WORLD TELEVISION DAY 2013, November 21.

WORLD TELEVISION DAY occurs annually on November 21th.

Join the Forum : World Television Day - November 21.

In recognition of the increasing impact television has on decision-making by bringing world attention to conflicts and threats to peace and security and its potential role in sharpening the focus on other major issues, including economic and social issues, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 21 November as World Television Day (through resolution 51/205 of 17 December 1996).


World Television Day is not so much a celebration of the tool, but rather the philosophy which it represents. Television represents a symbol for communication and globalization in the contemporary world.

UNTV programmes being prepared for shipment to television stations in many parts of the world.
01 November 1957. UN Photo

 Imagine for a moment that, as of tomorrow, your television set stopped working. What’s the first thing you’d miss? Your favourite drama series? Staying in touch with the news? Seeing your sports club in action?

Maybe. But TV’s importance in society goes deeper than that. Television is a medium that improves the world, triggers imagination, raises curiosity, encourages education and gathers millions around common interests.

We believe in television as a medium that does good, we believe in television as a medium that triggers imagination, arises curiosity, encourages education and gathers millions around common interests. Here are nine good reasons why we should celebrate television today.

° TV has authority :

Today information is everywhere. But television has a particular authority. If you see something on TV, you know that millions of others are also seeing it, and that it has been verified, produced and created by professionals. That’s why television remains the most popular and trusted platform for news, culture, sports and entertainment.

° TV creates communities :

Great television programmes create communities around them. TV shows, live events and news make animated conversation for friends, family and colleagues. They bind people together and trigger reactions on social networks..

° TV inspires the mind :

Television is a fantastic educational tool. It broadens knowledge of different cultures, promotes tolerance and global understanding of international issues. Through current affairs, discovery, lifestyle, cooking shows and children’s programmes, television encourages scientific and cultural curiosity.

° TV delivers quality :

Thanks to the hard work of talented people on and off-screen, building on decades of experience and on new ways of working and communicating with audiences, the production quality of television programming has never been better than it is today.

° TV gives a voice to good causes :

Thanks to its unrivalled reach and emotional power, television enables effective calls for action during humanitarian crises, natural disasters and social emergencies. It reaches out to society through programmes and communication campaigns on environment, healthy eating, physical activity, responsible sexual attitudes and responsible alcohol consumption, and many others.

° TV goes hand-in-hand with sport :

Without television, professional sport would be unrecognisable. Millions enjoy watching live sport every week from all parts of the world in ever-higher picture quality, and enjoy the sense of unity that sports coverage creates. Televised sport has other benefits: it promotes sport’s values and ethics, and it inspires people to follow healthy role models.

° TV stimulates the economy :

The global media sector of which television is a major part employs millions of skilled workers across the world; over 1.2 million people are estimated to work in the audiovisual sector in the European Union alone*. In addition, the success of commercial television as an advertising medium generates revenue which can be reinvested in even more great programming for viewers.

° TV embraces the digital age :

Consumers now have more opportunities to enjoy television content than ever before. Viewers can watch on multiple screens and interact within fan communities and social platforms. The social television experience is completed with exclusive online content, pre-release of sequences before linear-TV broadcast, digital video interviews, making of videos, backstage photos and many others.

° TV reaches consumers & builds brands :

Television ensures that consumers know about new products, services, ideas and projects. It strengthens the position of existing brands and reassures consumers about the choices they make.

Africa Industrialization Day 2013, 20 November

Día de la Industrialización de África, 20 de noviembre.
El tema de 2013 es: «La creación de empleos y el desarrollo empresarial: un medio para acelerar la industrialización de África»

День индустриализации Африки, 20 ноября.
Тема Дня в 2013 году: создание рабочих мест и развитие предпринимательской деятельности как способ активизации процесса индустриализации Африки.

Journée de l’industrialisation de l’Afrique, 20 novembre.
Thème 2013 : Création d’emplois et développement de l’entreprenariat comme moyen visant à accélérer l’industrialisation en Afrique.

Africa Industrialization Day, 20 November.
Theme 2013: Job creation and entrepreneurship development: a means to accelerate industrialisation in Africa

非洲工业化日, 11月20日.
2013年主题：创造就业机会和创业发展以加速非洲工业化.
موضوع عام 2013: خلق فرص عمل وتنمية المشاريع الصغيرة لدفع عجلة التصنيع في أفريقيا

 

 

2013, Year of Pan Africanism and African Renaissance. - Celebrating Success - Afric's voice over 50 Years (1963-2013)

United Nations Secretary-General's Message for Africa Industrialization Day 2013

Job creation and entrepreneurship development: a means to accelerate industrialisation in Africa

On this year’s Africa Industrialization Day, we are highlighting the crucial role of job creation and entrepreneurship in eradicating poverty.
Although Africa is home to some of the world’s fastest growing economies – with growth across a variety of sectors – too many people are still being left behind.  The region is affected by widespread unemployment – particularly among youth.  Many, especially women, are engaged in vulnerable forms of work with low and unstable pay.
As we strive to meet the Millennium Development Goals and shape the post-2015 agenda, we must address the challenges of joblessness, youth unemployment and the shortcomings of a large informal economy.  By focusing on job creation, entrepreneurship and the promotion of small and medium enterprises, we can boost inclusive and sustainable industrial development across the continent.
Africa’s economic dynamism, young population and potential for innovation form the foundation for stronger and competitive industries. As we mark this 50th anniversary year of the establishment of the Organization of African Unity, the United Nations renews our commitment to Africa’s development and the African Union’s efforts to achieve inclusive growth. 
Let us work together to foster job creation and entrepreneurship throughout the continent as critical ways to build a more prosperous and sustainable future for all.

Ban Ki-moon 

 This year’s Africa Industrialisation Day highlights the crucial role of job creation and entrepreneurship in eradicating poverty and will be observed in New York on 22 November 2013.

 

 Join the Forum : Africa Industrialization Day - November 20.

Universal Children's Day 2013, November 20th.

• Universal Children's Day, 20 November.
• Día Universal del Niño, 20 de noviembre.
• Всемирный день ребенка, 20 ноября.
• Journée mondiale de l’enfance, 20 novembre.
• 国际儿童日,11月20日.
• اليوم العالمي للطفل - 20 تشرين الثاني

By resolution 836(IX) of 14 December 1954, the General Assembly recommended that all countries institute a Universal Children's Day, to be observed as a day of worldwide fraternity and understanding between children. It recommended that the Day was to be observed also as a day of activity devoted to promoting the ideals and objectives of the Charter and the welfare of the children of the world. The Assembly suggested to governments that the Day be observed on the date and in the way which each considers appropriate. The date 20 November, marks the day on which the Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, in 1959, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, in 1989.

In 2000 world leaders outlined the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – which range from halving extreme poverty to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education, all by the target date of 2015. Though the Goals are for all humankind, they are primarily about children. UNICEF notes that six of the eight goals relate directly to children and meeting the last two will also make critical improvements in their lives.

At the 2013 UN Treaty Event, which were held 24–26, and 30 September and 1 October at New York Headquarters, United Nations officials urged Member States, which have not done so, to ratify the Convention on the Rights of Child and its three Optional Protocols, stressing that this is vital to protect children from abuse and mistreatment worldwide.

 

Additional Resources

UN Global Issues - Children
CyberSchoolBus
MDG Goal 2: Achieve Universal Primary Education
MDG Goal 4: Reduce Child Mortality
20 years of the Convention on the Rights of the Child
The State of the World’s Children 2009: Maternal and Newborn Health
Voices of Youth
UNICEF and Say Yes for children
UN Study on Violence against Children (UNICEF | OHCHR)
UN Special Session on Children
GA on Children
World Summit for Children
The UN Works for Children
Securing the future – advocating for children (UNAIDS)

Int'l Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women 2013, November 25th.

WHO report into violence against women: key data.

A new report from the World Health Organisation has drawn together data from dozens of studies and found that worldwide, 35% of women have experienced violence - and that the consequences for their health can be devastating.



 
 Health consequences ;



The report catalogues the disastrous consequences that violence has on women's physical, mental and sexual and reproductive health. Many of these are complex and not immediately evident, but their impact is often enormous. Non-fatal injuries are one of the most direct effects of violence.

The report uses the USA as an example where half of women in abusive relationships are physically injured by their partners and that most of them sustain multiple types of injuries - the head, neck and face being the most common, followed by muscular, skeletal and genital injuries.

Several studies identified that women with a history of intimate partner violence are 16% more likely to have a low-birth-weight baby and twice as likely to report having had an induced abortion - nearly half of which globally take place in unsafe conditions.

What's more, when compared with women who have not experienced partner violence, those that have are 1.5 times more likely to acquire HIV. Every study that looked at the relationship between intimate partner violence and harmful alcohol use found a positive correlation between the two - although substance abuse may also be linked mental health disorders which also increase a woman's vulnerability to violence. Depression and suicide was also consistently cited as a severe health consequence of violence against women. Traumatic stress is the mechanism most likely to explain the fact that depression rates are double for women who have experienced violence.

World Toilet Day 2013, November 19.

United Nations Secretary-General's Message for World Toilet Day 2013.

Each year, more than 800,000 children under five die needlessly from diarrhoea – more than one child a minute. Countless others fall seriously ill, with many suffering long-term health and developmental consequences.  Poor sanitation and hygiene are the primary cause. Worldwide, some 2.5 billion people lack the benefits of adequate sanitation. More than 1 billion people practice open defecation. We must break the taboos and make sanitation for all a global development priority.

This first official observance by the United Nations of World Toilet Day is an opportunity to highlight this important topic.  Sanitation is central to human and environmental health. It is essential for sustainable development, dignity and opportunity. Poor water and sanitation cost developing countries around $260 billion a year -- 1.5 per cent of their gross domestic product. On the other hand, every dollar invested can bring a five-fold return by keeping people healthy and productive. When schools offer decent toilets, 11 per cent more girls attend. When women have access to a private latrine, they are less vulnerable to assault. 
Despite the compelling moral and economic case for action on sanitation, progress has been too little and too slow. That is why I launched a Call to Action on Sanitation this year to end open defecation by 2025 and build on existing efforts such as Sanitation and Water for All and the Sanitation Drive to 2015, the target date for achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

We are a long way from achieving the MDG target of reducing by half the proportion of people lacking adequate sanitation. We must urgently step up our efforts, with all actors working together for rapid, tangible results. And as we look beyond 2015, it is essential that sanitation is placed at the heart of the post-2015 development framework. The solutions need not be expensive or technology-driven. There are many successful models that can be replicated and scaled up. We must also work to educate at-risk communities and change cultural perceptions and long-standing practices that have no place in our modern world.
By working together – and by having an open and frank discussion on the importance of toilets and sanitation – we can improve the health and well-being of one-third of the human family. That is the goal of World Toilet Day.

Ban Ki-moon

 Forum : Discussion on the importance of toilets


 The United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Mr. Jan Eliasson, explains that one third of humanity lacks access to improved sanitation, such as toilets or latrine, leading to dramatic consequences on human health, dignity and security, but also on the environment, and on social and economic development.

 

• World Toilet Day, 19 November.
• Día Mundial del Saneamiento, 19 de noviembre.
• Всемирный день туалета,19 ноября.
• Journée mondiale des toilettes, 19 novembre.
• 世界厕所日, 11月19日
• اليوم العالمي لدورات المياه  

World COPD Day 2013, November 20.

World COPD Day is an annual event organized by the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) to improve awareness and care of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) around the world. World COPD Day 2013 will take place on November 20 around the theme “It’s Not Too Late.”

News & Events From Around the World

Updated GOLD Documents now available!
                      Click here for the 2013 versions.
                      Click here for an updated version of the GOLD Teaching Slide Set.

GOLD mobile app launched!

GOLD's mobile app for physicians is now available in the iTunes App Store. Doctot GOLD COPD Strategy provides the GOLD strategy for assessing and treating COPD in a user-friendly and easily navigable format with interactive tables and charts. Physicians can easily record patient answers to questions about symptoms and functional status, and the app automatically generates and categorizes the patient's score on the Combined Assessment of COPD Scale.
                      Visit the Doctot GOLD COPD Strategy page in the iTunes App Store for more information.
Online CME module about GOLD from the European Respiratory Society:
                      Click here to find out more

International Day for Tolerance 2013, November 16th.

 

 

United Nations Secretary-General's Message for International Day of Tolerance 2013.

We are living through a period of global transition.  New centres of power and economic dynamism are emerging.  Technology is connecting us ever more closely, and cross-cultural exchanges are deepening every day – but this does not mean there is more understanding.  Societies are more diverse but intolerance is on the rise in too many places.
Across the globe, nations and communities face profound and enduring economic, social and environmental challenges.  Poverty, hunger and disease remain at unacceptable levels.  Every region is experiencing the rising impact of climate change.  Natural disasters are a constant reminder of human vulnerability.  Conflicts and inter-community tensions persist across the globe.  Millions face the daily threat of violence and displacement.
There are no individual solutions to these multifaceted and inter-related challenges.  We can only advance as a community of nations and cultures, drawing on human solidarity and recognizing that we share a common destiny.  This is why tolerance is so important.
 Tolerance is not passive.  It demands an active choice to reach out on the basis of mutual understanding and respect, especially where disagreement exists.  Tolerance means recognizing that our diversity is a strength – a wellspring of creativity and renewal for all societies.
Tolerance can, and must, be learned.  We need to teach girls and boys not just how to live together but how to act together as global citizens.  We need to nurture tolerance by promoting cultural understanding and respect – from parliaments to the playground.  We need to tackle growing inequality and reject social exclusion based on gender, disabilities, sexual orientation, and ethnic or religious background. 
Tolerance is the strongest foundation for peace and reconciliation.  At this time of rapid and often bewildering change, it has never been so important.  On this International Day, I call on national and community leaders – and all those who wield influence through traditional and social media and among their peers – to embrace tolerance as the bond that will unite us on our common journey to a peaceful, sustainable future.

                                                                                                                                     Ban Ki-moon

 

International Day of Tolerance 2013 - Statement by the President of the 68th session of the General Assembly

As we commemorate this International Day for Tolerance let us reflect on the goals and commitments on global tolerance adopted by the United Nations General Assembly.
The mission of the United Nations is to serve humanity and to advance the quality of life and well-being of people across the globe. The United Nations General Assembly adopted a set of principles nearly twenty years ago that was designed to promote cultural diversity. It also declared this day in November as a time for renewing our commitment to tolerance.
As President of the 68th General Assembly, I call on all member States to support initiatives that foster respect, dialogue and cooperation among different cultures, races and religions. We must actively seek ways to reduce violence, especially against women and children, and to cultivate respect for diversity as a central part of the post-2015 development agenda.
Intolerance, inequity and poverty are often intertwined and I am inspired by the courage and hope of those who live in these dire conditions. I call on the international community of nations to remain actively engaged in the global struggle against intolerance and to foster understanding, acceptance and mutual respect between people the world over.

John W. Ashe 

International Day of Tolerance 2013 - UNESCO Director-General's Message 

The International Day for Tolerance is an opportunity for each of us to renew our commitment to practicing tolerance and promoting harmony. Globalizing quickly, the world is also increasingly fragile. This is why every day, in every society, we need to build new bridges of tolerance, trust and understanding.
This takes commitment and time. We must begin with quality education, to combat ignorance, prejudice and hatred, which are at the root of discrimination and racism. We need education to disarm the fears that many feel of the unknown and of other people, their cultures, life choices and beliefs. Education is the best way to foster a culture of peace and build inclusive societies.
Intolerance is a global challenge that takes many local shapes. To be effective, global action must be combined with national, local and, not least, individual measures.
At the global level, UNESCO is leading the United Nations International Decade for the Rapprochement of Cultures, launched this year, to promote the benefits of exchange and dialogue across cultures and to build new networks to fight against racism and discrimination.
We act also on the ground, where needs are most acute. This was the objective of a recent UNESCO project to promote a culture peace among young women and men living in Tripoli, Lebanon. Through exchanges through theatre and the arts, UNESCO worked with young people throughout the city, to deepen mutual understanding, to learn to live and work together, to resolve differences through dialogue.
To create positive change, we must constantly ask ourselves the following questions. How are the rights of persons belonging to social, national, ethnic, religious, linguistic or other minorities guaranteed in our community, State and region? Are we doing enough to promote the equal rights and dignity of indigenous people, migrant workers, asylum-seekers and refugees, or people with disabilities? Answering these questions must lead us to action.
This International Day is a chance to deepen our commitment to dialogue and solidarity, in our families and communities, in relations with other peoples.
Tolerance can never be taken for granted. It is a way of living that we must constantly reinvent for new times, to recognize the differences of others as the same as our own and the riches of other cultures as the wealth of all to share.
In a world of uncertainty, in societies undergoing deep transformation, this has never been so important for lasting peace and sustainable development.

Irina Bokova