interest in global urbanization, push forward cooperation among countries in meeting opportunities and addressing challenges of urbanization, and contributing to sustainable urban development around the world.

How can you take action today to make your city or town more sustainable?

World Tsunami Awareness Day
2022-11-05 00:00 - 23:59
In the past 100 years, 58 tsnamis have claimed more than 260,000 lives, or an average of 4,600 per disaster. The Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004 lone caused an estimated 227,000 fatalities in 14 countries, with Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand hardest-hit.

“In December 2015, the UN General Assembly designated 5 November as World Tsunami Awareness Day. World Tsunami Awareness Day was the brainchild of Japan, which due to its repeated, bitter experience has over the years built up major expertise in areas such as tsunami early warning, public action and building back better after a disaster to reduce future impacts. The date for the annual celebration was chosen in honour of the Japanese story of “Inamura-no-hi”, meaning the “burning of the rice sheaves”. During an 1854 earthquake a farmer saw the tide receding, a sign of a looming tsunami. He set fire to his entire harvest to warn villagers, who fled to high ground. Afterwards, he built an embankment and planted trees as a buffer against future waves.” Tsunami Day, United Nations

International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict
2022-11-06 00:00 - 23:59
“… the environment has often remained the unpublicized victim of war. Water wells have been polluted, crops torched, forests cut down, soils poisoned, and animals killed to gain military advantage. Furthermore, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has found that over the last 60 years, at least 40 percent of all internal conflicts have been linked to the exploitation of natural resources, whether high-value resources such as timber, diamonds, gold and oil, or scarce resources such as fertile land and water. Conflicts involving natural resources have also been found to be twice as likely to relapse.” United Nations

Action

Read the United Nations resolution declaring 6 November the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict. How can you respond?

What does Pope Francis have to say about this in Laudato Si’? How might you include action to prevent harm to creation as a result of war and armed conflict in your commitment to justice, ecology and peace?

World Science Day for Peace and Development
2022-11-10 00:00 - 23:59
By linking science more closely with society, World Science Day for Peace and Development aims to ensure that citizens are kept informed of developments in science. It also underscores the role scientists play in broadening our understanding of the remarkable, fragile planet we call home and in making our societies more sustainable. This year’s theme focuses on how science can help society to deal with the pandemic.

Remembrance (Armistice) Day, commemorating the end of World War I in 1918
2022-11-11 00:00 - 23:59
“At 11 am on 11 November 1918 the guns on the Western Front fell silent after more than four years of continuous warfare… The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month attained a special significance in the post-war years. The moment when hostilities ceased on the Western Front became universally associated with the remembrance of those who had died in the war. This first modern world conflict had brought about the mobilisation of over 70 million people and left between 9 and 13 million dead, perhaps as many as one-third of them with no known grave. The allied nations chose this day and time for the commemoration of their war dead.” Australian War Memorial

World Diabetes Day
2022-11-14 00:00 - 23:59
Diabetes is a major cause of blindness, kidney failure, heart attack, stroke and lower limb amputation. Healthy diet, physical activity and avoiding tobacco use can prevent or delay type 2 diabetes. In addition diabetes can be treated and its consequences avoided or delayed with medication, regular screening and treatment for complications.

Communities experiencing poverty and disadvantage often have higher than average rates of diabetes due to factors such as lack of access to reasonably priced fruits and vegetables, recreational facilities, and health care services, and greater exposures to environmental toxins

Find out more about World Diabetes Day here.

International Day of Tolerance
2022-11-16 00:00 - 23:59
“At a time when extremism and fanaticism are unleashed too often, at a time when the venom of hatred continues to poison a part of humanity, tolerance has never been more vital a virtue.” — Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO on the occasion of the International Day for Tolerance.

The United Nations is committed to strengthening tolerance by fostering mutual understanding among cultures and peoples. This imperative lies at the core of the United Nations Charter, as well as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and is more important than ever in this era of rising and violent extremism and widening conflicts that are characterized by a fundamental disregard for human life.

For reflection

In Fratelli Tutti (On Fraternity and Social Friendship) Pope Francis goes beyond tolerance to encourage dialogue, friendship and encounter. How might tolerance be related to these aspirations? Might it be a stepping stone?

World Toilet Day
2022-11-19 00:00 - 23:59
Toilets save lives, because human waste spreads killer diseases. World Toilet Day is about inspiring action to tackle the global sanitation crisis and help achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6), which promises sanitation for all by 2030.

