World Population Day - 11 July

Secretary-General’s Message for 2012

 The world’s population has more than tripled since the United Nations was created in 1945, and keeps growing. With more than 7 billion people now inhabiting the planet, we face ever greater demands on shared resources and significant challenges to the achievement of internationally agreed development goals.

 Multiple crises — food, fuel and financial — have caused significant suffering and served as a wake-up call about the need to pay far more attention to the building blocks of sustainable development. Reproductive health is an indispensable part of the sustainable development equation. Women and young people who are in good health, and who have the power and means to make their own decisions about how many children to have — and when to have them — are better able to contribute to the development of their societies.

 Yet only one in three rural women in developing countries receives adequate care during pregnancy. Teenage pregnancies are still commonplace in most parts of the world, often driven by poverty and a lack of education. More than 200 million women and adolescent girls have no access to contraceptives. And voluntary family planning programmes are starved for resources almost everywhere.

 We can — and must — do better. On this World Population Day, I call for urgent concerted action by Member States to bridge the gap between demand and supply for reproductive health care. Reproductive health and rights are integral to sustainable development and poverty reduction. Investing in universal access to reproductive health is a crucial investment in healthy societies and a more sustainable future.

 Ban Ki-moon

How co-operatives provide an ethical alternative to business across the world in many different sectors from small shops to global organisations.

This first eBook looks at how co-operatives contribute to the world through food production. Co-operative Enterprises Build A Better World Through Food

International Co-operative Day 2012

The International Day of Co-operatives is celebrated annually on the first Saturday of July.


Message of the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) - 90th ICA International Co-operative Day - 18th UN International Day of Co-operatives - 7th July 2012 - English

Message de l’Alliance Coopérative Internationale (ACI) 90ème Journée internationale des coopératives de l’ACI - 18ème Journée internationale des coopératives des NU - 7 juillet 2012 - Français

Mensaje de la Alianza Cooperativa Internacional (ACI) - 90° Día Internacional del Cooperativismo de la ACI - 18° Día Internacional del Cooperativismo de las Naciones Unidas - 7 de julio de 2012 - Español 

第90回ICA国際協同組合デー及び - 第18回国連国際協同組合デーに向けたICAメッセージ - 2012年7月7日 - 日本語




The aim of the day is to increase awareness of co-operatives and promote the movement's successes and ideals of international solidarity, economic efficiency, equality, and world peace.

ICA first celebrated the International Day in 1923. The International Day is now run in partnership with the UN and the UN asks all member governments to participate in the celebrations each year.
The International Day has a different theme each year. Themes in recent years have included ‘Youth, the future of co-operative enterprise’ in 2011 and ‘Co-operative enterprise empowers women’ in 2010. Co-operatives around the world celebrate the Day in many different ways, seeking to gain press and publicity at a local and national level.

The ICA wants to make the International Day in 2012 something that we will all remember – one in which one billion co-operators can get involved in order to raise public awareness about the co-operative business model. The theme for the International Day 2012 is the same as the International Year of Co-operatives: "Co-operative enterprises build a better world".

UN International Day of Co-operatives, 7 July 2012 "Cooperative enterprises build a better world" - "Les coopératives, des entreprises pour un monde meilleur" - "Las empresas cooperativas ayudan a construir un mundo mejor".

This year's theme links to the observance of the United Nations International Year of Cooperatives. It seeks to encourage the growth and establishment of cooperatives all over the world, and to recognize the actions of cooperatives in helping to achieve internationally agreed upon development goals, such as the Millennium Development Goals.

How to celebrate the International Day?

Co-operatives around the world celebrate the Day in many different ways. Below are examples of some of the activities organised by co-operatives around the world:
• The messages of the ICA and United Nations are translated into local languages and widely disseminated to co-operators, media, and government officials at all levels.
• Co-operatives use the media to create awareness on their movements and contributions.
• Co-operative Fairs, exhibits, contests, and campaigns are held.
• Meetings with government officials, United Nations agencies and other partner organisations are held.
• Co-operatives partner with community agencies to champion economic, environmental, social and health challenges.
• Cultural events are sponsored - theatre, concerts, etc.
Whatever you are doing, we have various ways you can promote your activity

