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International Volunteer Day – 5 December 2024

5 décembre 2024
Nicole Gregoire
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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: better world, commitment, communities, culture of service, humanity, social media, sustainable development, volunteers

« Volunteers embody the best of humanity. On this important day, let’s draw inspiration from their example, and resolve to do our part to help shape a better world for all. »    António Guterres

Diverse volunteers, stronger communities

For the International Volunteer Day 2024, United Nations Volunteers (UNV) demonstrates its commitment to communities and the wellbeing of UN Volunteers across the globe through concrete community volunteer activities carried out with national and UN system partners.

It is simply not possible to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) without including people at all stages, at all levels, and at all times.

Volunteering makes people part of the solutions. Volunteerism lets people and communities participate in their development. 

The challenges we face—climate change, conflicts, and social injustices can feel overwhelming. Yet, in these trying moments, the spirit of volunteerism shines brighter than ever. In every corner of the world, volunteers are usually the first to respond. They rise to meet challenges with courage, dedication, and selflessness.

Volunteers create a richer culture of service within their communities. They help bridge the gap between generations and support sustainable development. 

Volunteering allows us to work together across generations to achieve the SDGs. Volunteering is an intergenerational cycle.

Join us in recognizing volunteers all over the world through our social media campaign, using the hashtag #IVD2024. View the IVD 2024 Trello Board for resources.

 

Source: Text & Image: https://www.un.org/en/observances/volunteer-day

International Day of Banks – 4 December

4 décembre 2024
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: banking industry, debt, financial security, information, investments, multilateral trading, sustainable development, tax system

The International Day of Banks is commemorated all over the world annually December 4th, to acknowledge the role of banks in providing people with important information for their financial security.

Source: Text: Google

The Principles for Responsible Banking

The Principles provide the framework for a sustainable banking system and help the industry to demonstrate how it makes a positive contribution to society. They embed sustainability at the strategic, portfolio and transactional levels, and across all business areas. In the year since the launch of the framework, the signatories to the Principles for Responsible Banking grew from 130 to more than 190 banks representing more than a third of the global banking industry and around 1.6 billion customers worldwide. To celebrate the first anniversary of the launch of the Principles for Responsible Banking, signatories and civil society have shared their thoughts and experiences one year on! 

Well-run national development banks can help countries develop financing options for Sustainable Development Goal-related investments. Such banks should be aligned with the Goals in a holistic way and be considered in integrated national financing frameworks. Collaboration between national development banks and multilateral banks, through co-financing or on-lending arrangements, can enhance Goal-related finance through the complementarity of international resources and local market knowledge.

Reform of the global financial architecture

  • The crisis affecting the multilateral trading system is also an opportunity to revamp it and make it fit for sustainable development;
  • Challenges in sovereign debt restructuring have sensitized the international community to gaps in the existing architecture;
  • Increasing vulnerabilities have underscored the importance of strengthening the global financial safety net;
  • The digitization of the economy has fuelled the debate about the design of the international tax system;
  • Growing market concentration has underscored the need to better monitor this trend and manage its socioeconomic implications.
Source: Text: https://www.un.org/en/observances/international-day-of-banks     Image: https://wcdevents.home.blog/december/internationaldayofbanks/

 

International Youth Day – 12 August 2024

12 août 2024
Nicole Gregoire
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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: artificial intelligence, collaboration, digital pathways, innovation, mobile devices, sustainable development, technology, Youth

2024 Theme: From Clicks to Progress: Youth Digital Pathways for Sustainable Development

Digitalization is transforming our world, offering unprecedented opportunities to accelerate sustainable development. Digital technologies such as mobile devices, services, and artificial intelligence are instrumental in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Data generated from digital interactions supports evidence-based decision-making. With profound impact across economic, social and environmental dimensions, digital technologies and data contribute to at least 70 per cent of the 169 SDG targets while potentially reducing the cost of achieving these goals by up to USD 55 trillion.

Young people are leading the charge in digital adoption and innovation, with three-quarters of those aged 15 to 24 using the internet in 2022, a rate higher than other age groups. However, disparities persist, particularly in low-income countries and among young women, who often have less access to the internet and digital skills compared to their male counterparts. While there is an urgent need to enhance digital inclusion, youth are largely recognized as “digital natives,” using technology to drive change and create solutions. As the 2030 deadline for the SDGs approaches, the role of young people in digital innovation is essential for addressing global issues.

By celebrating the digital contributions of youth, we can inspire further innovation and collaboration towards achieving sustainable development. 

Did you know?

  • Half of the people on our planet are 30 or younger, and this is expected to reach 57% by the end of 2030.
  • Survey shows that 67% of people believe in a better future, with 15 to 17 year-olds being the most optimistic about this.
  • The majority of people agree that the age balance in politics is wrong. More than two thirds (69%) of people across all age groups agree that more opportunities for younger people to have a say in policy development/change would make political systems better.
  • Globally, only 2.6% of parliamentarians are under 30 years old, and less than 1% of these young MPs are women.

