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International Days

Indian National Commission for

Cooperation with UNESCO (INCCU)

facilitates celebration of UN/UNESCO

days/Weeks/Decades in the country.

Listed below are the days and weeks

officially recognised by the United

Nations

 21 February – International

Mother Language Day(UNESCO)

 8 March – International Women’s

Day

 21 March – International Day for

the Elimination of Racial

Discrimination

 21 March – World Poetry Day

(UNESCO)

 22 March – World Day for Water

2005

 23 March – World Meteorogical

Day (WMO)

 24 March – World Tuberculosis

Day (WHO)

 7 April – World Health Day

(WHO)

 23 April – World Book and

Copyright Day (UNESCO)

 3 May – World Press Freedom

Day(UNESCO)

 15 May – International Day of

Families

 17 May – World

Telecommunication Day (IUT)

 21 May – World Day for Cultural

Diversity for Dialogue and

Development

 22 May – International Day for

Biological Diversity

 25 May – Africa Day

 Beginning 25 May – Week of

Solidarity with the Peoples of

Non-Self-Governing Territories

 31 May – World No-Tobacco Day

(WHO)

 5 June – World Environment Day

(UNEP)

 17 June – World Day to combat

Desertification and Drought

 20 June – World Refugee Day

 23 June – United Nations Public

Service Day

 26 June – International Day

against Drug Abuse and Illicit

Trafficking

 26 June – United Nations

International Day in Support of

Victims of torture

 1^st Saturday July – International

Day of Cooperatives

 11 July – World Population Day

(UNFPA)

 9 August – International Day of

Indigenous People

 12 August – International Youth

Day

 23 August – International day for

the Remembrance of the slave

Trade and its Abolition (UNESCO)

 8 September – International

Literacy Day(UNESCO)

 16 September – International Day

for the Preservation of the Ozone

layer

 21 September – International Day

of Peace

 Last Week September – World

Maritime Day (IMO)

 1 October – International Day of

Older Persons

 2 October – International

Non-Violence Day

 1^st Monday October – World

Habitat Day

 4-10 October – World Space

Week

 5 October – World Teacher’s Day

(UNESCO)

 9 October – World Post Day

(UPU)

 10 October – World Mental

Health Day

 2^nd Wednesday October –

International Day for Natural

Disaster Reduction

 16 October – World Food Day

(FAO)

 17 October – International Day for

the Eradication Poverty

 24 October – United Nations Day

 24 October – World Development

Information Day

 24-30 October – Disarmament

Week

 6 November – International Day

for Preventing the Exploitation of

the Environment in war and Armed

Conflict

 10 November – World Science

Day for Peace and Development

(UNESCO)

 16 November – International Day

for Tolerance (UNESCO)

 20 November – Africa

Industrialization Day

 20 November – Universal

Children’s Day (UNICEF)

 21 November – World Television

Day

 21 November - - Philosophy Day

at UNESCO (UNESCO)

 25 November – International Day

for the Elimination of Violence

against Women

 29 November – International Day

of Solidarity with Palestinian People

 1 December – World Aids Day

(WHO)

 2 December – International Day

for the Abolition of Slavery

 3 December – International Day

of Disabled Persons

 5 December – International

Volunteer Day for Economic and

Social Development

 7 December – International Civil

Aviation Day (ICAO)

 9 December – International

Anti-Corruption Day

 10 December – Human Rights

Day

 18 December – International

Migrant’s Day

International Years proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly

 2002 – United Nations Year for

Cultural Heritage

 2002 – International Year of

Ecotourism

 2002 – International Year of

Mountains

 2003 – International Year of

Freshwater

 2004 – International Year to

Commemorate the struggle against

Slavery and its Abolition

 2004 – International Year of Rice

 2005 – International year of Micro

credit

 2005 – International Year for

Sport and Physical Education

 2005 – International Year of

Physics

 2006 – International Year of

Deserts & Desertification

 2008 - International Year of the

Potato; and

International Year of Planet Earth;

and

International Year of Sanitation;

and

International Year of Languages;

 2009 - International Year of

Reconciliation;

International Year of Natural Fibres;

and

International Year of Astronomy

 2010 - International Year of

Biodiversity; and

International Year for the

Rapprochement of Cultures

 2011 - International Year of

Forests

International Decades proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly

 2005-2015 – International Decade

for Action “Water for Life”

 2005-2014- United Nations

Decade of Education for

Sustainable Development

 2003-2012 – United Nations

Literacy Decade

 2001- 2010 – International

Decade for a Culture of Peace and

Non-Violence for the Children of the

World

 2001-2010 – Second International

Decade for the Eradication of

Colonialism

 2001-2010 – Decade to Roll Back

Malaria in Developing Countries,

Particularly in Africa

 1997- 2006 – First United Nations

Decade for the Eradication of

Poverty

 1995- 2004 – United Nations

Decade for Human Rights

Education

 1994-2004 – International Decade

of the World’s Indigenous People

 1993-2003 – Third Decade to

Combat Racism and Racial

Discrimination

 1993- 2002 – Second Industrial

Development Decade for Africa

 1993- 2002 – Asian and Pacific

Decade of Disabled Persons

2003-2012 - United Nations Literacy

Decade

The United Nations General

Assembly at its fifty-sixth session

adopted its resolution 56/116 entitled

“United Nations Literacy Decade:

Education for All” in which it

proclaimed United Nations Literacy

Decade for the period 2003-2012

towards the goal of Education for All.

