The theme builds on the ongoing efforts of the WHO Global Patient Safety Challenge: Medication Without Harm. It also provides much-needed impetus to take urgent action for reducing medication-related harm through strengthening systems and practices of medication use. The slogan of World Patient Safety Day 2022 “Medication Without Harm” aims to focus attention on making the process of medication safer and free from harm, and to galvanize action on the Challenge by calling on all stakeholders to prioritize medication safety and address unsafe practices and system weaknesses, with a special focus on the three main causes of avoidable harm arising from medication: high-risk situations, transitions of care and polypharmacy.
Unsafe medication practices and medication errors are a leading cause of avoidable harm in health care across the world. Medication errors occur when weak medication systems, and human factors such as fatigue, poor environmental conditions or staff shortages, affect prescribing, transcribing, dispensing, administration and monitoring practices, which can then result in severe patient harm, disability and even death. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has significantly exacerbated the risk of medication errors and associated medication-related harm. Considering this huge burden of harm, “Medication Safety” has been selected as the theme for World Patient Safety Day 2022.
OBJECTIVES
- RAISE global awareness of the high burden of medication-related harm due to medication errors and unsafe practices, and ADVOCATE urgent action to improve medication safety.
- ENGAGE key stakeholders and partners in the efforts to prevent medication errors and reduce medication-related harm.
- EMPOWER patients and families to be actively involved in the safe use of medication.
- SCALE UP implementation of the WHO Global Patient Safety Challenge: Medication Without Harm.
CAMPAIGN:Working together to make health care safer.
The global campaign for World Patient Safety Day 2022 proposes a wide range of activities for all key stakeholders on and around 17 September 2022, including development of national campaigns, organization of policy forums, advocacy and technical events, capacity-building initiatives and, as in previous years, lighting up iconic monuments, landmarks and public places in orange (the signature mark of the campaign). WHO encourages all stakeholders to join the global campaign and adopt the WHO Global Patient Safety Challenge: Medication Without Harm in their efforts to implement the Global Patient Safety Action Plan 2021–2030
Today, we celebrate 35 years of the Montreal Protocol’s success in protecting the stratospheric ozone layer against synthetic chemicals that also cause climate heating. Thanks to a global agreement, humanity has averted a major health catastrophe due to ultraviolet radiation pouring through a massive hole in the ozone layer.
The Montreal Protocol is a success because, when science discovered the threat we all faced, Governments and their partners acted. We adopted a global environmental agreement that has been universally ratified and decisively implemented.
The Montreal Protocol is a powerful example of multilateralism in action. With the many problems facing the world — from conflicts to growing poverty, deepening inequality and the climate emergency — it is a reminder that we can succeed in working together for the common good.
The Montreal Protocol has already contributed to tackling the climate crisis. By protecting plants from ultraviolet radiation, allowing them to live and store carbon, it has avoided up to an extra 1°C of global warming. The Protocol’s work to phase out climate-heating gases and improve energy efficiency through its Kigali Amendment can further slow climate disruption.
But, only by mirroring the cooperation and speedy action of the Montreal Protocol elsewhere can we stop the carbon pollution that is dangerously heating our world. We have a choice: collective action or collective suicide.
On this International Day, let us pledge to emulate the cooperation shown by the Montreal Protocol to end the climate crisis and all our common challenges. And let us continue to back the Montreal Protocol’s essential work.
“In the face of a triple planetary crisis – climate change, nature loss and pollution – the Montreal Protocol is one of the best examples we have of the power of multilateralism; how global cooperation can protect life on Earth, which is the theme of this year’s World Ozone Day 35th anniversary,” said Meg Seki, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP’s) Ozone Secretariat.
On this thirty-fifth anniversary, we will remember how the Montreal Protocol ended one of the biggest threats ever to face humanity: the depletion of the ozone layer. When the world found out that man-made chemicals used in aerosol sprays and cooling were creating a hole in the sky, they came together.
The world that our democratic principles are constantly under threat. In fact, now more than ever Democracy is backsliding, civic space is shrinking, distrust, mis- and disinformation are growing while threats to the freedom of journalists and media workers are expanding by the day. This year, Democracy Day will focus on the importance of media freedom to democracy, peace, and delivering on the Sustainable Development Goals.
