Welcome
During International Days and major international conferences there is a special opportunity to serve in
the creation of a more unified and compassionate world.
As meditators we can symbolically stand together with all actively working in the spirit of the Charter of Compassion, and hold these events in the light of a Higher Wisdom.
Daily Reminder
Now you can get a daily reminder of these events to hold in the light. Share this daily reminder with others by including the app on your website.
Millennium Goals & Climate Change
These International Days reflect important themes in the mobilization of energies to:
- fulfill the historic promise made by world leaders in 1999 to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015, halving extreme poverty
- to respond appropriately to the urgent needs of climate change
- and to engage people of goodwill all over the world in the process of defining new Sustainable Development Goals to replace the Millennium Development Goals that expire in 2015.
2013 United Nations International Years
Silence at the United Nations
The Spiritual Caucus at the United Nations gathers in the vicinity of UN Headquarters in New York (October - June) on the third Thursday every month for 30 minutes of silence followed by 30 minutes of dialogue, sharing insights and exploring ways to use an inner focus in service of the work of the UN. On the 1st Thursday of the month the Caucus invites friends to sit in silence for 30 minutes in the Meditation Room in the public lobby of UN Headquarters in New York.
Please link in from wherever you are. More information at: http://www.spiritualcaucusun.org/
In August the Spiritual Caucus is on summer break.
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August Please Hold These Events in the Light
August 6
Universal Peace Day
Universal Peace Day commemorates the 68th Anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The Day is celebrated around the world with a wide range of events including a Peace Bell Ringing Ceremony at the exact time of the bombing of Hiroshima (August 6, 8.15 AM in Japan).
The World Peace Prayer Society (Thought forms create an energetic field strong enough to empower the course of planetary destiny) invites people around the world to link in a moment of silence at the exact time of the Hiroshima bombing.
www.universalpeaceday.com
www.worldpeace.org/
August 7 - 9
Youth Assembly at the United Nations
Youth leaders from around the world (ages 16-25) gather every year in the General Assembly Hall at UN Headquarters in New York. This year the focus will be on building youth leadership for the success of the Millennium Development Goals.
faf.org/main/youth-assembly-at-the-un/
August 9
International Day of the World's Indigenous People
2013 theme: Indigenous peoples building alliances: Honouring treaties, agreements and other constructive arrangements
This Day, together with the Second International Decade on the World's Indigenous People, is a sign of the growing concern for the rights and welfare of indigenous communities. In past decades they have suffered greatly as minorities in their own lands, yet the heart values, passion for the Earth, and holistic spiritual perspective found amongst many Peoples of the Earth are now seen as a source of inspiration.
Indigenous peoples contribute extensively to humanity's cultural diversity, enriching it with more than two thirds of its languages and an extraordinary amount of its traditional knowledge.
There are over 370 million indigenous people in some 90 countries, living in all regions of the world. The situation of indigenous peoples in many parts of the world is critical today. Poverty rates are significantly higher among indigenous peoples compared to other groups. While they constitute 5 per cent of the world's population, they are 15 per cent of the world's poor. …
from State of the Worlds Indigenous People
Facebook Day of the Worlds Indigenous People
www.un.org/en/events/indigenousday/
August 12
International Youth Day
Theme 2013: Youth Migration: Moving Development Forward.
Youth Day is a day to celebrate the role of young people in the creation of a better world and to empower young people.
Youth are recognized as one of the most mobile social groups in the context of migration – they form about 30% of international migrants! Yet very little is known about the livelihood struggles and opportunities that migration presents for young migrants and other youth who are affected by migration. We need to raise awareness about the situation of these young people as well as the role of youth-led organizations in addressing migration issues! The UN's 2013 World Youth report will be issued on Youth Day with migration as its theme.
www.un.org/en/events/youthday/
social.un.org/index/Youth/
August 19
World Humanitarian Day
This Day celebrates and shines a light on humanitarian aid workers around the world while also honoring those who have been killed or injured in the course of their work. The Day commemorates the tragic bombing of the UN Office in Iraq on 19 August 2003.
Humanitarian aid workers can be international, but most come from the country in which they work. They reflect all cultures, ideologies and backgrounds and they are united by their commitment to humanitarianism.
www.whd-iwashere.org/
www.un.org/en/events/humanitarianday/
August 20 - 22
High Level International Conference on Water Cooperation, Dushanbe, Tajikistan
As part of this years global focus on the International Year of Water Cooperation, the High Level Conference seeks to promote dialogue and cooperation around water issues amongst all stakeholders.
Special focused events during the conference include: Addressing Water Security as Part of the Global Development Agenda; Water Cooperation as a Key Driver for Development; and Responding to the Decline of Glacier and Snow Water Resources.
www.hlicwc.org
August 23
International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition
This is a Day to celebrate humanity's achievement in abolishing the slave trade, and to reflect upon the history of the relations between Africa, Europe, the Americas and the Caribbean.
The process that led to the abolition of the slave trade began on the night of 22 to 23 August, 1791 when the slaves of Saint-Dominque and Haiti rose up in rebellion.
Meditators can reflect on the deep significance to the goodwill movement of the struggle against slavery, and its eventual abolition. This was a moral revolution of enormous significance. Yet although law abolished the slave trade, slavery continues to be practiced throughout the world, and the struggle against slavery continues in many fields of human relationship. The principles of freedom and human rights are now deeply ingrained in the conscience - the struggle is to bring these principles into expression.
www.unesco.org/new/en/culture/themes/dialogue/
August 25 - 28
Imagining a Better World: An Intergenerational Dialogue for the Common Good to Inspire a Creative Leadership — Global Conference, Paris, France
This will be the 11th annual international conference organized by the Globalisation for the Common Good Initiative.
In the last week of August 2013, we who come from many different countries, regions, civilisations, cultures and faiths, will come together out of a deep concern about the persistent multiple crises that we see in our communities and around the world. We represent a broad spectrum of age groups from the very young to senior citizens. During the gathering there will be a special focus on youth. Papers to be presented (which can be read at gcgi.info/2013-paris-papers) include Spiritual Activism, The Spirit of Ubuntu and the Common Good, Sharing the Worlds Wealth, Power and Resources, Magical Traditions and the Common Good.
gcgi.info
August 29
International Day Against Nuclear Tests
On this United Nations Day the goal is to encourage governments, ngo's and all concerned parties to raise awareness of the need to ban nuclear tests as a valuable step to achieving a safer world.
It is a little known fact that, as a result of regional treaties, the entire southern hemisphere of the planet is now a virtual nuclear weapons free zone.
www.un.org/en/events/againstnucleartestsday/
August 30
International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances
Enforced disappearances (including arrests, detention and abduction)have frequently been used by military dictatorships and political groups to spread terror in a society and eliminate opposition.
Reflecting a growing concern amongst governments as well as people of goodwill UN members states have recently adopted an International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance and, since 2011, have observed August 30 as this International Day.
www.un.org/en/events/disappearancesday/
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