Friday 29 April 2016

International Jazz Day 2016, April 30

A Letter from Herbie Hancock and UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova;



Dear Friends,
 
It is an honor to invite you to the 5th Annual International Jazz Day celebrations in Washington, D.C. This day was adopted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization in 2012 to promote jazz music and culture as a tool to inspire peaceful cooperation and partnership among communities around the globe.
This day is an extraordinary demonstration of the power of jazz to promote world peace, stimulate intercultural dialogue and above all, bring people together. On April 30, people in 195 countries on every single continent will be demonstrating their commitment to the unifying power of music.
We are partnering with teachers, musicians, students, historians, and community leaders at schools, universities, libraries, art venues, community centers, hospitals, and shelters. All over the world, the streets will be alive with the sounds of jazz – of freedom – and millions of people will learn about its rich history; its ethical and philosophical foundations; and its inherent message of acceptance and respect. Our hope is that this day will inspire people all over the world to listen to one another and cooperate in a spirit of peace.
Many thanks to Washington, D.C. for serving as the Global Host City for International Jazz Day 2016 and for featuring Jazz Day programs in every single Ward.
 
Thank you for your support and Happy International Jazz Day!
 



FORUM : International Jazz Day - April 30


EVENTS : International Jazz Day 2016 Opening Ceremony,  April 30.



UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova, Mayor Bowser of Washington, D.C., UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Herbie Hancock, UN FAO Goodwill Ambassador Dee Dee Bridgewater.


CONCERT : International Jazz Day 2016 All-Star Global Concert.

Each year, the All-Star Global Concert brings together internationally acclaimed artists from around the world who represent jazz and other musical genres for a performance spanning styles, cultures and languages. In the spirit of International Jazz Day, the All-Star Global Concert takes place in a landmark venue with rich historical significance. We are honored that President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will host the International Jazz Day 2016 All-Star Global Concert from the White House, with artists performing throughout the White House and on the South Lawn. The concert will be broadcast across the United States on April 30th – International Jazz Day – as an

ABC network television special and streamed around the world by the United Nations and UNESCO. Viewers will experience jazz being played at the White House, where it has been showcased by every Administration since President Kennedy.



The 2016 All-Star Global Concert will feature a cast of internationally renowned Jazz music artists including
 


 
 
 
 
 


Wednesday 27 April 2016

World Day for Safety and Health at Work 2016, April 28.

Всемирный день безопасности и здоровья на рабочем месте, 28 апреля.
World Day for Safety and Health at Work, April 28.
世界日安全與健康工作, 4月28日.
Día Mundial de la Seguridad y Salud en el Trabajo, 28 de abril.
Journée mondiale pour la sécurité et la santé au travail, 28 Avril.


The Theme for the World Day For Safety and Health at Work 2016 is "Workplace Stress : A collective Challenge "





2016年主题:“工作压力,共同的挑战
Theme 2016 : 'Workplace stress: It’s time to lift the burden'
Tema 2016 : Стрес на робочому місці: настав час зняти тягар.
Tema 2016 :“Estrés en el Trabajo: Un reto colectivo”.
Thème 2016 : «Le stress au travail: un défi collectif».




Statement by Director General, Guy Ryder on the occasion of World Day for Safety and Health at Work, April 28 2016.

This World Day for Safety and Health  focuses on the toll taken on the health and wellbeing of workers worldwide by stress in their working environment.
 
Target 8 of Goal 8  of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development  calls for “safe and secure working environments for all workers” - securing safe workplaces extends beyond the protection of workers’ physical safety to their mental and psychological wellbeing.   
 
Work-related stress affects workers in all professions in developed and developing countries alike. It can gravely harm not only workers’ health but also, and all too often, the wellbeing of their families.
 
Globalization and technological change have transformed work and employment patterns in ways that sometimes contribute to work-related stress. High unemployment levels, particularly in the absence of adequate social protection measures can also have undesirable consequences for the mental health of workers.
 
Enterprises are not spared and they face the consequences of work-related stress on their overall performance with increased absenteeism, presenteeism and staff turnover, and difficult labour relations.
 
More data and analysis is needed to fully quantify the financial costs of workplace stress but it is already abundantly clear that the burden is considerable. A recent study cited in the ILO report, Workplace stress: a collective challenge , issued for this day, indicates that more than 40 million people are affected by work-related stress within the EU and that the estimated cost of work-related depression is €617 billion a year.
 
