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 (September - 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. Traditionally a gathering has been held in the Meditation Room in the public lobby of UN Headquarters in New York, but during the major redevelopment of the UN building in NY the Meditation Room is closed so on this first Thursday all are invited to hold the Meditation Room in the light and ponder its significance.
Please link in from wherever you are. More information at: http://www.spiritualcaucusun.org/
In October the Spiritual Caucus invites all to link subjectively on Thursday, 3rd, 12:45 - 1:15 USA Eastern Daylight Time, holding the Meditation Room at the United Nations in the light during this period when the Room is closed due to rennovation work. Please also link with the full meeting on Thursday, October 17 at 1.15 PM EDT and also with a special meeting to be held as a contribution to the Week of Spirituality, Values and Global Concerns at the United Nations on Friday, October 25, 1.15 - 2.30 PM EDT.
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October Please Hold These Events in the Light
October 1
International Day of Older Persons
Theme 2013: The future we want: what older persons are saying
People are living longer. This is prompting governments and people's organisations all over the world to reflect deeply on how we can plan for future societies in which: every individual, each with rights and responsibilities, has an active role to play.
At every level of society - local communities, regional groups, peoples associations, governments and international coalitions - there is a potent focus on ways in which the wisdom, maturity, skills and heart qualities of older people can be fully incorporated into healthy communities.
www.un.org/en/events/olderpersonsday
October 2
International Day of Non Violence
To mark the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, the UN General Assembly decided that October 2nd be observed as an occasion to "disseminate the message of non-violence, including through education and public awareness". The resolution reaffirms "the universal relevance of the principle of non-violence" and the desire "to secure a culture of peace, tolerance, understanding and non-violence". more
www.un.org/en/events/nonviolenceday
October 2 - 16
Fortnight of Action for Seed & Food Freedom
In a letter addressed to Lovers of life's diversity and lovers of life's freedom, Indian seed activist Vandana Shiva has called for action around the world to 'organise and concentrate our energies to liberate our seeds and food' from global corporations.
The Global Alliance for Seed Freedom calls on the following actions: October 2nd (Non-Violence Day marking Gandhi's death) is to be observed with a world-wide civil disobedience campain, "Seed Satyagraha'; October 12 a global march against Monsanto; and October 16, World Food Day, events to honor Real Food Heroes.
seedfreedom.in
October 3-4
United Nations High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development: "Making Migration Work"
This special meeting of the UN General Assembly is a follow-up to the Rio + 20 Sustainable Development Conference. It is designed as part of efforts to ensure that in the UN's post-2015 development agenda "globalization becomes a positive force for all the world's people".
This second major dialogue on the theme of migration will seek to identify concrete measures to enhance the benefits of international migration for migrants and countries alike and its important links to development, while reducing its negative implications
www.un.org/en/ga/68/meetings/migration/
October 4
World Animal Day
World Animal Day, observed on the Feast day of St Francis of Assisi, was first celebrated in 1931. Since then it has become a day for remembering and paying tribute to all animals and the people who love and respect them. Events are held around the world by peoples of diverse faiths and cultures.
www.worldanimalday.org.uk/
October 4 - 10
World Wilderness Congress, Salamanca, Spain
2013 theme: Making the World a Wilder Place
WILD10, the 10th World Wilderness Congress (WWC), is the most recent in what has become the longest-running, international, public conservation project. It is a two-three year process of collaboration between many groups, governments, experts in all fields, community representatives, businesses, scientists, artists and more. Clearly, wild nature is under threat all over the world, and human society needs to change if we are to solve the issues in front of us.
1500 or more delegates are expected to attend the Congress from a wide range of countries.
wild10.org/en/
October 4 - 10
World Space Week
2013 theme: Exploring Mars, Discovering Earth
Observed with activities in 50 countries, World Space Week celebrates the contribution of space science and technology to the betterment of the human condition. Every year events are held in schools around the world to observe the Week. This year's theme examines what is being discovered about Mars and how this changes our thinking about earth. Mars gives us an opportunity to define from scratch what world we want to live in. How can limited resources on a planet be used to build a new civilization, without depleting these resources? How can we create an environment that supports human life, without destroying critical elements needed to sustain other planetary processes?
www.worldspaceweek.org
www.un.org/en/events/spaceweek/
October 5
World Teachers Day
Think about the role of teachers in the transition into a new era. Who are the teachers? What is required of those who teach the children and young people?
Created by UNESCO, World Teachers Day celebrates teachers worldwide. Its aim is to mobilise support for teachers and to ensure that the needs of future generations will continue to be met by teachers.
www.worldteachersday.org
October 7
World Habitat Day
2013 theme: Urban Mobility
Celebrated on the first Monday of October every year, the UN World Habitat Day invites us to reflect on the state of our cities and towns and what we want the cities of our future to look like.
Mobility and equitable sustainable access to goods and services is a key part of urban design. Urban planning and design should focus on how to bring people and places together, by creating cities that focus on accessibility, rather than simply increasing the length and capacity of urban transport infrastructure.
www.unhabitat.org
www.habitat.org
October 8 - 11
Budapest Water Summit, Budapest, Hungary
Theme: The Role of Water and Sanitation in the Global Sustainable Development Agenda
This will be a major global event for governments, UN agencies, professional bodies and NGO's for the preparation of water related goals in the post 2015 development agenda. It is also a core gathering in the International Year of Water Cooperation, reflecting the degree to which water is being held in the light during this year.