Universal Children's Day
2022-11-20 00:00 - 23:59
“Around the world, children are showing us their strength and leadership advocating for a more sustainable world for all. Let’s build on advances and re-commit to putting children first. For every child, every right.” – UN Secretary-General António Guterres

World Children’s Day was first established in 1954 as Universal Children’s Day and is celebrated on 20 November each year to promote international togetherness, awareness among children worldwide, and improving children’s welfare.

November 20th is the date in 1959 when the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child. It is also the date in 1989 when the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

1959: Adoption by UN of the Declaration of Rights of the Child
2022-11-20 00:00 - 23:59
In 1959, the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, which defines children’s rights to protection, education, health care, shelter, and good nutrition. It was followed on the same day in 1989 by a Convention on the Rights of the Child. Unlike a Declaration, a Convention is legally binding on those states that have ratified the instrument. The Convention views children as human beings with a distinct set of rights instead of as passive objects of care and charity.

A simple version of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Simple Version) is available

Did you know?

The Convention on the Rights of the Child is the most rapidly and widely ratified international human rights treaty in history.

World Television Day
2022-11-21 00:00 - 23:59
Television continues to be the single largest source of video consumption. Though screen sizes have changed, and people create, post, stream and consume content on different platforms, the number of households with television sets around the world continues to rise. The interaction between emerging and traditional forms of broadcast creates a great opportunity to raise awareness about the important issues facing our communities and our planet.

United Nations

1981: UN Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief
2022-11-25 00:00 - 23:59
The Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief was proclaimed by General Assembly resolution 36/55 of 25 November 1981.

Today is a great day to consider how we can play a part in rejecting intolerance and discrimination based on religion or belief in our communities. This is not only about our own freedom and rights. As Christians we are called to stand with and to stand up for people of other faiths who experience intolerance and discrimination in Australia.

International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women
2022-11-25 00:00 - 23:59
The Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women issued by the UN General Assembly in 1993, defines violence against women as “any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life.”

Although men and children – both girls and boys – may be victims of domestic violence, overwhelmingly the victims of domestic violence are women. Responsibility for prevention and for responding to the victims cannot be left to our social service organisations – a Church response must include action by parish communities.

“Domestic violence is at epidemic levels across Australia, creating vulnerability for women of all walks of life. For the past three years, one woman a week is murdered by her partner. This is a tragic epidemic that the Australian Catholic Church hasn’t addressed in a systematic manner...” – Liz MacKinlay, “Domestic Violence: Moving from Silence to Inclusion and Dialogue in the Australian Church”, in Still Listening to the Spirit: Woman and Man Twenty Years Later

As Bishop Peter A Comensoli (previously Bishop of Broken Bay now Archbishop of Melbourne) says in his introduction to the Broken Bay Diocese resource kit A Catholic Response to Domestic Violence:

“As Church, the living body of Christ, we cannot remain silent. We must collectively and personally denounce a violence which erodes the human person in every way. We must work to build communities of peace, safety, true reconciliation, and relationships that seek alternatives to violence. Pope Francis tells us ‘If violence has its source in the human heart, then it its fundamental that non-violence be practised before all else within families…’ I encourage you to do whatever you can to act on this issue. Do not be a bystander. Find out now what you can do to help those suffering in silence within your community. Broken Bay Diocese, A Catholic Response to Domestic Violence

International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People
2022-11-29 00:00 - 23:59
“On this International Day of Solidarity, let us reaffirm our commitment to upholding the rights of the Palestinian people.” – United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres

In 1977, the General Assembly called for the annual observance of 29 November as the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People (resolution 32/40 B). The resolution on the observance of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People also encourages Member States to continue to give the widest support and publicity to the observance of the Day of Solidarity.

Day of Remembrance for All Victims of Chemical Warfare
2022-11-30 00:00 - 23:59
This commemoration provides an opportunity to pay tribute to the victims of chemical warfare, as well as to reaffirm the commitment of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to the elimination of the threat of chemical weapons, thereby promoting the goals of peace, security, and multilateralism. United Nations, Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare

This day was originally celebrated on 29 April, because it was on that day in 1997 that the Chemical Weapons Convention came into force. The Conference of States Parties to the Convention (those countries that have ratified the Convention and are therefore bound by it) later decided to observe the day on 30 November or the first day of the regular session of the Conference. So the Day can move about from time to time. Find out more here.