While much still needs to be done to reduce stress at work, we can say that in recent years there have been welcome developments in understanding the issue.  Awareness has increased and in most countries policymakers, social partners and professional networks are becoming more involved in the design of legislation, policy, strategies and tools for the assessment and management of work-related stress.
 
It is clear that the protection of workers’ mental health must focus on preventive strategies. Assessing and managing psychosocial risks at their origin will help craft the collective and individual measures needed to improve the quality of working life for women and men.
 
The ILO is committed to work with governments, workers and employers and their organizations around the globe to design and implement effective national, regional and enterprise level policies to prevent and minimise work-related stress.

 
Guy Ryder.
International labour Organization
 
 
'Workplace stress: It’s time to lift the burden' .
 
In recent years, there has been growing attention to the impact of psychosocial risks and work-related stress among researchers, practitioners and policymakers. Work-related stress is now generally acknowledged as global issue affecting all countries, all professions and all workers both in developed and developing countries. In this complex context, the workplace is at the same time an important source of psychosocial risks and the ideal venue to address them in order to protect the health and well-being of workers.
 
 
 
Workplace Stress
 
PUBLICATIONS :
 
WHO report, Preventing Health Workers Series.
 
ILO/WHO Joint Committee Reports on Occupational Health
 
WHO’s work on occupational health is governed by the Global Plan of Action on Workers’ Health 2008-2017, endorsed by the World Health Assembly in 2007.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

This year, “Workplace Stress: a collective challenge” is the theme of the campaign of the World Day for Safety and Health at Work. The report will draw attention to current global trends on work-related stress and its impact.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Occupational Safety and Health : e-labadminOSH DVD 2015
 

Occupational Safety and Health


     

 
 RESOURCES :
 
-  Creating safe and healthy workplaces : Checkpoints app series , OSH phone apps : E-tools: stress, ergonomics, agriculture.
 
 

"Safe Workplace Makes SMEs Productive"

Monday 25 April 2016

World Intellectual Property Day 2016, April 26

世界知識產權日,4月26日.
Всемирный день интеллектуальной собственности, 26 апреля.
Journée mondiale de la propriété intellectuelle, 26 Avril.
World Intellectual Property Day, 26 April.
يوم العالمي للملكية الفكرية ,26 أبريل
Día Mundial de la Propiedad Intelectual, 26 de Abril.


Digital Creativity : Culture Reimagined.


2016年的主題:数字创意 重塑文化.
Тема 2016: Творчество в цифровой среде:  Переосмысление культуры.
Theme 2016 : Digital Creativity: Culture Reimagined.
Thème 2016: Créativité numérique : la culture réinventée.
موضوع 2016: الإبداع الرقمي: الثقافة تتجدد
Thema 2016 : Creatividad digital: reinventar la cultura.

Message from Director General Francis Gurry, (WIPO) World Intellectual Property Organization on the World Intellectual Property Day 2016, April 26.


World Intellectual Property Day, which we celebrate each year on April 26, is an opportunity to celebrate the creators and innovators who so enrich our world, and who are at the base of our cultural and technological development. This year our theme for World Intellectual Property Day is Digital Creativity: Culture Reimagined.

Culture has already been reimagined through digital creativity. The whole way in which creative works are produced around the world, the sorts of works that are produced, the way they are distributed, and the way they are consumed or enjoyed worldwide has been reimagined as a consequence of digital technology.

The internet is a world stage. It provides an enormous opportunity for creators. Think of the evolution of the creator across the ages and the way in which creators and performers interact with their audiences. Once this interaction was confined to those who were within immediate earshot of the performance. Now, with the internet, the audience has become potentially the whole world. That is an enormous creative opportunity. It's an enormous cultural opportunity. And it's an enormous economic opportunity. It is this opportunity which we want to celebrate on World Intellectual Property Day in 2016.
On this day, as we celebrate digital creativity across the world, we should also think about how to find the right balance - one which recognizes the importance of creators and innovators to all the progress that we see, culturally and technologically, as a consequence of digital technology.
So please join us on World Intellectual Property Day, whether it’s at one of the numerous events that are being held around the world, or by participating through Facebook, Twitter, or other social media. And please join in this challenge of finding the right balance to reward the creators and innovators who enrich our lives, while at the same time ensuring the social benefit of widespread access to their works.