"Today marks the 15th anniversary of the International Day of Democracy. Yet across the world, democracy is backsliding. Civic space is shrinking. Distrust and disinformation are growing. And polarization is undermining democratic institutions. Now is the time to raise the alarm. Now is the time to reaffirm that democracy, development, and human rights are interdependent and mutually reinforcing. Now is the time to stand up for the democratic principles of equality, inclusion, and solidarity. And stand with those who strive to secure the rule of law and promote the full participation in decision-making. This year, we focus on a cornerstone of democratic societies – free, independent, and pluralistic media. Attempts to silence journalists are growing more brazen by the day – from verbal assault to online surveillance and legal harassment – especially against women journalists. Media workers face censorship, detention, physical violence, and even killings – often with impunity. Such dark paths inevitably lead to instability, injustice and worse. Without a free press, democracy cannot survive. Without freedom of expression, there is no freedom. On Democracy Day and every day, let us join forces to secure freedom and protect the rights of all people, everywhere. Thank you".
Free, independent and pluralistic media, able to keep the public informed on matters of public interest, is a key ingredient to democracy. It enables the public to make informed decisions and hold governments to account. When media freedoms are under threat - the flow of information can be stifled, skewed or cut off entirely. Increasingly, journalists around the world face limits to their ability to operate freely – with a grave impact on human rights, democracy and development.
EVENT : To mark International Democracy Day this year, the UN Office for Partnerships collaborates with the UN Democracy Fund to host a discussion in the SDG studio as part of the SDG Roundtable series. The conversation will showcase why protecting media freedom is a critical component of a healthy democracy. Moreover, it will propose and discuss solutions for the achievement of SDG 16 - Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions. You can contribute to this work by sharing the roundtable on 15 September and raising awareness around protecting media freedoms globally.
Achieving the ambitious targets of the 2030 Agenda and adapting to the changing global context mentioned above will require engagement from stakeholders leveraging their diverse and unique advantages. South-South and triangular cooperation are important cornerstones of development activity and will serve as vital modalities for action as complements to North-South cooperation.
In this era of unprecedented challenge and upheaval, solutions lie in solidarity.
South-South and triangular cooperation are critical for developing countries to mitigate and adapt to climate disruption, address the global health crisis, including COVID-19 recovery, and achieve all 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
It is important that Southern-led development solutions are shared far and wide.
South-South and triangular cooperation must play an ever-increasing role in resolving our common challenges.
But that does not absolve the wealthier nations of their responsibilities to work constructively with the developing world, especially to reduce growing inequalities between and within nations.
As we commemorate the United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation,I encourage all nations and communities to redouble cooperation and build bridges to achieve an equitable and sustainable future for all.
U.N. Secretary-General.
EVENTS The 2022 high-level commemoration of the United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation will be organized during the Global South-South Development (GSSD) Expo. The event – held under the theme Key Priorities and Future Directions in Advancing South-South and Triangular Cooperation for Sustainable COVID-19 Recovery: Towards a Smart and Resilient Future – will be co-hosted by the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC), Government of Thailand and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP). During the event, stakeholders will have an opportunity to reflect on the vital role of South-South and triangular cooperation in supporting Member States to achieve the 2030 Agenda and deliver on the Decade of Action, while effectively recovering from the global COVID-19 crisis, and building resilient, sustainable, smart and inclusive societies.
Main Event: United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation 2022. ● Key Priorities and Future Directions in Advancing South-South and Triangular Cooperation for Sustainable COVID-19 Recovery: Towards a Smart and Resilient Future.
High-level Panel Discussion Monday, 12 September 2022 18:20-19:45 BKK time / 7:20-8:45 am NY time United Nations Conference Centre (UNCC), Bangkok, Thailand.
The global landscape has shifted significantly in recent decades. The world has seen important economic and demographic changes, cascading impact of climate change, a global health pandemic, a rise in global conflict and refugee flows, and rapid advancement in the availability and use of digital technologies. These developments have fundamentally changed the way that people live, work, connect and socialize. They offer new challenges but also provide new opportunities for human development.
