United Nations' (UN) International Literacy Day obseved anually on 8 September
The United Nations' (UN) International Literacy Day is obseved anually on 8 September. The International Literacy Day is observed to raise people's awareness of and concern for literacy issues in the world. The day highlights the importance of literacy in areas such as health and education. Literacy and Empowerment is the theme for the year 2009-2011 of the United Nations Literacy Decade.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and its partners promote the day to underline the significance of literacy for healthy societies, with a strong emphasis on epidemics and communicable diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis and malaria.
Activities for the day include literacy day projects undertaken particularly with regard to technology and literature, which are promoted by various organizations including reading associations.
According to UNESCO, about 774 million adults lack the minimum literacy skills. One in five adults is still not literate and two-thirds of them are women. About 75 million children are out-of-school and many more attend irregularly or drop out.
The UN General Assembly proclaimed a 10-year period beginning on 1 January 2003, as the United Nations Literacy Decade. The assembly welcomed the International Plan of Action for the Decade and decided for UNESCO to take a coordinating role in activities at an international level within the decade's framework. UNESCO on the ocassion of International Literacy Day reminds the international community of the status of literacy and adult learning globally.
This day was first celebrated on September 8, 1966. The day was proclaimed for disseminating literacy awareness since 1965 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
The United Nations General Assembly had proclaimed the year 1990 as International Literacy Year. The special year marked the ongoing commitment of the world community to boost and support literacy as a key to personal progress for the socioeconomic development of nations like India.
Almost 35 countries have a literacy rate of less than 50 percent and a population of more than 10 million people who are illiterate. An 85 percent of the world's illiterate population dwells in these countries, and two-thirds are women. According to Indian Census 2011, the literacy rate is 74.04 percent of the total population aged seven and above.
The U.N. calls for combined parallel efforts, sufficient resources and endeavor, strategies, and continued analysis of the developmental work, a revised political will, and for accepting to do things differently at all levels ― locally, nationally and trans-nationally.Various governments around the world since 2000 announced four initiatives in collaboration with several agencies of the United Nations ― Education for All, the Millennium Development Goals, the Literacy Decade and the Decade of Education for Constant Development.
World Hepatitis Day observed to raise Global Awareness of Hepatitis B & Hepatitis C
The first official World Health Organization-supported World Hepatitis Day being coordinated in partnership with the World Hepatitis Alliance was observed on 28 July 2011. The theme for the World Hepatitis Day was This is hepatitis. The slogan for World hepatitis Day 2011 was Know it. Confront it. Hepatitis affects everyone, everywhere.
World Hepatitis Day was observed on 28 July 2011 to raise global awareness of hepatitis B and hepatitis C and encourage prevention, diagnosis and treatment. World Hepatitis Day serves to provide an opportunity to recognise viral hepatitis as a major global health problem in order to advance prevention and control.
The World Hepatitis Alliance and the WHO jointly agreed that the core global objectives of the World Hepatitis Day campaign are to:
• Raise awareness and understanding of hepatitis among the general public
• Secure continual support for World Hepatitis Day
• Generate a sense of urgency amongst all stakeholders to prioritise action
2011 declared as World Veterinary Year to celebrate History of Veterinary Profession
FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine together with other national and international veterinary groups declared 2011 as the World Veterinary Year. 2011 marks the 250th anniversary of the founding of the world’s first veterinary school in Lyon, France. World Veterinary Year, or Vet2011 is to celebrate the rich history of the veterinary profession and the veterinarians around the world who continue to protect human and animal health.
The world’s first veterinary school was founded in Lyon, France, in 1761. The Alfort veterinary school was next to come up near Paris in 1764. Both the schools were founded at the initiative of French veterinarian Claude Bourgelat. Thus the year 2011 marks the 250th world anniversary of veterinary education. By setting up the world’s first veterinary training institutions, Bourgelat also created the veterinary profession itself. Thus, 2011 also marks the 250th world anniversary of the veterinary profession.
Bourgelat was also the first scientist who dared to suggest that studying animal biology and pathology would help to improve understanding of human biology and pathology. 2011 also marks the 250th anniversary of the concept of comparative biopathology.
The Fifth Statistics Day was Celebrated at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi
29 June: Statistics Day
The Fifth Statistics Day was celebrated at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi on 29 June 2011. India celebrated Statistics Day in recognition of the notable contributions made by Late Professor Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis in the fields of economic planning and statistical development in India. Statistics Day is observed in India to commemorate Professor Mahalanobis’ birth anniversary. The main function was inaugurated by Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission of India.
The Fifth Statistics Day was celebrated all over India on 29th June 2011 by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, State Governments, Offices of National Sample Survey Organizations spreaded throughout the country. The various university Departments celebrated the day by organizing Seminars, Conferences, Debates, Quiz Programmes, Lecture Series, Essay Competitions, etc.
The objective of Statistics Day celebration was to create public awareness, among the people specially the younger generation for drawing inspirations from Prof. Mahalanobis about the role of statistics in socio-economic planning and policy formulation in the country. The highlight of Statistics Day 2011 was taking up the theme, ‘Gender Statistics’ and making concerted efforts throughout the year to bring improvements in the quality of data in the field of Gender Statistics for objective planning and policy making.
India was chosen the Host country for World Environment Day 2011
5 June: World Environment Day
The World Environment Day is anually observed on 5 June. The theme of 2011 World Environment Day (WED) was Forests: Nature at your service. The 2011 WED theme explores the intrinsic link between quality of life and the health of forests and forest ecosystems. The WED theme also supports this year's UN International Year of Forests. The United Nations has also announced 2011 as International Year of Forests. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) announced India to be the global host of World Environment Day 2011.