 WIPO Director General Francis Gurry


FORUM : World Intellectual Property Day - April 26

April 26


In depth: The role of IP rights



Sunrise in Caracas, a writer awakens, inspired, and reaches for her tablet. Her idea lands with her collaborator in London, rehearsing in a West End theatre. Words, images, plot-lines and dialogue flash back and forth. A treatment for a new series – a global pandemic, drug cartels, high level corruption – hits the inbox of a Hollywood showrunner, who calls contacts in Dubai, Mumbai, Beijing and Berlin. Deals are cut, funds secured, distribution channels agreed.

Shooting begins: Outside scenes in Ouarzazate, interiors in Brooklyn, special effects from Bangkok. A soundtrack is added: a sizzling gumbo of rhythms from Rio and horns from Lagos, with a topping of Prague strings. The theme tune goes viral as fans stream the show on screens of every size, in every corner of the globe...

Films, TV, music, books, art, video-games –cultural works, in short– have long crossed borders. But the WiFi era is transforming how consumable culture is created, distributed and enjoyed in markets that are expanding far beyond national boundaries. Ever more accessible digital technologies have swept away physical constraints, placing a world of cross-cultural collaboration at the fingertips of every artist and creator, feeding the imagination in new ways. And with this blooming of digital creativity comes the boon to the digital consumer. We read, watch and listen to the works of countless creators across the world wherever, whenever and however we want.

Reimagining culture – how we create it, how we access it, and how we finance it – is not without challenges. And the challenge of a flexible, adaptive intellectual property system is to help ensure that the artists and creative industries in our digital universe can be properly paid for their work, so they can keep creating.

So for World IP Day this year, we’re exploring some of the issues surrounding our cultural future. We’ll be talking to experts on creativity in the digital market, and to creators themselves, to find out where they think we’re heading. Join us on Facebook as the story unfolds. Season One is just starting.



EVENTS :

Wondering what to do for World IP Day? Find out what's happening in your country.

At this unique international conference, participants explore the future evolution of the digital content market.

#Worldipday

 

Saturday 23 April 2016

World Malaria Day 2016, April 25

 

 
 
 
 
 
Theme 2016 : End malaria for good.
2016年的主題 : 使疟疾得到永远控制

 

 
 
 
The World Health Organization’s Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016-2030 has been developed with the aim of helping countries reduce the human suffering caused by the world’s deadliest mosquito-borne disease.
Adopted by the World Health Assembly in May 2015, the strategy provides comprehensive technical guidance to countries and development partners for the next 15 years, emphasizing the importance of scaling up malaria responses and moving towards elimination. It also highlights the urgent need to increase investments across all interventions – including preventive measures, diagnostic testing, treatment and disease surveillance – as well as in harnessing innovation and expanding research.
By adopting this strategy, WHO Member States have endorsed the bold vision of a world free of malaria, and set the ambitious new target of reducing the global malaria burden by 90% by 2030. They also agreed to strengthen health systems, address emerging multi-drug and insecticide resistance, and intensify national, cross-border and regional efforts to scale up malaria responses to protect everyone at risk.
By taking forward this strategy, countries will make a major contribution to implementing the post-2015 sustainable development framework. A major scale-up of malaria responses will not only help countries reach the healthrelated targets for 2030, but will contribute to poverty reduction and other development goals.
In the next 18 months, we will develop and roll out implementation plans in all WHO regions and support countries in updating their national malaria plans. We stand ready to expand our reach and increase our support to all countries irrespective of where they are along the elimination continuum.
Recent progress on malaria has shown us that, with adequate investments and the right mix of strategies, we can indeed make remarkable strides against this complicated enemy. We will need strong political commitment to see this through, and expanded financing.
We should act with resolve, and remain focused on our shared goal: to create a world in which no one dies of malaria. I remain confident that if we act with urgency and determination, we can beat this disease once and for all.
 
 Dr Margaret Chan,
WHO Director-General
 
 
 
 
 
 
Each year, WHO and partners unite around a common World Malaria Day theme. This year’s theme "End malaria for good" reflects the vision of a malaria-free world set out in the "Global technical strategy for malaria 2016-2030". Adopted in May 2015 by the World Health Assembly, the strategy aims to dramatically lower the global malaria burden over the next 15 years. Its goals are ambitious but attainable:
  • reducing the rate of new malaria cases by at least 90%
  • reducing malaria death rates by at least 90%
  • eliminating malaria in at least 35 countries
  • preventing a resurgence of malaria in all countries that are malaria-free
The timeline of 2016-2030 is aligned with the "2030 Agenda for sustainable development", the new global development framework endorsed by all UN Member States.
According to WHO’s "World malaria report 2015", there has been a major decline in global malaria cases and deaths since 2000. Progress was made possible through the massive expansion of effective tools to prevent and treat malaria, such as insecticide-treated mosquito nets, diagnostic testing and anti-malarial medicines.

Significant challenges remain however: globally, about 3.2 billion people – nearly half of the world’s population – are at risk of malaria. In 2015, there were an estimated 214 million new cases of malaria and 438,000 deaths, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa. Millions of people are still not accessing the services they need to prevent and treat malaria.



The Malaria-causing parasite, Plasmodium

 
 
World Malaria Day offers an annual opportunity to highlight advances in malaria control and to commit to continued investment and action to accelerate progress against this deadly disease. To achieve the targets of the "Global technical strategy" annual investment for malaria control will need to triple from current levels, reaching US $8.7 billion annually by 2030.
 
Goals, Milestones, Targets - GLOBAL TECHNICAL STRATEGY FOR MALARIA 2016–2030
Principles - GLOBAL TECHNICAL STRATEGY FOR MALARIA 2016–2030
 
 
Strategic Framework - GLOBAL TECHNICAL STRATEGY FOR MALARIA 2016–2030
 
World Malaria Day Twitter Chat
Monday, April 25, 2016, 9:00 am to 11:30 am ET

We are hosting an #EndMalaria Twitter roundtable on World Malaria Day. Please see below for a timeline of topics, retweet to promote our chat to your followers, and ask questions and chime in using #MalariaChat!
9:00 am ET Reaching the hardest to reach
9:30 am ET Malaria in Pregnancy
10:00 am ET Harnessing innovation & expanding research
10:30 am ET The threat of drug resistance
11:00 am ET What impedes or inspires behavior adoption or change?



PHOTOS :
"End Malaria For Good" photo contest winner



EVENTS :
 
2016 World Malaria Day Symposium


A DECADE OF PROGRESS : The President's Malaria Initiative
- Tenth Annual Report to Congress | April 2016



Global Malaria: The International Centers of Excellence Centennial Celebration
Johns Hopkins University
Bloomberg School of Public Health
Monday, April 25, 2016

World malaria day april 25th, 2016 in bern - DNDi
REAFFIRMING SWITZERLAND'S LEADERSHIP ROLE TO END MALARIA WORLD MALARIA DAY CEREMONY 25TH OF APRIL 2016, PART I OF II ON THE FEDERAL SQUARE BERN




 
 
 
 
PUBLICATION :
 
 

MEDIA COVERAGE :
Over the past 15 years, there has been a dramatic decline in the global burden of malaria. Since 2000, nearly 60 countries have reduced their malaria cases by 75% or more, and the rate of new cases has decreased by 37% globally. But our journey is far from over. In 2015 alone, more than 400 000 people died of malaria, and there were 214 million new cases of the disease.




RESOURCES :


Friday 22 April 2016

English Language Day 2016, April 23

  
"All the world's a stage. And all the men and women merely players." From 'As You Like It'
by William Shakespeare

English Language Day at the UN is celebrated on 23 April, the date traditionally observed as the birthday of William Shakespeare. The Day is the result of a 2010 initiative by the Department of Public Information, establishing language days for each of the Organization's six official languages. The purpose of the UN's language days is to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity as well as to promote equal use of all six official languages throughout the Organization.