The volume includes solutions on COVID-19 response and recovery, poverty alleviation, climate action, trade facilitation and digitalization. Building on the three prior highly successful editions, the 2022 volume significantly expands the South-South and triangular cooperation knowledge base across all Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), highlighting innovation, and a greater diversity of partners now leveraging South-South and triangular cooperation collaboration for development.
A reception and a cultural event will be hosted by the Government of Thailand and UNESCAP.
We can all create hope through action and be the light.“Creating hope through action” is the triennial theme for the World Suicide Prevention Day from 2021 - 2023. This theme is a reminder that there is an alternative to suicide and aims to inspire confidence and light in all of us.
By creating hope through action, we can signal to people experiencing suicidal thoughts that there is hope and that we care and want to support them. It also suggests that our actions, no matter how big or small, may provide hope to those who are struggling. Lastly, it highlights the importance of setting suicide prevention as a priority public health agenda by countries, particularly where access to mental health services and availability of evidence-based interventions are already low. Building on this theme and spreading this message over the three years, a world can be envisioned where suicides are not so prevalent.
We can all play a role in supporting those experiencing a suicidal crisis or those bereaved by suicide whether as a member of society, as a child, as a parent, as a friend, as a colleague or as a person with lived experience. We can all encourage understanding about the issue, reach in to people who are struggling, and share our experiences.
An estimated 703,000 people a year take their life around the world. For every suicide, there are likely 20 other people making a suicide attempt and many more have serious thoughts of suicide. Millions of people suffer intense grief or are otherwise profoundly impacted by suicidal behaviours. Each suicidal death is a public health concern with a profound impact on those around them. By raising awareness, reducing the stigma around suicide, and encouraging well-informed action, we can reduce instances of suicide around the world.
Schools and universities should be safe havens. Military use of schools can convert them into military objectives and make them a target for attack by opposing forces. Attacks on education can cause immediate injury and loss of life and can also have long-lasting consequences. Damage to schools, and trauma experienced by students and teachers, can mean that some never resume their studies or return to work. Education should be kept out of the crossfire. We call on all parties to uphold and protect the civilian nature of schools, students, and education personnel and refrain from military-related use of educational facilities. Follow the conversations with the hastags #ProtectEducationFromAttack. #SafeSchoolsDeclaration.
Education is a fundamental human right and an essential driver for achieving peace and sustainable development. Unfortunately, this right continues to fall under attack, especially in conflict-affected areas.
In 2020 and 2021, the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack reports over 5,000 attacks and cases of military use of schools and universities. More than 9,000 students and educators were killed, abducted, arbitrarily arrested, or injured. The majority of victims were women and girls.
These attacks deprive millions of vulnerable learners from accessing education and increase the risk of sexual violence and child recruitment by armed groups. They must stop immediately. Classrooms must remain places of peace and learning.
I welcome steps taken by many countries to protect educational institutions and those who need them, and I urge all Member States to endorse and implement the Safe Schools Declaration. International law and international humanitarian law obligations must be respected. We must pursue monitoring, investigate all attacks and hold perpetrators to account.
As we mark the International Day to Protect Education from Attack and look forward to the Transforming Education Summit, let us act together to guarantee safe education for all.
U.N. Secretary-General.
WEBINARS
This virtual side-event underscored the obligation for Member States and other stakeholders to ensure full protection of the right to education in times of armed conflict. The discussion will focus on concrete actions needed to enhance governments' capacities to prevent and address attacks on education, including through the design and implementation of evidence-based policies.
Rapidly changing global context took a new meaning over the past years, hampering the progress of global literary efforts. In the aftermath of the pandemic, nearly 24 million learners might never return to formal education, out of which, 11 million are projected to be girls and young women. To ensure no one is left behind, we need to enrich and transform the existing learning spaces through an integrated approach and enable literacy learning in the perspective of lifelong learning.
Since 1967, International Literacy Day (ILD) celebrations have taken place annually around the world to remind the public of the importance of literacy as a matter of dignity and human rights, and to advance the literacy agenda towards a more literate and sustainable society. Despite progress made, literacy challenges persist with 771 million illiterate people around the world, most of whom women, who still lack basic reading and writing skills and are faced with increased vulnerability.