The World Goodwill Cycle of Conferences initiative offers a visualization and meditation outline in support of the Budapest Conference. see
www.budapestwatersummit.hu/
October 10
World Mental Health Day
2013 Theme: Mental Health and Older Adults
HEALERS TAKE NOTE: This is a Day to focus on the contribution all can make towards the creation of a healthy mental environment - and on the sensitive healing needed by those who suffer from mental illness in its many forms.
World Mental Health Day 2013 aims to encourage governments and organizations around the world, in countries at all income levels, to look at the mental health issues experienced by older people in their communities and to consider their needs for support and services. Improvements in provisions for care require careful planning, advocacy, and the involvement of concerned individuals.
www.wfmh.org
www.who.int
October 11
International Day of the Girl Child
In December 2011, the General Assembly of the United Nations resolved unanimously to declare October 11 as International Day of the Girl Child with the goal of raising awareness of the situation of girls around the world.
The international celebration of this Day is yet another sign of the growing concentration on efforts to fulfill the vision of the Declaration of Human Rights and the Declaration of the Rights of the Child as they concern gender rights. Perhaps more than anything else this demonstrates the rising power of the feminine in human affairs.
www.un.org/en/events/girlchild/.
October 13
International Day of Disaster Reduction
2013 theme: Living with Disability and Disasters
Disaster risk reduction is about understanding our personal and environmental risks of a hazard, like an earthquake, flood, hurricane/cyclone, and landslides and finding ways to reduce this risk so that we are not affected by them, or be able to bounce back quickly if they do affect us.
All groups in society need to be alive to this issue. This year the Day focuses on the one billion people around the world who live with some form of disability.
www.unisdr.org
www.un.org/en/events/disasterreductionday/
October 15
International Day of Rural Women
First celebrated by the UN in 2008, this Day is yet another sign of the major focus on women and gender issues in global affairs. The Day has been celebrated by civil society around the world since the Beijing Women's Conference in 1995.
Rural women the world over play a major role in ensuring food security and in the development and stability of the rural areas. Yet, with little or no status, they frequently lack the power to secure land rights or to access vital services such as credit, inputs, extension services, training and education. Their vital contribution to society goes largely unnoticed. World Rural Women's Day aims to change this by bringing rural women out of obscurity at least once a year — to remind society how much they owe to rural women and to give value and credit to their work.
www.woman.ch
www.un.org/en/events/ruralwomenday
October 16
World Food Day
2013 theme: Sustainable Food Systems for Food Security and Nutrition.
During this Day attention is focussed on food and agriculture and the problem of world hunger. What would a sustainable food system look like? Is it possible to get from here to there? What would need to change to move us in that direction? World Food Day 2013 is an opportunity to explore these and other questions, and help bring about the future we want.
http://www.fao.org
October 17
International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
2013 theme: Working together towards a world without discrimination.
Every year on October 17th, the international community observes the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, recalling that: "Wherever men and women are condemned to live in extreme poverty, human rights are violated. To come together to ensure that these rights be respected is our solemn duty." Fr. Joseph Wresinski.
This day is a key opportunity to think of the struggle against extreme poverty that takes place every day and of the role that everyone has to play in this.
overcomingpoverty.org
www.un.org/en/events/povertyday/
October 21 - 25
Spirit of the UN : Week of Spirituality, Values and Global Concerns
2013 theme: 10 Year Perspective: Sustainable Spirituality at the United Nations
The 2013 Week of Spirituality, Values and Global Concerns honors the 10th Anniversary of the NGO Committee on Spirituality, Values and Global Concerns - NY and the launch of the 70th UN Anniversary Planning Committee.
Events during the Week include the presentation of annual 'Spirit of the UN' Awards to diplomats, UN staff and NGO representatives, and an address on a Spiritual / Ethical new Development Paradigm.
www.csvgc-ny.org/
October 24
United Nations Day
This is the birthday of the UN - a day to celebrate, reflect on the past and envision the future. Hold the United Nations in the light especially on this Day marking the coming into force of the UN Charter. Visualise the General Assembly being overshadowed with higher energies of Synthesis and of the active principle of Peace. Please also hold the Meditation Room at the United Nations Headquarters in New York in the light - you will find a photograph of the room and a copy of Dag Hammarskjold's inspiring paper on the room here. This Room is currently closed during a major renovation of UN Headquarters so it is especially important to keep it in mind. Read about the Chagall Window of Peace outside the Meditation Room here.
www.un.org/en/events/unday
October 24
Global Oneness Day
Humanity's Team and Association for Global New Thought invite groups around the world to celebrate UN Day, October 24, as Global Oneness Day. In May 2010, a global petition was presented to the UN, calling on this Day to be observed by the United Nations and in the same year the first Oneness Day was observed by groups from around the world. It is a day intended to inspire awareness, appreciation and celebration of life's underlying Oneness in the same way that Earth Day is intended to inspire awareness, appreciation and celebration of the earth's natural environment. A virtual event will be held on line with visionary speakers. Sign the Declaration of oneness.
www.global-oneness-day.org
October 24 - 30
World Disarmament Week
Disarmament Week has been observed by the United Nations since 1978. Member States are invited to highlight the dangers of the arms race, promote recognition of the need to stop the arms race, and increase public understanding of the urgent tasks of disarmament. NGOs organize a range of events seeking to raise public opinion and pressurize governments to act on disarmament.
www.un.org/en/events/disarmamentweek
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