This proposal was endorsed at the

roundtable convened at the World

Education Forum, held in Dakar in

2000.

The United Nations Literacy Decade,

as an integral component of

Education for All, will provide both a

platform and an impetus for

achieving all six goals of the Dakar

Framework for Action which are as

follows: -

(1) Expanding and improving

comprehensive early childhood care

and education, especially for the

most vulnerable and disadvantaged

children;

(2) Ensuring that by 2015 all

children, particularly girls, children in

difficult circumstances and those

belonging to ethnic minorities, have

access to and complete, free and

compulsory primary education of

good quality;

(3) Ensuring that the learning needs

of all young people and adults are

met through equitable access to

appropriate learning and life-skills

programmes;

(4) Achieving a 50 per cent

improvement in levels of adult literacy

by 2015, especially for women, and

equitable access to basic and

continuing education for all adults;

(5) Eliminating gender disparities in

primary and secondary education by

2005 and achieving gender equality

in education by 2015, with a focus on

ensuring girls’ full and equal access

to and achievement in basic

education of good quality;

(6) Improving all aspects of the

quality of education and ensuring

excellence of all so that recognized

and measurable learning outcomes

are achieved by all, especially in

literacy, numeracy and essential life

skills.

International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non- Violence
for the Children of the World (2001-2010)

The United Nations declared the

period between 2001 and 2010 as the

International Decade for a Culture of

Peace and Non- Violence for the

Children of the World. The UNESCO

was declared as a lead agency which

was tasked with coordinating all the

activities relating to the

implementation of the action plan of

the decade.

In India, the Indian National

Commission for Cooperation with

UNESCO (INCCU) has been actively

promoting this decade. The

Commission had organized lecture

series in 2001 to create a widespread

movement in favour of Culture of Peace in the country. One of the

lectures was of His Holiness the Dalai

Lama, who is internationally

renowned for his commitment to the

cause of international peace, security

and promoting respect for all human

rights.

In the year 2003 an International

Conference on Dialogue Among

Civilizations was co-organized by

Government of India and UNESCO in

July 2003 in New Delhi. The

Conference resulted in the adoption

of the “New Delhi Declaration” which

was later on adopted by UNESCO as

framework for future action in this

regard. Following from this

conference, an institute in our

country viz. Indian Institute of

Advanced Studies, Shimla has been

designated as the nodal institute to

carry forward the Dialogue Among

Civilizations.

UN Decade for Education for Sustainable Development(2005-2014)

In December 2002 the UN General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a resolution to put in place a UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, lasting from 2005-2014. UNESCO was designated as the lead agency for the decade and for developing an International Implementation Scheme (IIS). UNESCO has a dual role to play, one as international coordinator and facilitator for the decade, and the second as a substantive implementer of Education for Sustainable Development.

The draft IIS was presented at the 59th Session of the UN General Assembly in October 2004. It sets out a broad framework and provides overall guidance for all partners and stakeholders to contribute to the Decade as per their particular/national context.

The primary goal for the DESD is laid out in the United Nations General Assembly resolutions 59/237 in which the General Assembly “encourages Governments to consider the inclusion ... of measures to implement the Decade in their respective education systems and strategies and, where appropriate, national development plans”. Furthermore, the General Assembly “invites Governments to promote public awareness of and wider participation in the Decade, inter alia, through cooperation with and initiatives engaging civil society and other relevant stakeholders, especially at the beginning of the Decade”. In nutshell, the Decade’s goal is that countries achieve Sustainable Development, i.e., the social, economic and environmental capacity, to maintain an international path of continuing development. Education, beginning with basic literacy and extending throughout life, is the foundation upon which Sustainable Development ultimately rests. UNESCO as lead agency will promote Education as a basis for a more sustainable human society and will encourage the integration of Sustainable Development issues and practices, including local knowledge and culture, into education systems at all levels.

The International Implementation Scheme (IIS) as presented in October, 2005 as a UNESCO document, summarizes the goals and objectives of the Decade, and its relationship to other key education movements. It lists key milestones for the DESD and lays out seven strategies for moving forward with ESD. It is envisaged that IIS would foster collective ownership of the DESD and regions and nations will create plans, strategic approaches, and timetables on the basis of the framework provided by this International Implementation Scheme.

The International Implementation Scheme can be consulted online on the UNESCO DESD website www.unesco.org/education/desd

The Indian National Commission for Cooperation with UNESCO (INCCU) has constituted a National Committee consisting of experts and officials from Government, Civil Society and NGOs on Education, Environment, Culture, Social Sciences, Science, Communication and other related fields in order to systematically implement and oversee activities undertaken within the country in pursuance of the goals of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Centre for Environment Education (CEE), Ahmedabad has been designated as the nodal agency for all DESD related activities in the Country.