When you think of shipping, do oil spills and cargo being washed up on beaches come to mind - or do you think of the sustainable movement of goods around the world? The theme for World Maritime Day this year is Sustainable Shipping for a Sustainable Planet.

"The year 2020 marks the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations and the 30th Anniversary of the International Day of Older Persons. This year has also seen an emergence of COVID-19, that has caused an upheaval across the world. Considering the higher risks confronted by older persons during the outbreak of pandemics such as COVID-19, policy and programmatic… Read More »International Day for Older Persons

"Just peace is the goal, nonviolence is the way. A sustainable culture of peace can only be established by nonviolence that absolutely respects human dignity. Rooted in the interconnectedness of God's creation, it also opens the way to an 'integral ecology' , as expressed by Pope Francis in Laudato Si'. Violence undermines this interconnectedness. Nonviolence… Read More »International Day of Non-Violence

"Solutions begin with small steps individuals can take to alter the way our cities function. We must reduce the amount of waste we produce, and, at the same time, start seeing it as a valuable resource that can be re-used and recycled, including for energy." — UN Secretary-General António Guterres The United Nations designated the… Read More »World Habitat Day

Held annually on 5 October since 1994, World Teachers’ Day commemorates the anniversary of the adoption of the 1966 ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers. This Recommendation sets benchmarks regarding the rights and responsibilities of teachers and standards for their initial preparation and further education, recruitment, employment, and teaching and learning conditions. The Recommendation… Read More »World Teachers Day

World Post Day is celebrated each year on 9 October, the anniversary of the establishment of the Universal Postal Union in 1874 in the Swiss Capital, Bern. It was declared World Post Day by the Universal Postal Union Congress held in Tokyo, Japan in 1969. Since then, countries across the world participate annually in the… Read More »World Post Day

"We need to uphold the equal rights, voices and influence of girls in our families, communities and nations. Girls can be powerful agents of change, and nothing should keep them from participating fully in all areas of life." — UN Secretary-General António Guterres Since 2012, 11 October has been marked as the International Day of the… Read More »International Day of the Girl

"Making infrastructure more climate-resilient can have a benefit-cost ratio of about six to one. For every dollar invested, six dollars can be saved. This means that investing in climate resilience creates jobs and saves money." — UN Secretary-General António Guterres The International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction was started in 1989, after a call by… Read More »International Day for Disaster Reduction

"As early adopters of new agricultural techniques, first responders in crises and entrepreneurs of green energy, rural women are a powerful force that can drive global progress." — UN Secretary-General António Guterres The crucial role that women and girls play in ensuring the sustainability of rural households and communities, improving rural livelihoods and overall wellbeing,… Read More »International Day of Rural Women

World Food Day 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (FAO). As countries around the world deal with the widespread effects of the COVID-9 pandemic, it’s a time to look into the future we need to build together. Action Use the hashtag #WorldFoodDay to share your action online… Read More »World Food Day

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

"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 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… Read More »World Cities Day

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… Read More »World Tsunami Awareness Day

"... 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… Read More »International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict