The United Nations
Making A Difference
C a l e n d a r
Did you know … ■■ A Climate Summit in September 2014 at the
United Nations will bring together Heads of State and Government along with business, finance, civil society and local leaders to catalyse action that will help the world reduce emissions and shift toward a low-carbon economy.
■■ The United Nations General Assembly will hold
the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples in September 2014. The 370 million indigenous people living in some 90 countries number among the most disadvantaged and vulnerable groups in the world. Indigenous peoples enrich our cultural diversity, speaking more than two thirds of our languages and contributing an extraordinary amount of traditional knowledge.
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Family farming and small farms play a major role in providing food security and fighting poverty. The General Assembly has declared 2014 the International Year of Farming to martial support for small farmers, many of whom are women. Smallscale agriculture produces up to 80 per cent of the food consumed in many developing countries, notably in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. ■■ In 2014, the United Nations will observe the International Year of Small Island Developing States. Thirty-nine such UN Member States—mostly in the Caribbean and in the Pacific—face unique problems, including isolation, vulnerability to natural disaster, and the effects of climate change, such as sea-level rise. Many of them are leaders in the use of renewable resources, ocean conservation, environmental protection and responsible tourism.
■■ The UN Charter entered into force in 1945
on 24 October—a date now celebrated as United Nations Day. That year the UN had 51 members; today 193 countries are members of the Organization.
■■ The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was
The United Nations
Making A Difference
adopted on 10 December 1948. Commemorating this historic occasion, Human Rights Day was the first international day approved by the General Assembly (1950). Along with the Universal Declaration, the United Nations has formulated more than 80 human rights treaties and declarations that help protect and promote human rights.
For the most up-to-date listing of United Nations Observances, please visit www.un.org/observances.
■■ The United Nations is a voluntary organization
of 193 sovereign States that come together to solve shared problems—from peace and security to humanitarian emergencies, disease, climate change, poverty, hunger, human rights abuses, and international crime. They set the agenda, determine the budget, provide all funding and monitor all activities, as well as supply all police and military forces.
■■ Annual UN peacekeeping costs amount to
$7.3 billion, which is less than one half of one per cent of total world military expenditure, estimated at $1.75 trillion in 2012—a figure itself dwarfed by the actual costs of wars and armed conflicts.
■■ The United Nations family and its related
organizations have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize eleven times—most recently, in 2013, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
■■ About one in ten persons in the world—some
650 million people—live with a disability. They are the world’s largest minority, and some 80 per cent of those with a disability live in developing countries. The landmark 2006 United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, ratified by 132 countries, is the first global treaty aimed at protecting their rights. The United Nations helps countries put into practice the Convention and other international standards, and works with organizations of persons with disabilities. The International Day of Persons with Disabilities is observed on 3 December.
■■ Virtually all UN humanitarian relief is funded by
voluntary contributions. In 2013, the United Nations sought $10.4 billion in such funding to provide aid to 57 million people in 24 countries.
■■ The 2013 United Nations Arms Trade Treaty, which
has already been signed by 77 countries and ratified by two, seeks to regulate the international trade in conventional arms, from small arms to battle tanks, combat aircraft and warships. The treaty aims to curb arms flows to conflict-prone countries; make it harder for weapons to be diverted into the illicit market; and keep warlords, pirates, terrorists and criminals from acquiring them.
■■ Do you want to help out? The United Nations
Volunteers programme mobilizes more than 7,700 UN Volunteers every year, and also features online opportunities. UN Volunteers assist in organizing and running local and national elections, and support a large number of humanitarian projects. They also compose one third of all international civilians working in UN peacekeeping operations.
For more information on the UN and its family of organizations, please visit www.un.org and www.unsystem.org.