 

Source: Text: https://www.un.org/en/observances/youth-day   Image: https://www.un.org/en/observances/youth-day

World Youth Skills Day – 15 July 2024

15 juillet 2024
Nicole Gregoire
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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: conflict resolution, entrepreneurship, global challenges, opporatunities, peace, skills, sustainable development, Youth

Youth Skills for Peace and Development

In 2014, the United Nations General Assembly declared 15 July as World Youth Skills Day to celebrate the strategic importance of equipping young people with skills for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship, as well as for addressing global challenges and advancing sustainable development.

The theme for World Youth Skills Day 2024 is Youth Skills for Peace and Development. It highlights the crucial role that young people play in peacebuilding and conflict resolution efforts.

The world faces a multitude of challenges today, many of which affect the youth. Violent conflicts disrupting education and stability, a polarized online environment fostering negativity, and persistent economic inequality limits opportunities. These issues threaten not only individual futures but also the overall stability of societies. It is crucial to equip youth with the necessary skills for fostering a culture of peace, nurturing responsible global citizens, and promoting sustainable development to build a more just, inclusive, and sustainable future for all.

On World Youth Skills Day, let us unite in recognizing the potential of young people as agents of peace and commit to providing them with the skills and opportunities to address challenges and contribute to a peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable future.

 

Source: text & Image: https://unevoc.unesco.org/wysd/World+Youth+Skills+Day

 

 

International Volunteer Day – 5 December 2023

5 décembre 2023
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: challenges, collective action, education, food, possibilities, sustainable development, volunteerism

More than one billion people volunteer globally for solidarity and humanity, for people and the planet. International Volunteer Day (IVD), 5 December, is an occasion to pay tribute to volunteers worldwide and to recognize the value of volunteerism in advancing peace and development.

This year, we mark IVD by recognizing the power of collective action: if everyone did.

If everyone volunteered, the world would be a better place.  Imagine more than eight billion of us volunteering. Limitless possibilities for sustainable development – food and education for everyone, clean environment and good health, inclusive and peaceful societies, and more.

Volunteerism is an enormous renewable resource for social, economic and environmental problem-solving throughout the world. As the world faces mounting challenges, volunteers are often the first to help. Volunteers are at the fore in crises and emergencies, often in very testing and dire situations.

Source:https://www.unv.org/

 

 

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World Cities Day – 31 October 2023

31 octobre 2023
Nicole Gregoire
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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: challenges, cooperation, global urbanization, habitat, inclusive cities, planning, sustainable development

Background

The United Nations General Assembly designated 31 October as World Cities Day, by its resolution 68/239. The Day is expected to greatly promote the international community’s interest in global urbanization, push forward cooperation among countries in meeting opportunities addressing challenges of urbanization and contributing to sustainable urban development around the world.

Urbanization provides the potential for new forms of social inclusion, including greater equality, access to services and new opportunities, and engagement and mobilization that reflects the diversity of cities, countries and the globe. Yet too often this is not the shape of urban development. Inequality and exclusion abound, often at rates greater than the national average, at the expense of sustainable development that delivers for all.

Urban October was launched by UN-Habitat in 2014 to emphasize the world’s urban challenges and engage the international community towards the New Urban Agenda.

Sustainable Development Goal 11, which formulates the ambition to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable – underlying the relevance of UN-Habitat’s mission. Inequalities in cities have grown since 1980. The world largest cities are also often the most unequal, and this year’s theme is embraced by the action and implementation of the New Urban Agenda, which is putting the topic of inclusive cities as one of the main pillars for the urban shift.

In October 2016, the HABITAT III Conference, held in Quito, adopted a new framework, which will set the world on a course towards sustainable urban development by rethinking how cities are planned, managed and inhabited. The New Urban Agenda will set the pace on how to deal with the challenges of urbanization in the next two decades, and is seen as an extension of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, agreed on by the 193 Member States of the UN in September 2015.

 

Source: Text & IMage: https://www.un.org/en/observances/cities-day

 

World Tourism Day – 27 September 2023

27 septembre 2023
Nicole Gregoire
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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: goals, people, planet, prosperity, solutions, sustainable development

Investing in People, Planet, and Prosperity

The overall disruption in the tourism sector brought about by COVID-19, provides an opportunity to redefine and recalibrate the direction and narratives of tourism investments for a more sustainable future for the People, the Planet, and prosperity.  

This World Tourism Day 2023, the UNWTO,  under the theme “Tourism and green investment” highlights the need for more and better-targeted investments for the Sustainable Development Goals, the UN roadmap for a better world by 2030. Now is the time for new and innovative solutions, not just traditional investments that promote and underpin economic growth and productivity.

Did you know?