Various organisations, government departments and local bodies in India on this occasion pledged their love for Nature. One of projects launched by India on 5 June 2011 was Maram Oru Thanal project, jointly launched by the VHSE National Service Scheme and Kerala Energy Conservation Forum. The project aims to plant one lakh saplings across the state through higher secondary students. The Sangai Express organised a discussion session on Climate Change coinciding with the day at Manipur Press Club. A 10-minute documentary film entitled, The Untold Story was released by All Manipur Working Journalists' Union (AMWJU) President A Mobi to mark the occasion.
The celebrations in India on 5 June 2011 were a part of thousands of events taking place around the globe. WED 2011 emphasized how individual actions can have an exponential impact, with a variety of activities ranging from school tree-planting drives to community clean-ups, car-free days, photo competitions on forests, bird-watching trips, city park clean-up initiatives, exhibits, green petitions, nationwide green campaigns and much more.
World Environment Day (WED) observed on 5 June stimulates awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and public action. The concept was born during the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment that was held from 5 to16 June 1972. It was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972.The first World Environment Day was on 1973. World Environment Day is hosted every year by a different city with a different theme and is commemorated with an international exposition in the week of 5 June.
In 2010, the theme for WED was Many Species. One Planet. One Future, was the theme of 2010 WED. It celebrated the incredible diversity of life on Earth as part of the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity. Rwanda was the global host. The theme for WED 2009 was Your Planet Needs You - UNite to Combat Climate Change and Mexico was the host city.
World Health Organisation observed the World No Tobacco Day on 31 May
31 May: World No Tobacco Day
The World Health Organisation (WHO) observes the World No Tobacco Day on 31 May. In 2011 the World No Tobacco Day was celebrated with the theme The World Health Organization selected The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control as the theme for World No Tobacco Day 2011.
The World Health Assembly created World No Tobacco Day in 1987 to draw global attention to the tobacco epidemic and its lethal effects. The day provides an opportunity to highlight specific tobacco control messages as well as to promote adherence to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Tobacco use is the number one preventable epidemic that the health community faces. The WHO pointed out that tobacco use is the second cause of death globally (after hypertension) and is currently responsible for killing one in 10 adults worldwide.
International Museum Day celebrated to Increase Public Awareness of Role of Museums
18 May: International Museum Day
International Museum Day (IMD) was observed on 18 May 2011. The theme for International Museum Day 2011 was Museum and Memory. Museums preserve memories and have in their collections numerous objects that are fundamental to the memory of the communities of the current times. These objects are the expression of natural and cultural heritage.
International Museum Day 2011 provides an opportunity to discover and rediscover individual and collective memory. This day is an occasion to raise awareness on how important museums are in the development of society.
International Council of Museums (ICOM) Advisory Committee organises the theme of this event. International Council of Museums started the observation of this day back in 1977. International Museum Day aims to increase public awareness of the role of museums in developing society. The objective of IMD 2011 was to focus on the African continent whose cultural contribution to the world is often unknown and deserves to be promoted.
In recent years, International Museum Day has been experiencing its highest involution with almost 30000 museums organising activities on this day in more than 100 countries.
The conservation and transmission of collective memory is a preoccupation for other heritage players, beyond the museum community. Keeping this aspect in mind, for the first time ever, the International Council of Museums initiated close institutional partnerships with other organisations that share ICOM’s preoccupation for the preservation of memory. It started the Memory of the World programme in association with the UNESCO. It also partnered with other organisations of repute like the Co-ordinating council of Audiovisual Archives Associations (CCAAA), the International Council on Archives (ICA), the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA). ICOM became a patron of the European Night of Museums on 14 May 2011 for the first time since the event was launched in 2005
Delhi Circle of Archaeological Survey launched Exhibition on Baolis on World Heritage Day
18 April: World Heritage Day
World Heritage Day is observed every year on 18 April. On the occasion, Delhi Circle of Archaeological Survey of India launched an exhibition at Naubat Khana in Red Fort premises. The exhibition inaugurated by ASI director general Gautam Sengupta focussed on ASI-protected baolis.
The theme of World Heritage Day 2011 was Cultural heritage of water. The theme cultural heritage of water relates not only to the technology and architecture that humankind has developed to manage, utilise and celebrate water's life giving properties but also to those intangible values that have shaped the beliefs and practices. The theme for 2010 World Heritage Day was Agricultural Heritage whereas for 2009 the theme was Heritage and Science.
World Heritage Day offers an opportunity to raise the public's awareness about the diversity of cultural heritage and the efforts that are required to protect and conserve it, as well as draw attention to its vulnerability. Heritage conservation is aimed at achieving sustainability.
On the occasion of observance of World Heritage Day the efforts required to protect and conserve heritage and to underscore its vulnerability is highlighted.
The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) organised a symposium in Tunisia on 18 April 1982 and it was suggested that a special day is to be celebrated all through the world in the name of International Day for Monuments and Sites on the same day every year. It was adopted by UNESCO in 1983 and ever since, 18 April has been observed as World Heritage Day the world over. International Monuments and Sites Day which has been traditionally called the World Heritage Day celebrates the diversity of heritage throughout the world.
The day provides an opportunity to hoist awareness about the assortment of cultural legacy and the efforts that are required to protect and conserve them and also to think about its susceptibility.
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