For previous editions of this calendar, please see The United Nations Making a Difference 2012 and The United Nations Making a Difference 2013
The United Nations System Funds and Programmes1
UN Principal Organs General Assembly Security Council
UNCTAD United Nations Conference on Trade and Development •
Subsidiary Bodies Main and other sessional committees Disarmament Commission Human Rights Council International Law Commission
Economic and Social Council
Secretariat
as Secretary-General. But I well: the capacity of people to make a difference, to turn commitment to action, to come together to make possible new laws, new rights, new opportunities and new attitudes that improve the human condition. … Together, let us work to realize those ambitions and ideals in every community and corner of our world. “ —B an Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, 28 August 2013
Trusteeship Council 6 Notes: 1 The United Nations, its Funds and Programmes, the Specialized Agencies, IAEA and WTO are all members of the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB). 2 UNRWA and UNIDIR report only to the General Assembly (GA). 3 IAEA reports to the Security Council and the GA. 4 WTO has no reporting obligation to the GA, but contributes on an ad hoc basis to GA and Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) work on, inter alia, finance and development issues. 5 Specialized Agencies are autonomous organizations whose work is coordinated through ECOSOC (intergovernmental level) and CEB (inter-secretariat level).
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)
UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund
UNSSC United Nations System Staff College
UNODC United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
UNU United Nations University
WFP World Food Programme
UNCDF United Nations Capital Development Fund
Peacekeeping operations and political missions
Peacebuilding Commission
Sanctions committees (ad hoc) Standing committees and ad hoc bodies
Other Bodies
Regional Commissions
Committee for Development Policy
Narcotic Drugs
ECE Economic Commission for Europe
Population and Development
ECLAC Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
Committee of Experts on Public Administration
Statistics Status of Women Sustainable Development United Nations Forum on Forests
DESA Department of Economic and Social Affairs
This is not an official document of the United Nations, nor is it intended to be all inclusive.
DM Department of Management
United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names Other sessional and standing committees and expert, ad hoc and related bodies
ESCWA Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia
EOSG Executive Office of the Secretary-General
DFS Department of Field Support
Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
ESCAP Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
Departments and Offices
6 The Trusteeship Council suspended operation on 1 November 1994, as on 1 October 1994 Palau, the last United Nations Trust Territory, became independent.
Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations
DGACM Department for General Assembly and Conference Management
Related Organizations CTBTO Preparatory Commission Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization IAEA1, 3 International Atomic Energy Agency OPCW Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
Advisory Subsidiary Body
ECA Economic Commission for Africa
Social Development
UNOPS United Nations Office for Project Services
UNIDIR2 United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research
Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice
Science and Technology for Development
UNISDR United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction
UNICRI United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute
Military Staff Committee
Functional Commissions
Other Entities UNAIDS Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS
Research and Training Institutes
UNFPA United Nations Population Fund
International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR)
UNRISD United Nations Research Institute for Social Development
UN-Women United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women
UNEP United Nations Environment Programme
Subsidiary Bodies
UNHCR Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
WTO1, 4 World Trade Organization
Specialized Agencies1, 5
UNWTO World Tourism Organization
FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
UPU Universal Postal Union
ICAO International Civil Aviation Organization
WIPO World Intellectual Property Organization
IFAD International Fund for Agricultural Development
WMO World Meteorological Organization
ILO International Labour Organization
World Bank Group
IMF International Monetary Fund
• IBRD International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
IMO International Maritime Organization ITU International Telecommunication Union UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNIDO United Nations Industrial Development Organization
WHO World Health Organization
• ICSID International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes • IDA International Development Association • IFC International Finance Corporation • MIGA Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency
DPA Department of Political Affairs
OIOS Office of Internal Oversight Services
UNODA Office for Disarmament Affairs
DPI Department of Public Information
OLA Office of Legal Affairs
UNOG United Nations Office at Geneva
OSAA Office of the Special Adviser on Africa
UN-OHRLLS Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States
DPKO Department of Peacekeeping Operations OCHA Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
SRSG/CAAC Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict
OHCHR Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
SRSG/SVC Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict
DSS Department of Safety and Security
UNON United Nations Office at Nairobi UNOV United Nations Office at Vienna
Published by the United Nations Department of Public Information DPI/2470 rev.3—13-38229—August 2013
have seen something else as
International Court of Justice
ITC International Trade Centre (UNCTAD/WTO)
• UNV United Nations Volunteers
Counter-terrorism committees
“I have seen both setbacks and progress during my time
Standing committees and ad hoc bodies
UNITAR United Nations Institute for Training and Research
UNRWA2 United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
UNDP United Nations Development Programme •
UN-HABITAT United Nations Human Settlements Programme
For the latest organizational chart of the United Nations System, please visit www.un.org/en/aboutun/structure/org_chart.shtml
2014 Calendar
The United Nations
Making A Difference
Arab nomadic Mahammid tribe members returning to North Darfur, Sudan, after nine years of displacement in South Darfur (2012)
Maintaining peace and security Some 117,000 military, police and civilian personnel from more than 160 countries serve in 16 United Nations peace operations in countries on four continents—including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, the IsraeliSyrian border and Kosovo. By sending 68 peacekeeping and observer missions to the world’s trouble spots over the past 65 years, the United Nations has been able to restore calm, allowing countries to recover from conflict. Since 1948, more than 3,000 peacekeepers have lost their lives while serving under the UN flag.
Making peace and preventing conflict The United Nations plays a key role in preventive diplomacy and mediation to help nations resolve disputes in advance of armed conflict, and to avert the suffering and destruction of war. To these ends, United Nations envoys are regularly dispatched to areas of tension to help defuse crises and facilitate negotiations between contentious parties. Fifteen United Nations political and peacebuilding missions are currently helping countries— from Afghanistan to Iraq, Libya and Somalia—consolidate peace and promote reconciliation and recovery after armed conflict and civil war.
UN Photo/Albert González Farran
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Tuesday 27 January International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust
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January 2014
The United Nations
Making A Difference
Students in Tonga benefiting from broadband services as part of the Pacific Regional Connectivity Program (2013) World Bank/Tom Perry
Connecting the world The International Telecommunication Union brings together Governments and industry to develop and coordinate the operation of telecommunication networks and services. ITU standards, protocols and international agreements underpin the global telecommunication system. Its coordination of satellite orbits enables television, GPS navigation, maritime and aeronautical communications, weather information and online maps. ITU standards facilitate most Internet connections, while its policy frameworks make mobile and broadband possible. Its work has helped telecommunications grow into a $1.5Â trillion global industry.
Providing access to global networks The Universal Postal Union facilitates the exchange of international mail and the development of postal services and products. Some 670,000 national post offices form one of the world’s most extensive networks for the transfer of information, goods and money. With UPU support, postal services deliver an estimated 380 billion letter-post items and 6.1 billion parcels a year. UPU also contributes to establishing affordable, high-quality fund-transfer services, especially in rural communities. Postal services remain a critical bridge between physical and digital operations and are a key partner in global development.
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First week of February World Interfaith Harmony Week
13 February World Radio Day
4 February World Cancer Day
20 February World Day of Social Justice
6 February International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation
21 February International Mother Language Day
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February 2014
The United Nations
Making A Difference
Children attending class at the Za’atri camp near Mafraq, Jordan, hosting Syrian refugees (2012)
Advancing women’s rights UN-Women leads United Nations efforts towards achieving gender equality and empowering women. In 2012, UN-Women provided support in 71 countries for constitutional, legal and electoral reform, so that more women could vote and be elected. In 67 countries, it helped strengthen policies to guarantee women’s equal access to productive assets, decent work and social protection; to secure their property, land and inheritance rights; and to support their entrepreneurship. Towards ending violence against women, UN-Women worked in 85 countries for relevant legislation and the approval of national action plans, as well as in 65 countries for the inclusion of women’s concerns in development plans and budgets.