Resources

World Book and Copyright Day 2016, 23 April




A book is a link between the past and the future. It is a bridge between generations and across cultures. It is a force for creating and sharing wisdom and knowledge.
Frank Kafka once said, “a book must be an ice-axe to break the seas frozen inside our soul.”
A window onto our inner lives, books are also the doorway to mutual respect and understanding between people, across all boundaries and differences.
Coming in all forms, books embody the diversity of human ingenuity, giving shape to the wealth of human experience, expressing the search for meaning and expression that all women and men share, that drive all societies forward. Books help weave humanity together as a single family, holding a past in common, a history and heritage, to craft a destiny that is shared, where all voices are heard in the great chorus of human aspiration.
This is what we celebrate on World Book and Copyright Day, in partnership with the International Publishers Association, the International Booksellers Federation and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions -- the power of books to nurture creativity and advance dialogue between women and men of all cultures.
I thank Wroclaw, Poland, as the 2016 World Book Capital, for its commitment to spreading this message across the globe. This has never been so important at a time when culture is under attack, when freedom of expression is threatened, when diversity is challenged by rising intolerance.
In turbulent times, books embody the human capacity to conjure up worlds of reality and imagination and express them in voices of understanding, dialogue and tolerance. They are symbols of hope and dialogue that we must cherish and defend.
William Shakespeare died on 23 April, 1616, preceded by only one day by Cervantes. On this day, I call upon all of UNESCO’s partners to share the message that books are a force to counter, what Shakespeare called, “the common curse of mankind -- folly and ignorance.”


PHOTOCONTEXT :


EVENTS : World Book and Copyright Day 2016
  1. Participate in a conference on Copyright in Europe on 22 April at UNESCO HQ.
  2. Opening Ceremony in Wroclaw on 23 April to celebrate World Book Capital 2016
  3.  Discover the official Programme to mark the 4th Centenary of the death of Miguel de Cervantes


AUSTRALIA
SYDNEY: The first ILAB pop-up fair on UNESCO World Book and Copyright Day 2016 will be the final event of an international conference (Books: Still So Much to Learn and Discover) for librarians, booksellers and anyone interested in rare books held on 21-22 April at the State Library of New South Wales, and organised by the Australian and New Zealand Association of Antiquarian Booksellers (ANZAAB). The day after the conference booksellers will offer rare books, maps and ephemera at the NSW library.
DUNKELD & HAMILTON: Three Victoria booksellers in the Australian bush are raising funds in their bookshops in the weeks leading up to World Book and Copyright Day. Roz Greenwood and Marg Phillips of Roz Greenwood Old & Rare Books and Guy Hamilton of Bellcourt Books are leading the fundraising efforts.
TOKYO, JAPAN
The World Antiquarian Book Plaza in Tokyo will host a pop-up fair organised by the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of Japan (ABAJ). From Tokyo to Kyoto, Sapporo, Osaka and Kumamoto, Japanese rare book dealers will also decorate windows to raise money for UNESCO.
KOREA
SEOUL, PUSAN & DAEGU: Find rare and fine books with pop-up fairs in these three Korean cities.
MOSCOW, RUSSIA
There will be a free appraisal day at the Moscow State University of the Printing Arts. Bring your books, maps, prints and autographs, and learn their value. There will also be a special exhibition and auction of books about books at bookshops in Moscow.
CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA
Antiquarian Auctions and Penguin Random House will host a talk with Susan Buchanan, author of Burchell’s Travels: The Life, Art and Journeys of William John Burchell, and other experts in the field.
SPAIN
BARCELONA: It is a tradition in Barcelona to offer a rose for every book bought on St Jorge’s Day, which coincides with World Book Day. ILAB bookseller Albert Casals and his colleagues will pop up at the famous La Ramblas, to show books and to raise money.
MADRID: April 23 marks the 400th anniversary of the deaths of Shakespeare and Cervantes. Don Quixote was printed in Madrid by Juan de la Cuesta. At Juan’s former house, Spanish booksellers will pop up and present rare editions of Don Quixote and other books about Spanish book history.
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND
At Cabaret Voltaire, where Tristan Tzara, Jean Arp, Hugo Ball, Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Marcel Janco and others founded the Dada movement in 1916, Swiss antiquarian booksellers will gather exactly 100 years later for a pop-up book fair. See a Dada performance and a presentation of rare first editions.
MUNICH, GERMANY
“Book Tales & Cocktails” was a major success last year, so Munich’s rare book dealers are repeating the event at Kaufmanns Casino, where 15 antiquarian booksellers from Bavaria will once again show extraordinary books. Enjoy music, drinks, finger food, and a lecture on “Early 20th Century German Publishing” by collector and publisher Klaus G. Saur.
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY
Hungarian booksellers will hold a pop-up book fair at the Institute Cervantes to marks the 400th anniversary of the author’s death. Support literacy, see the Don Quixote exhibition and browse bibliophile treasures.
PARIS, FRANCE
Enjoy free entry to the Salon International du Livre Rare & de l’Autographe in the Grand Palais on 23 April in exchange for a donation to UNESCO’s South Sudan literacy project. Look out for the Miguel de Cervantes exhibition.
NETHERLANDS
AMSTERDAM: Frank Rutten, Sascha Kok and other Amsterdam booksellers are staging a ‘UNESCO Night of the Books’, with music and theater.
HAARLEM: Visit a pop-up book market on Kruisstraat in the historical centre of Haarlem.
GRONINGEN: Antiquariat Isis, ILAB’s only member in this part of Holland, is staging a special pop-up celebration at Folkingestraat in Groninge.
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK
Antiquarian booksellers will pop up in the foyers of Copenhagen libraries.
SWEDEN
STOCKHOLM: The Stockholm Culture Night celebrates art, music, dance and literature throughout the Swedish capital. Look out for Mats Petterson, Mats Rehnströhm and other Swedish booksellers popping up at the Royal Swedish Academy of Art to present treasures from the history of printing in Sweden.
LUND: Pierre Dethorey from Akarps Antikvariat at Kalkstensvägen 21 is organizing a special exhibition of more than 200 Swedish chapbooks and catch-penny-prints.
OXFORD, UNITED KINGDOM
Booksellers from the Antiquarian Booksellers Association (ABA) and colleagues in the Provincial Booksellers’ Association (PBFA) will join together at one of Britain’s largest book fairs, the Oxford Premier Fair, on April 23 and 24, to support the UNESCO initiative.
UNITED STATES

