Today’s date marks the martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev, the founder of the Sikh faith. Although many of us encounter Sikhism daily in the multicultural United Kingdom street scene, only a few know how Sikhism came to be. Today’s date is the perfect day to learn about it.

Guru Arjan Dev

Guru Arjan Dev was born in 1953. He believed that the meaning of life, and religion, was simply to live in this world and cope with everyday problems. One of his most famous quotes is “My faith is for the people of all castes and all creeds from whichever direction they come and to whichever direction they bow.” He announced this after creating the Sikhs their first central place of worship. The place for worship became known as the Golden Temple, although it was controversial in many ways. Guru Arjan Dev believed that humility is a great virtue, thus, he built the temple very low rather than tall and close to the sky as was the custom. Whats more, he ordered the temple to have entrances on all four sides. This was because Muslims believe God’s house is in the West, whereas Hindu’s believe it is in the East, and Guru Arjan Dev wanted his faith to accommodate everyone. To help raise money for the Golden Temple Guru Arjan Dev declared that Sikhs must donate 1/10 of their earnings to charity. This is still an important part of the Sikh fate today.

Today is the tenth time the world celebrates World Day Against Child Labor.

The International Labor Organization, (ILO), launched the day in 2002 as a way to bring attention to the hundreds of millions of working children deprived of a childhood.

Hundreds of millions of children start work too early.

Children who are forced to work are denied of the opportunity to go to school, and instead they are often forced to work in dangerous, hazardous conditions.

In 2010, the international community adopted a roadmap for achieving elimination for the worst forms of child labor by 2016. The document stresses children’s right to personal freedom and highlights that child labor is a hindrance for development. The document distinguishes the four following conditions as the worst forms of child labor: all forms of slavery, prostitution or use of children for pornographic material, use of children for production or trafficking drugs, and work which is likely to harm a child’s health.

Following up on World Environment Day, today we are celebrating World Oceans Day!

This day has been unofficially celebrated since 1992, when Canada proposed it in the first Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. The day was officially recognized by the United Nations in 2008.

Oceans cover 70% of our planet.

The World Oceans Day is largely about respecting our oceans and bringing issues like overconsumption and pollution into discussion. But, it is also an opportunity to remind everyone about the psychological, entertaining, and functional purposes of these large bodies of water. Oceans make up for 70% of the world’s surface and they connect us with each other…

Today is World Environment Day (WED), one of the principle ways in which the UN stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and action.

This year’s theme is Green Economy: Does it include You? Basically, what the UN means by Green Economy are the overall efforts of nations to reduce carbon emission and pollution, to enhance energy and resource efficiency, and to prevent the loss of biodiversity. According to the UN Environment Program, Green Economy both significantly lowers environmental risks and improves human well-being and social equity. This years theme, therefore, aims to encourage people to find out more about Green Technology and about the various different ways in which they are already included, and the ways in which they can participate further. The official WED website is pledging people to “help break the record for the greatest number of activities registered in WED’s four decade history.”

Today is the International Day for UN Peacekeepers.

In areas of conflict around the world civilian lives are at risk. In countries and regions that are in the grips of war people are forced to abandon their homes and live on the streets. In some places prisoners escape, adding to the on-going conflict. Instead of being ruled by law, “societies are plunged into lawlessness.”

The help of United Nations peacekeeping forces can transform chaos into calm. But for real peace and security to take place peacekeepers must do much more than disarm local combat troops. They must “strengthen the institutions responsible for security and justice – the police, the courts and the correctional institutions – with full respect 
for the rule of law and human rights.” 

Today is Africa Day, a day to celebrate African Unity!

Celebrating Africa Day in Dublin

Today’s day commemorates the date in 1963 when the Organization of African Unity (OAU) was founded. This day celebrates African diversity and success and aims to highlight the cultural and economic potential that exists on the African continent. Sometimes this day is also called African Liberation Day, which highlights the celebration of African freedom from European colonial powers.

Africa Day is often a colourful celebration that includes street marches, speeches, music, poetry, and other forms of cultural entertainment…

Yesterday we celebrated cultural diversity, today biodiversity!

Today’s date marks the anniversary for the day in 1992 spring when the text of the Convention on Biological Diversity was adopted by the United Nations at a conference in Nairobi, Kenya.

The purpose of the day is to raise awareness and understanding of biodiversity issues.

Last year the Guardian wrote an article about the importance of this day and reported shocking facts. Janet Potocnik, a European commissionaire for environment, wrote, that, “during the 20th century, the human population grew by four times and economic output by 40 times. We increased our fossil fuel use by 16 times, our fishing catches by 35 and our water use by 9.”

Today is the International Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development! Although the name of the day sounds complex, the purpose of this day is fairly simple: to celebrate cultural diversity and help us learn to live together better. In November 2001 UNESCO adopted a Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity.

Do One Thing for Diversity

The following year, 2002, was the United Nations year for Cultural Heritage and at the end of that year the UN declared may 21^st to be the International Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development.

Ever since then, May 21^st has been celebrated and commemorated through seminars, various educational programs and campaigns, exhibitions, and concerts. A grass-root campaign sponsored by UNESCO, ‘Do One Thing for Diversity and Inclusion,’  is trying to engage the international community through social media. According to the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon the campaign is calling for “from youth to policy-makers, from religious leaders to journalists, entrepreneurs and others who shape opinions and trends.”

International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO) is celebrated every year on May 17^th. This date was chosen to mark the day because it was in May 17^th in 1990 when homosexuality was removed from the International Classification of Diseases by the World Health Organization.

The day is coordinated by the Paris-based IDAHO committee. By 2010 the organization and the IDAHO day had been fully and officially recognized by the EU parliament, Belgium, the UK, Mexico, Costa Rica, The Netherlands, France, Luxemburg, Spain, and Brazil. In addition, in many countries like Argentina, Italy, Bolivia, and Croatia the day has been recognized by cities and regional governments…

In 2005, in Tunis, the United Nations hosted a conference, which aimed to bridge the ‘digital divide’ that separates rich and poor countries. This conference was called the World Summit on the Information Society. Following from this conference May 17^thwas proclaimed as the World Telecommunications and Information Society Day.

Women and Girls in IT

The main aim of this day is to raise awareness of changes brought about by technology, specifically the Internet.

This year’s theme for Information Society Day is Women and Girls in Information and Communication Technology…