UN Photo/Mark Garten
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Monday 21–27 March Week of Solidarity with the Peoples Struggling against Racism and Racial Discrimination 8 March International Women’s Day 20 March International Day of Happiness
Tuesday 21 March International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
International Day of Nowruz World Poetry Day World Down Syndrome Day International Day of Forests and the Tree
Wednesday 22 March World Water Day 23 March World Meteorological Day
Thursday 24 March International Day for the Right to the Truth concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims
World Tuberculosis Day
Friday 25 March International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade
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Promoting human rights Since the General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, the United Nations has formulated more than 80 international treaties and declarations protecting and promoting human rights, for example: banning the participation of children under 18 in armed conflict and prohibiting the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. Ten of the core human rights treaties have oversight bodies responsible for reviewing their implementation by the countries that have ratified them. United Nations experts focus the world’s attention on cases of torture, disappearance, arbitrary detention, extrajudicial executions and other human rights violations and help generate international pressure on governments to improve their human rights records.
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March 2014
The United Nations
Making A Difference
A UN High-level Panel on Cybersecurity and Cybercrime meeting in Geneva (2012)
Thinking globally The United Nations leads the way in research on global issues. The United Nations Population Division produces demographic estimates and country projections on global trends. Its Statistics Division compiles global economic, demographic, social, gender, environment and energy statistics. The United Nations Development Programme’s Human Development Report, the UN World Economic and Social Survey, the Word Bank’s World Development Report, the International Monetary Fund’s World Economic Outlook and many other such studies help policymakers arrive at informed decisions. United Nations University, with 15 institutes and programmes in 13 countries, connects the international academic community and the UN system in researching pressing global problems of human survival, development and welfare.
UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferré
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23–29 April 2014 UN Global Road Safety Week
7 April World Health Day
2 April World Autism Awareness Day
Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Rwanda Genocide
4 April International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action
12 April International Day of Human Space Flight
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22 April
Encouraging creativity The World Intellectual Property Organization promotes the international protection of intellectual property rights—including patents, copyright, trademarks, designs and appellations of origin. Intellectual property rights allow creators or owners to benefit from their work or investment, and are a means of stimulating innovation while safeguarding the public interest in science and technology as well as literature and the arts. Along with helping resolve intellectual property disputes, WIPO builds collaborative networks and technical platforms to share knowledge and simplify intellectual property transactions, including databases and tools for exchanging information.
International Mother Earth Day 23 April World Book and Copyright Day 25 April World Malaria Day 26 April World Intellectual Property Day
28 April World Day for Safety and Health at Work 29 April Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare 30 April International Jazz Day
April 2014
The United Nations
Making A Difference
A family voting in the presidential election in Timor-Leste (2012) UN Photo/Bernadino Soares
Fostering democracy The United Nations advances democracy and democratic governance through electoral assistance, helping some 50 countries a year with elections. The UN has assisted many countries with their elections, including Afghanistan, Burundi, Cambodia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Nepal, Sierra Leone, the Sudan, and TimorLeste. The United Nations Democracy Fund has supported more than 400 electoral projects in over 100 countries, helping strengthen the voice of civil society, promote human rights and encourage universal participation in democratic processes. The United Nations also works with Governments to enhance the checks and balances that allow democracy to thrive; develop legislation to ensure freedom of expression; strengthen judicial systems and national human rights bodies; and promote women’s participation in political and public life.
Championing press freedom The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization champions press freedom as well as freedom of expression. UNESCO fosters media independence and pluralism by providing advisory services on media legislation. It supports media development projects in more than 80 countries. In 1990, only 13 countries had freedom of information laws, whereas today such laws are in force in more than 90 countries. UNESCO also serves as a watchdog for press freedom, and promotes the safety of journalists—122 of whom were murdered in 26 countries in 2012.
Sunday Second weekend in May World Migratory Bird Day First full moon in May Day of Vesak 25–31 May Week of Solidarity with the Peoples of Non-Self-Governing Territories 3 May World Press Freedom Day
Monday 8–9 May Time of Remembrance and Reconciliation for Those Who Lost Their Lives during the Second World War 12–13 May World Migratory Bird Day 15 May International Day of Families
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17 May World Telecommunication and Information Society Day
23 May International Day to End Obstetric Fistula
21 May World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development
29 May International Day of UN Peacekeepers
22 May International Day for Biological Diversity
31 May World No-Tobacco Day
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May 2014
The United Nations
Making A Difference
A green pepper farmer pruning trees as part of the Changjiang/ Pearl River Watershed Rehabilitation Project, China (2013)
Protecting the environment The United Nations Environment Programme spearheads the work of the United Nations system on behalf of the global environment. Advocating for environmental governance, ecosystem management and marine and terrestrial ecosystems, UNEP carries out environment-related development projects, helps develop international environmental conventions and promotes environmental science. The 1973 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, which now has 169 States parties and whose secretariat is administered by UNEP, aims to ensure that international trade in over 30,000 species of animals and plants does not threaten their survival.
