Born in Syria, Ignatius converted to Christianity and eventually became bishop of Antioch. Ignatius is well known for the seven letters he wrote on the long journey from Antioch to Rome. Ignatius’s great concern was for the unity and order of the Church. Even greater was his willingness to suffer martyrdom rather than deny his… Read More »Saint Ignatius of Antioch
Find out more about why the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty was established here. Learn about the Sustainable Development Goals here. The goal of the Raise the Rate campaign is to fix our social security safety net for good so that it keeps people out of poverty. Find out how to join the… Read More »International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
On 19 October 2001, 353 people, mostly women and children, drowned on the high seas trying to reach Australia in a small, dilapidated, grossly overloaded fishing boat that would later come to be known as Suspected Illegal Entry Vessel (SIEV) X. There were 45 who survived the sinking, of whom seven eventually settled in Australia.… Read More »2001: Sinking of refugee boat SIEV X
Pope John Paul II was beatified in Saint Peter's Square on 1 May 2011 by Pope Benedict XVI, his immediate successor and for many years his valued collaborator as Prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. He was canonised on 27 April 2014, together with Pope John XXIII, by Pope Francis.
UN Day marks the anniversary of the entry into force in 1945 of the UN Charter. With the ratification of this founding document by the majority of its signatories, including the five permanent members of the Security Council, the United Nations officially came into being. This year is the 75th anniversary of the UN. Learn… Read More »United Nations Day
"Information and communications technologies have the potential to provide new solutions to development challenges, particularly in the context of globalization, and can foster economic growth, competitiveness, access to information and knowledge, poverty eradication and social inclusion." — General Assembly Resolution (A/RES/65/141) The General Assembly in 1972 established World Development Information Day to draw the attention… Read More »World Development Information Day
In 1945, representatives of 50 countries met in San Francisco at the United Nations Conference on International Organization to draw up the United Nations Charter. The Charter was signed on 26 June 1945 by the representatives of the 50 countries. Poland, which was not represented at the Conference, signed it later and became one of the original 51… Read More »1945: Establishment of the United Nations
"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… Read More »Disarmament Week
On 26 October 1985 the Governor General of Australia, Sir Ninian Stephen, handed over title for the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park to the Traditional Owners of the area – the Anangu. The hand over and lease back ceremony was held in the Mutitjulu community near the base of Uluru. It was a night of singing… Read More »1985: Return of Uluru to the traditional owners, the Anangu people
On this day the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park Board of Management decision to close the climb to the top of Uluru came into force. The Board is made up of a majority of traditional owners of the park. This date was chosen as it was the date in 1985 when the park was handed back… Read More »2019: Ban on climbing Uluru comes into force