International Day for Abolition of Slavery
2022-12-02 00:00 - 23:59
Slavery is not something from the past. According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) more than 40 million people worldwide are victims of modern slavery. ‘Modern slavery’ is an umbrella term referring to practices such as forced labour, debt bondage, forced marriage, and human trafficking. These practices place people in situations of exploitation that they cannot refuse or leave because of threats, violence, coercion, deception, and/or abuse of power.

The Australian Government has enacted laws aimed at stamping out modern slavery, including by eliminating it from the supply chains of Australian businesses and organisations.

Action

Is your organisation required to submit a Modern Slavery Statement? Check out the guidance for entities that are required to submit such statements here.

Did you know that the Archdiocese of Sydney has an Anti-Slavery Taskforce? It provides education, guidance and advice to help Church entities to ensure that they are not unwittingly involved in modern slavery and to meet their legal reporting obligations.

Find out more about the United Nations’ celebration of the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery.

International Day of Persons with Disabilities
2022-12-03 00:00 - 23:59
“… most of us who experience disability and who are able to reflect on it have a ‘social’ view of disability. In other words, it is the barriers placed by society, rather than we ourselves or some feature of our bodies (including our minds), which are the ‘problem’. Accordingly, many of us would see our ‘impairment’ as the mental or physical lack of function of form, for example optic nerve damage, which we experience. Our ‘disability’, on the other hand, would be the interrelation between the impairment and the social and physical environment that prevents us enjoying life to the full.” Justin Glyn SJ, ‘Us’ not ‘Them’: Disability and Catholic Theology and Social Teaching, Catholic Social Justice Series No. 83

International Day of Persons with Disabilities aims to increase public awareness, understanding and inclusion of people with disability and to celebrate their achievements and contributions. The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference Disability Projects Office has prepared a wide range of helpful resources for the celebration of the International Day of Persons with Disability available here. Make sure you check out the links in the right side navigation for resources such as inclusion posters and a guide for making your events inclusive.

Action

Find out more about the work of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference Disability Projects Office.

Read the resource for welcoming people with disability at conferences and events. What can you do better next time?

Read and reflect on Justin Glynn’s paper Us Not Them: Disability, Catholic Theology and Social Teaching It is also available as an e-book on all major digital platforms.

World Soil Day (WSD)
2022-12-05 00:00 - 23:59
Did you know?*It can take up to 1,000 years to produce just 2-3cm of soil.*Over 33% of the Earth’s soils are already degraded and 90% could become degraded by 2050.*Soil erosion can lead up to a 50% loss in crop yields.

World Soil Day (WSD) is held annually on 5 December as a means to focus attention on the importance of healthy soil and to advocate for the sustainable management of soil resources.

The date of 5 December was chosen because it corresponds with the official birthday of the late H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej, King of Thailand, who was one of the main proponents of this initiative.

International Volunteer Day
2022-12-05 00:00 - 23:59
“The diverse and dynamic role of volunteerism in promoting the Sustainable Development Goals merits strong support from Governments and other stakeholders. On this International Day, I thank volunteers for their efforts to leave no one behind.” – UN Secretary-General António Guterres

International Volunteer Day is a unique chance for volunteers and organizations to celebrate their efforts, to share their values, and to promote their work among their communities, non-governmental organizations, United Nations agencies, government authorities and the private sector.

International Civil Aviation Day
2022-12-07 00:00 - 23:59
The purpose of International Civil Aviation Day is to help generate and reinforce worldwide awareness of the importance of international civil aviation to the social and economic development of States, and of the unique role of the International Civil Aviation Organization in helping States to cooperate and realize a truly global rapid transit network at the service of all humanity.

International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide
2022-12-09 00:00 - 23:59
“Where we see people facing systematic discrimination or becoming targets of violence simply because of who they are, because of their identity, we must act – both to defend those at immediate risk and those who could be in jeopardy in the future. By promoting a culture of peace and non-violence that includes respect for diversity and non-discrimination, we can build societies that are resilient to the risk of genocide.” — Secretary-General António Guterres

The purpose of the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide is to raise awareness of the Genocide Convention and its role in combating and preventing the crime of genocide, as defined in the Convention, and to commemorate and honour its victims. In adopting the resolution, without a vote, the 193-member Assembly reiterated the responsibility of each individual State to protect its populations from genocide, which entails the prevention of such a crime, including incitement to it.

International Anti-Corruption Day
2022-12-09 00:00 - 23:59
“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.