CHICAGO: Kurt Gippert and fellow Windy City booksellers will hold a pop-up book fair overlooking Lake Michigan.
SEATTLE: ILAB booksellers will be in the Madison Room at the Sorrento Hotel for a pop-up book fair including a six-hour appraisal event.
PORTLAND, OREGON: Join ABAA bookseller Elisabeth Burdon of Old Imprints and some of her colleagues in celebrating the final ILAB event of World Book Day.
 
RESOURCES : 

United Nations

UNESCO

World Intellectual Property Organization






POP-UP BOOKFAIRS :
  Discover rare books on the most unusual locations across the world

 PUBLICATIONS:


Wednesday 20 April 2016

International Mother Earth Day 2016, April 22


 Международный день Матери-Земли, 22 апреля.
 نيسان/أبريل 22, اليوم الدولي لأمنا الأرض

The movement continues.
We are now entering the 46th year of a movement that continues to inspire, challenge ideas, ignite passion, and motivate people to action.
In 1970, the year of our first Earth Day, the movement gave voice to an emerging consciousness, channeling human energy toward environmental issues. Forty-six years later, we continue to lead with groundbreaking ideas and by the power of our example.
And so it begins. Today. Right here and right now. Earth Day is more than just a single day — April 22, 2016. It’s bigger than attending a rally and taking a stand.
This Earth Day and beyond, let’s make big stuff happen. Let’s plant 7.8 billion trees for the Earth. Let’s divest from fossil fuels and make cities 100% renewable. Let’s take the momentum from the Paris Climate Summit and build on it.
Let’s start now. And let’s not stop.
- See more at: http://www.earthday.org/#sthash.kkb8tOrR.dpuf

On the first Earth Day in 1970, 22 million Americans celebrated clean air, land, and water.
On the first Earth Day in 1970, 22 million Americans celebrated clean air, land, and water.

  Theme 2016 : Trees For The Earth.



Over the next five years, as Earth Day moves closer to its 50th anniversary, we’re calling on you to help us achieve one of our most ambitious goals yet — we’re planting 7.8 billion trees and we’re starting now.  Our planet is currently losing over 15 Billion trees each year (equivalent to 48 football fields every minute). In honor of Earth Day’s 50th anniversary in 2020, Earth Day Network announced Trees for the Earth, a plan to plant 7.8 Billion trees by Earth Day 2020: one tree for every person on the planet. We invite you to join us!

 Trees will be the first of five major goals we are undertaking in honor of the five-year countdown to our 50th anniversary. On their own and together, these initiatives will make a significant and measurable impact on the Earth and will serve as the foundation of a cleaner, healthier and more sustainable planet for all.