International Day in Support of Victims of Torture 26 June

Secretary-General's Message for 2012

Twenty-five years since the entry into force of the Convention against Torture, this cruel and dehumanizing practice remains pervasive. Every day, women, men and children are tortured or ill-treated with the intention of destroying their sense of dignity and human worth. In some cases, this is part of a deliberate state policy of instilling fear and intimidating its population. In too many countries, people’s legitimate demands for freedom and human rights are met with brutal repression. Even when regimes change, torture often persists and a culture of impunity remains. On this International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, we express our solidarity with, and support for, the hundreds of thousands of victims of torture and their family members throughout the world who endure such suffering. We also note the obligation of States not only to prevent torture but to provide all torture victims with effective and prompt redress, compensation and appropriate social, psychological, medical and other forms of rehabilitation. Both the General Assembly and the Human Rights Council have now strongly urged States to establish and support rehabilitation centres or facilities. The United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture supports hundreds of organizations and entities that provide assistance to victims of torture and their family members in all regions of the world. However, the Fund has seen a significant decrease in contributions over the past two years. I strongly encourage States to reverse this trend, despite current global financial uncertainty. By concretely supporting victims of torture, the international community will prove its unequivocal determination and commitment to fight torture and impunity.

Ban Ki-moon

United Nations Secretary-General's on the International Day of Cooperatives

United Nations, New York, June 2012 - In 1992, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed, in its resolution 47/90 of 16 December 1992, the International Day of Cooperatives to be celebrated annually on the first Saturday of July.

IMO | Thank seafarers on 2012 Day of the Seafarer - “it came by sea, I can’t live without it!”

25 June 2012, the international Day of the Seafarer,

Day of the Seafarer 2012 IMO | Thank seafarers on 2012 Day of the Seafarer - “it came by sea, I can’t live without it!”

International Day of the Seafarer - June 25

Message by Koji Sekimizu, Secretary-General, International Maritime Organization.

   
Day of the Seafarer 2012
It came by sea and I can’t live without it

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​ Click here for Message by Koji Sekimizu, Secretary-General, International Maritime Organization. Imagine an item that you simply couldn’t live without. Maybe it’s your music player, or a pen, or your computer, something you use every day in your work, a piece of medical equipment or just your favourite toy. Now stop and think: did that item, or any part of that item, or any of the materials from which that item has been made, come by sea? The chances are, the answer is “yes”. 25 June 2012 marks the second international Day of the Seafarer. On that day, IMO is asking people around the world to use social networks to highlight just how important seafarers are to everyone on the planet, as they transport all over the world those vital items, commodities and components which are so vital to all our daily lives. So, on 25 June 2012, the Day of the seafarer, we ask you to tell the world, through your social media connections, about an object in your daily life that you can’t live without, and which came by sea. Take a photo, write a description, record a song, make a film, whatever you prefer: and then just post it on the social platform of your choice and add the campaign slogan: “thank you seafarers”.   Seafarers leave their homes and families, often for long periods to ensure that essential items and commodities on which our lives depend arrive safely at our homes. So show the seafarers of the world - and your friends, too – your appreciation of the extraordinary services they render every day of their professional lives, under demanding and sometimes dangerous circumstances. Day of the Seafarer is an innovative campaign that harnesses the power of social media to raise awareness of seafarers and their unique role. Everyone, regardless of where they live, can join the campaign online. So, on 25 June, you can join in by: o Sharing your post on Facebook, if you have pictures, videos or any special message, please share them on our wall. o Sending us a message @IMOHQ and @SeafarerDay using hashtag #thankyouseafarer o On pinterest, you can pin a picture of your chosen object with the caption “Day of the Seafarer” We invite participants to download the toolkits available here and join the campaign: Facebook.com/IMOHQ Twitter.com/IMOHQ (@IMOHQ) Twitter.com/SeafarerDay (@SeafarerDay) Pinterest.com/IMOHQ Youtube.com/IMOHQ ________________________________________________________ Thank you very much for your support. Join the campaign, follow us on social media and let us know on the 25th June, your favourite object that came by sea and that you can’t live without! For more information please contact: klangloi@imo.org

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE SEAFARER - June 25
25 June of each year is the "Day of the Seafarer", recognizing the invaluable contribution seafarers make to international trade and the world economy, often at great personal cost to themselves and their families.

To participate, join us online:
facebook.com/IMOHQ
Twitter.com/IMOHQ
Pinterest.com/IMOHQ