Safeguarding the oceans The United Nations has led efforts to safeguard the use of the world’s oceans through a single regulatory treaty. The 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea, ratified by 164 countries, codifies the rights and duties of coastal and landlocked States, including with regard to navigation, maritime zones, protecting the marine environment, scientific research and the use of marine resources. The International Seabed Authority addresses the exploitation of mineral resources in the international seabed area. The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea adjudicates disputes related to the interpretation or application of the Convention. The Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf helps delineate the outer limits of the continental shelf when that submerged portion of the land territory of a coastal State extends farther than 200 nautical miles beyond its coastline.
World Bank/Li Wenyong
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1 June Global Day of Parents
12 June World Day Against Child Labour
4 June International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression
14 June World Blood Donor Day
5 June World Environment Day 8 June World Oceans Day
15 June World Elder Abuse Awareness Day
17 June World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought 20 June World Refugee Day 23 June International Widows’ Day United Nations Public Service Day
25 June Day of the Seafarer 26 June International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking
United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture
June 2014
The United Nations
Making A Difference
A health-care worker preparing an injection for a vaccination campaign against meningitis in East Darfur, Sudan (2012)
Halting epidemics The World Health Organization helps provide collective defence against transnational threats by tracking infectious disease outbreaks, sharing expertise and mounting responses as needed to protect populations from the consequences of epidemics. Its Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network brings together regional and national institutions for the rapid identification of and response to disease outbreaks of international significance. WHO—which coordinated the eradication of smallpox in the 1970s—investigates more than 200 disease outbreaks each year, 15 to 20 of which require an international response. Some of the more prominent diseases for which WHO is leading global efforts include meningitis, yellow fever, cholera, hepatitis and pandemic influenza.
UN Photo/Albert González Farran
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First Saturday of July International Day of Cooperatives
28 July World Hepatitis Day
11 July World Population Day
30 July International Day of Friendship
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18 July Nelson Mandela International Day
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Fighting tropical diseases WHO is working to eliminate 17 neglected tropical diseases that are endemic in 149 countries especially among very poor populations. These chronic infectious diseases impair the lives of more than 1 billion people. Thanks to WHO-led campaigns, preventive treatment with single-dose medicines for at least one disease reached 728 million people in 2011 alone. Reported cases of trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) have dropped to their lowest level in 50 years. Leprosy has been eliminated in 119 out of 122 endemic countries. WHO is expanding school-based interventions for children to prevent and treat schistosomiasis (bilharzia) and soiltransmitted helminthiases.
July 2014
The United Nations
Making A Difference
An IAEA expert examining equipment inside the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, Okuma, Japan (2013)
Preventing nuclear proliferation The International Atomic Energy Agency serves as the world’s nuclear inspectorate. The global Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, ratified by 190 countries, along with other treaties empower the Agency in its efforts to stop the spread of nuclear weapons. Its experts work to verify that nuclear material is used only for peaceful purposes. Safeguards agreements with 179 countries include on-site inspections, visits and monitoring and evaluation at more than 1,200 facilities through which IAEA verifies that a State is living up to its commitments not to use nuclear programmes for nuclearweapons purposes. IAEA also supports global nuclear safety and security, protecting people and the environment from the harmful effects of ionizing radiation.