  In planting 7.8 Billion trees, we will contribute to three major goals:




Mitigating Climate Change and Pollution 

Planting trees absorb excess and harmful CO2 from our atmosphere. In a single year, it takes roughly 96 trees to absorb the amount of CO2 produced by one person.Trees also absorb odors and pollutant gases like nitrogen oxides, ammonia, sulfur dioxide and ozone, as well as filter particulates out of the air by trapping them on their leaves and bark.



Protecting Biodiversity 

By planting the right trees, we can help counteract the loss of species, as well as provide increased habitat connectivity between regional forest patches.


Supporting Communities and their Livelihoods

Planting trees help communities achieve long-term economic and environmental sustainability and provide food, energy and income. Studies have shown that schools with tree cover have reduced asthma and lung disease rates and help students with ADHD concentrate for longer periods. Tree planting has a direct correlation to reduced crime rates, increased property values, reduced litter, higher social cohesion, and a number of other social and psychological benefits.





JAXA's earth observation satellites contributes to understand Climate Change and to mitigate its impact and to adapt its situation in three fields of carbon cycle (GOSAT), forest monitoring (ALOS-2) and watercycle (DPR,GCOM-W).


 


FORUM :  International Mother Earth Day - April 22


 The movement continues.  We are now entering the 46th year of a movement that continues to inspire, challenge ideas, ignite passion, and motivate people to action.  In 1970, the year of our first Earth Day, the movement gave voice to an emerging consciousness, channeling human energy toward environmental issues. Forty-six years later, we continue to lead with groundbreaking ideas and by the power of our example.  And so it begins. Today. Right here and right now. Earth Day is more than just a single day — April 22, 2016. It’s bigger than attending a rally and taking a stand.  This Earth Day and beyond, let’s make big stuff happen. Let’s plant 7.8 billion trees for the Earth. Let’s divest from fossil fuels and make cities 100% renewable. Let’s take the momentum from the Paris Climate Summit and build on it.  Let’s start now. And let’s not stop.




Provisional list of Parties that have indicated their intentions to sign the Paris Agreement  

Paris Climate Agreement signing ceremony - 22 april 2016
 The Paris Agreement will be open for signature by the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on 22 April and will remain open for signature for one year.


22 Apr 2016 - Remarks by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the opening of the High-level Signature Ceremony for the Paris Agreement. 
 
 
 
 
To keep the global spotlight focused on climate change and build on the strong political momentum from Paris, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has invited representatives of all countries to sign the Paris Agreement on climate change at a special Ceremony at the United Nations Headquarters on 22 April. The Signing Ceremony takes place on the first day that the Agreement will be open for signatures, and marks the first step toward ensuring that the Agreement enters into legal force as quickly as possible.
The Paris Agreement was adopted by all 196 Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change at COP21 in Paris on 12 December 2015. In the agreement, all countries agreed to work to limit global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius, and given the grave risks, to strive for 1.5 degrees Celsius. Implementation of the Paris Agreement is essential for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, and provides a roadmap for climate actions that will reduce emissions and build climate resilience


EVENTS : Earth Day 2016

 
 — Hosting an Earth Day rally or tree planting event in your area?

Let's Connect with Earth Day Canada : Participate in Earth Day Canada’s #Rooting4Trees ‘pledge and plant’ campaign and help grow a forest of 25,000 trees for our 25th anniversary




Guide to the Millennium Assessment Reports

The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) was called for by the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 2000. Initiated in 2001, the objective of the MA was to assess the consequences of ecosystem change for human well-being and the scientific basis for action needed to enhance the conservation and sustainable use of those systems and their contribution to human well-being.

Resources
Global Forest Ressources Assesssment 2015 - FAO

Earth Day 2016 — Event Registration

Hosting an Earth Day rally or tree planting event in your area? Register your event here. Based on the settings you select, Earth Day Network will make your event accessible through our website and to our global audience.
Your participation in Earth Day is greatly appreciated. It’s people and/or organizations like you that help turn this movement into real and tangible positive outcomes for our planet.
- See more at: http://www.earthday.org/earth-day/registerfind-an-event/#sthash.vUSKGjgb.dpufEarth Day 2016 — Event Registration  Hosting an Earth Day rally or tree planting event in your area?