  • Tourism employs one in every ten people on Earth.
  • Tourism in rural areas can particularly benefit traditionally disadvantaged groups such as women – who make up 54% of the workforce in the tourism sector compared to 39% for the whole economy – youth and Indigenous people.
  • In emerging destinations, 50% of young people are unable to work in tourism due to a lack of opportunity, resources, or access to academic training.
Source: Text: https://www.un.org/en/observances/tourism-day    Image: ENI CBC Med

International Day for Biological Diversity – 22 May 2023

22 mai 2023
Nicole Gregoire
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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: conservation, ecosystems, natural world, nature, sustainable development, UN

 Introduction

The United Nations has proclaimed May 22 The International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues. When first created by the Second Committee of the UN General Assembly in late 1993, 29 December (the date of entry into force of the Convention of Biological Diversity), was designated The International Day for Biological Diversity. In December 2000, the UN General Assembly adopted 22 May as IDB, to commemorate the adoption of the text of the Convention on 22 May 1992 by the Nairobi Final Act of the Conference for the Adoption of the Agreed Text of the Convention on Biological Diversity. This was partly done because it was difficult for many countries to plan and carry out suitable celebrations for the date of 29 December, given the number of holidays that coincide around that time of year.
Source: Text: https://www.cbd.int/idb/

As the global community is called to re-examine our relationship to the natural world, one thing is certain: despite all our technological advances we are completely dependent on healthy and vibrant ecosystems for our water, food, medicines, clothes, fuel, shelter and energy, just to name a few.

This involves respecting, protecting, and repairing our biological wealth.

Undoubtedly, this year is special in terms of biodiversity conservation. We now have a renewed sense of hope with the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, a historic agreement signed in December 2022 that sets goals and concrete measures to stop and reverse the loss of nature by 2050.

That is why the theme of the International Day for Biological Diversity (2023) is from agreement to action: build back biodiversity. The slogan promotes the idea that, now that we have an action plan agreed upon at a global level, we must implement all the measures that the agreement contemplates before 2030. Only in this way will we be able to obtain protected and sustainable biological diversity by 2050. That is the main message from the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the key international instrument for sustainable development.

Source: Texte: https://www.un.org/en/observances/biological-diversity-day      Images: Convention on Biological Diversity

International Day of Argania – 10 May

10 mai 2023
Nicole Gregoire
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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: argan tree, Climate change, food security, Maroc, rural areas, sustainable development, water management, Women

The argan tree as a fundamental pillar for sustainable development

The argan tree is typically a multipurpose tree that supports income generation, increases resilience and improves climate adaptation, playing a very important role in achieving the three dimensions of sustainable development – economic, social and environmental – at the local level.

The sustainable argan production sector contributes to the economic empowerment and financial inclusion of local communities, especially women living in rural areas. Cooperatives are instrumental in promoting local job opportunities and can play an important role in contributing to food security and in eradicating poverty.

For centuries, the argan tree has been a mainstay of the Berber and Arab-origin indigenous rural communities, which developed a specific culture and identity, sharing their traditional knowledge and skills through non-formal education, particularly the unique knowledge associated with the traditional production of argan oil by women.

The unique argan-based agro-forestry-pastoral system uses only locally adapted species and pastoralism activities and relies on traditional water management provided by the Matifiya – a rain water reservoir carved into rock, hence contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation, and to the conservation of biodiversity.

Did you know?

  • The argan tree withstands temperatures of up to 50° Celsius.
  • The argan trees are a true bastion against desertification, which can reach 10 meters in height and can live for 200 years.
  • A symbol of eternity and resistance, the argan tree has a strong symbolic and emotional value for local communities.
  • Argan oil is given as a wedding gift and is used extensively in the preparation of festive dishes.
  • It takes about 150 kg of fruit to produce 3 litres of argan oil.

 

Source: Text: https://www.un.org/en/observances/argania-day    Images: Wikimedia Commons (Goats in an argan tree Morocco)

International Day of Happiness – 20 March

20 mars 2023
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: business, government, growth, happiness, human goal, sustainable development, well-being

What is the International Day of Happiness?

It’s a day to be happy, of course! Since 2013, the United Nations has celebrated the International Day of Happiness as a way to recognise the importance of happiness in the lives of people around the world.

Happiness is a fundamental human goal. The United Nations General Assembly recognizes this goal and calls for “a more inclusive, equitable and balanced approach to economic growth that promotes the happiness and well-being of all peoples.”

In 2015, the UN launched the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, which seek to end poverty, reduce inequality, and protect our planet – three key aspects that lead to well-being and happiness.

The United Nations invites each person of any age, plus every classroom, business and government to join in celebration of the International Day of Happiness.

Gaza children playing in a water parkBackground

The General Assembly of the United Nations in its resolution 66/281 of 12 July 2012 proclaimed 20 March the International Day of Happiness, recognizing the relevance of happiness and well-being as universal goals and aspirations in the lives of human beings around the world and the importance of their recognition in public policy objectives. It also recognized the need for a more inclusive, equitable and balanced approach to economic growth that promotes sustainable development, poverty eradication, happiness and the well-being of all peoples.

The resolution was initiated by Bhutan, a country which recognized the value of national happiness over national income since the early 1970s and famously adopted the goal of Gross National Happiness over Gross National Product. It also hosted a High Level Meeting on « Happiness and Well-Being: Defining a New Economic Paradigm » during the sixty-sixth session of the General Assembly.

 

Source: Text & Image (bottom): https://www.un.org/en/observances/happiness-day    Image:https://www.wincalendar.com/ca/International-Day-Happiness