IAEA/Greg Webb
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1–7 August World Breastfeeding Week
19 August World Humanitarian Day
9 August International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples
23 August International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition
12 August International Youth Day
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29 August International Day against Nuclear Tests 30 August International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances
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Clearing landmines Landmines and explosive remnants of war affect some 59 States and six territories, killing over 4,000 people every year and maiming thousands more. The United Nations Mine Action Service and 13 other United Nations bodies conduct mine action in 30 countries and three territories, including Afghanistan, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo Libya and the Sudan. UN services may focus on a single dimension of mine action— such as mine-risk education or victim assistance—or the United Nations may be involved in every aspect of mine action, from clearing landmines to destroying stockpiles. The 1997 Mine Ban Treaty, ratified by 161 countries, prohibits the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of antipersonnel mines and provides for their destruction.
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August 2014
The United Nations
Making A Difference
Construction taking place on the Panama Canal expansion project (2012) World Bank/Gerardo Pesantez
Aiding economic growth The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund foster global growth and economic stability. The IMF provides financing and policy advice to countries in economic difficulty and works with developing nations to help them achieve stability and reduce poverty. It promotes international monetary cooperation, facilitates the balanced growth of international trade, and provides technical assistance and training to help countries improve economic management. The World Bank provides low-interest loans, interest-free credits and direct grants to developing countries to support investments in education, health, public administration, infrastructure, private-sector development, agriculture, and environmental and natural resource management. In 2011–2012, the Bank provided $46.9 billion for 303 projects in developing countries.
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5 September International Day of Charity
15 September International Day of Democracy
28 September World Rabies Day
8 September International Literacy Day
16 September International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer
Last week of September World Maritime Day
Facilitating global trade The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development helps developing countries negotiate trade agreements and win preferential treatment for their exports. It has facilitated international commodity agreements ensuring fair prices for developing countries, helped improved the efficiency of their trade infrastructure, and assisted them in diversifying their production and integrating into the global economy. UNCTAD technical assistance includes such areas as training trade negotiators and addressing trade-related issues; debt management, investment policy reviews and promotion of entrepreneurship; commodities; competition law and policy; and trade and the environment.
10 September World Suicide Prevention Day 12 September United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation
21 September International Day of Peace 27 September World Tourism Day
September 2014
The United Nations
Making A Difference
Knowledge-sharing in crop production in climate-affected Cocalito, Colombia (2012) FAO
Fighting hunger Although the world can produce enough food to feed everyone adequately, 868 million people still suffer from chronic hunger. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations helps developing countries modernize agriculture, forestry and fisheries in ways that conserve natural resources and improve nutrition. The International Fund for Agricultural Development works with poor rural people to enable them to grow and sell more food, increase their income and determine the direction of their own lives. Since 1978, IFAD has invested about $14.9 billion in grants and low-interest loans for projects that have helped some 410 million people overcome poverty. Today, it supports more than 250 programmes and projects in 97 countries.
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4–10 October World Space Week
5 October World Teachers’ Day
Second Thursday in October World Sight Day
24–30 October Disarmament Week
First Monday in October World Habitat Day
1 October International Day of Older Persons
9 October World Post Day
11 October International Day of the Girl Child
2 October International Day of Non-Violence
10 October World Mental Health Day
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13 October International Day for Disaster Reduction 15 October International Day of Rural Women
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16 October World Food Day
Providing food The World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. In 2012, WFP delivered more than 3.5 million metric tons of food to some 97 million people in dire need due to humanitarian emergencies in 80 countries. WFP gets food to where it is needed, saving the lives of those affected by armed conflict and natural disaster. Afterwards, WFP uses food to help communities rebuild their shattered lives. WFP food assistance is designed to meet the special needs of hungry people, especially women and children— the vulnerable majority most often affected by hunger. Its school meals provide free lunches or take-home rations to around 22 million schoolchildren in 60 countries.
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United Nations Day
17 October International Day for the Eradication of Poverty 24 October United Nations Day World Development Information Day 27 October World Day for Audiovisual Heritage
October 2014
The United Nations
Making A Difference
UN peacekeepers building a road in flood-affected Dungu, Democratic Republic of the Congo (2012)
Promoting African development Africa remains a high United Nations priority, receiving 33 per cent of UN system expenditures for development. Not only United Nations peacekeeping and peacebuilding, but also special UN agency programmes to benefit Africa—addressing agriculture, trade, industry, infrastructure, education and the empowerment of women, among many other sectors—have been paving the way for increasingly strong African economic growth. Yet challenges remain: progress has been unequal, with poverty persisting, food insecurity affecting millions of Africans, and high maternal and child mortality rates in too many places throughout the continent.
Supporting development worldwide In 2011, the United Nations system spent $24.5 billion for development—$16.6 billion for longer-term development activities and $7.9 billion for shorter-term humanitarian assistance. About half of those expenditures went to the world’s 49 poorest countries. The greatest support came through the United Nations Development Programme, which focuses on projects to reduce poverty, build democratic societies and develop national capacities; the World Food Programme, the world’s largest provider of food assistance; and the United Nations Children’s Fund, which emphasizes child protection and development, basic education and gender equality. Virtually all funds for such assistance come from voluntary contributions donated by States.
UN Photo/Sylvain Liechti
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Monday The week of 11 November International Week of Science and Peace 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
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12 November World Pneumonia Day
19 November World Toilet Day
Third Thursday in November World Philosophy Day
14 November World Diabetes Day
Third Sunday in November World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims
21 November World Television Day
16 November International Day for Tolerance World Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Day
20 November Africa Industrialization Day Universal Children’s Day
Friday 29 November International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People
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25 November International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women
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November 2014
The United Nations
Making A Difference
The ICJ delivering its Judgment in the Territorial and Maritime Dispute (Nicaragua v. Colombia) at The Hague, Netherlands (2012)
Resolving international disputes The International Court of Justice settles legal disputes submitted to it by States and gives advisory opinions on legal questions referred to it by United Nations organs and agencies.Through its 113 judgments and 27 advisory opinions, the ICJ has resolved disputes concerning land frontiers, maritime boundaries, territorial sovereignty, the use of force, violations of international humanitarian law, diplomatic relations, hostage-taking, the right of asylum, nationality, rights of passage and economic rights, among other matters. According to its statute, the Court—which has 15 judges elected to nine-year terms of office by the United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council—must represent the main forms of civilization and the principal legal systems of the world.
UN Photo/ICJ-CIJ
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Strengthening international law Through the efforts of the United Nations, more than 550 multilateral treaties have been negotiated and concluded among States. Treaties that are close to achieving universal participation include the Framework Convention on Climate Change; Convention to Combat Desertification in those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa; Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer; Convention on the Rights of the Child; Convention on Biological Diversity; Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction; and the Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances.
1 December World AIDS Day 2 December International Day for the Abolition of Slavery 3 December International Day of Persons with Disabilities
5 December International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development 7 December International Civil Aviation Day 9 December International Anti-Corruption Day
10 December Human Rights Day 11 December International Mountain Day 18 December International Migrants Day 20 December International Human Solidarity Day
December 2014
2014 Calendar January
■ Maintaining peace and security
■ Making peace and preventing conflict
A UN/Timorese medical team delivering health care to local residents in the Oecusse District, Timor-Leste (2012)
Cover image:
UN Photo/Martine Perret
February
■ Connecting the world
■ Providing access to global networks
May
■ Fostering democracy
■ Championing press freedom
■ Facilitating global trade
■ Advancing women’s rights
■ Protecting the environment ■ Safeguarding the oceans
October
■ Fighting hunger ■ Providing food
Every day, the United Nations works to tackle global challenges.
April
■ Thinking globally
■ Promoting human rights
June
September
■ Aiding economic growth
March
■ Encouraging creativity
July
■ Halting epidemics
■ Fighting tropical diseases
November
■ Promoting African development
■ Supporting development worldwide
August
■ Preventing nuclear proliferation ■ Clearing landmines
December
■ Resolving international disputes ■ Strengthening international law
All data are the latest available as of September 2013. Published by the United Nations Department of Public Information New York, New York 10017, United States of America Designed by the Graphic Design Unit, DPI 13-49743—DPI/2589