The United Nations’ (UN) International Day for Tolerance is annually observed on November 16 to educate people about the need for tolerance in society and to help them understand the negative effects of intolerance.

The International Day for Tolerance educates people about the importance of global tolerance.©iStockphoto.com/Julie de Leseleuc

What Do People Do?

The International Day for Tolerance is a time for people to learn about respecting and recognizing the rights and beliefs of others. It is also a time of reflection and debate on the negative effects of intolerance. Live discussions and debates take place across the world on this day, focusing on how various forms of injustice, oppression, racism and unfair discrimination have a negative impact on society.

Many educators use the theme of this day to help students in classrooms or in lecture theatres understand issues centered on tolerance, human rights and non-violence. These issues are also found in text books, lesson material and other educational resources used for this event. The UN Chronicle Online Education also features articles about tolerance.  Information on the day is disseminated through flyers, posters, news articles and broadcasts, and other promotional material to raise people’s awareness about the importance of tolerance. Other activities include essays, dialogues and story-telling of people’s personal accounts of intolerance and how it affects their lives.

Human rights activists also use this day as an opportunity to speak out on human rights laws, especially with regard to banning and punishing hate crimes and discrimination against minorities. In the workplace, special training programs, talks, or messages from workplace leaders about the importance of tolerance are utilized on this day.

Background

In 1996 the UN General Assembly invited member states to observe the International Day for Tolerance on November 16, with activities directed towards both educational establishments and the wider public (resolution 51/95 of 12 December). This action came in the wake of the United Nations Year for Tolerance, 1995, proclaimed by the assembly in 1993 (resolution 48/126). The year was declared on the General Conference of UNESCO’s initiative. On November 16, 1995, the UNESCO member states adopted the Declaration of Principles on Tolerance and Follow-up Plan of Action for the year.

The 2005 World Summit Outcome document outlines the commitment of Heads of State and Government to advance human welfare, freedom and progress everywhere, as well as to encourage tolerance, respect, dialogue and cooperation among different cultures, civilizations and peoples.

Public Life

The UN’s International Day for Tolerance is a global observance and not a public holiday.

The World Science Day for Peace and Development (WSDPD) is annually held on November 10 to raise awareness of the benefits of science worldwide. The WSDPD is also known as World Science Day.

What Do People Do?

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) works with people, government agencies and organizations to promote the WSDPD each year. The WSDPD celebrations include:

• Open days to highlight science’s important role in peace and development.
• Classroom discussions to emphasize how science and technology affect daily life.
• Distributing the WSDPD posters throughout tertiary institutions, school campuses, and public venues.
• Arranged science museum visits to commemorate the day.
• Visits to local schools on careers in science or scientific presentations.

Some governments have, in the past, used World Science Day to publicly affirm their commitment to increased support for scientific initiatives that help society, as well as launch new science policy programs together with scientific institutions, civil society, universities and schools.

The 24th October, each year is the International United Nations Day. This followed a declaration by the United Nations General Assembly in 1947 which designated 24th of October, the anniversary of the Charter of the United Nations, as United Nations Day, by proclaiming that the day would be instrumental in making people aware and it shall be devoted in making known to the people of the world the aims and achievements of the United Nations and to gain their support for its work. By a further resolution that of the United Nations Resolution 2782 adopted in 1971 by the United Nations General Assembly, it was declared that the United Nations Day would henceforth be celebrated as an international holiday and it was recommended that it will be maintained as a public holiday by all United Nations member states. The event is instituted primarily to disseminate to people worldwide the aims and accomplishment of the United Nations Organization. The United Nations Day is in-fact part of a longer United Nations Week which spans from the 20th to the 26th of October.

The United Nations Day involves celebratory events such as food festivals showcasing food from around the world and cultural concerts. In-fact the United Nations Day concert is an important part of the day’s celebrations at the United Nations Headquarters. The concert for the year 2011 was sponsored by the Permanent Mission of Mongolia. It featured the traditional “long song” and “throat-singing”. The previously mentioned oral music forms have henceforth been included in the UNESOC’s list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Cultural diversity is the drive-force behind greater development, a step towards leading a more enriching and wholesome intellectual, emotional, moral and spiritual life. It is an important economic growth. Cultural diversity is thus a huge asset and a grand alleviator of poverty and a potent precursor of sustainable development. Moreover a larger and more receptive acceptance and recognition of cultural diversity particularly through innovative use of media are conducive to a better understanding, cooperation and dialogue between nations and varying civilizations and culture.

UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity, 2001 and its following dialogues has become the core mandate of the UNESCO. And in celebrating the United Nations Day, the world is encouraged to celebrate these core principles of inter-cultural understanding and synthesis and a larger and more acute sense of being in the world, of belonging to a family, the largest family, the universe.

The aim of celebrating such a day, the United Nations Day, is the essential celebration of the values which this organization spells forth-the principles of humanity, unity, and world peace. Coming into effect after the two world wars and the cold war the United Nations was an attempt to salvage humanity from the scourge of war and the wrath of destruction-most importantly to ensure that the human world would never be subject to such instances of horror again. The promise has since been shouldered by the organization and many efforts to alleviate the human condition have been attempted.

October 13^th celebrated the International Day for Disaster Reduction (IDDR). This date has been designated by the UN Assembly to promote a global culture of disaster reduction, including disaster prevention, mitigation and preparedness.

The International Day for Disaster Reduction aims to demonstrate the different and varied ways that people and communities are working to reduce disaster risks and raise awareness about the importance of Disaster Risk Reduction. This day also serves to encourage all citizens and governments to actively participate in building societies and nations that are more resilient to disasters.

The theme chosen for this year was “Living with Disabilities and Disasters,” intending to draw attention to the importance of integrating the needs of people living with disabilities in decisions and policies for reducing the risks of disasters

World Tourism Day (WTD) is commemorated each year on 27 September.

Its purpose is to foster awareness among the international community of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic value. The event seeks to address global challenges outlined in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals and to highlight the contribution the tourism industry can make in reaching these goals.

Every year, UNWTO invites all interested parties to take part on 27 September each year in the special celebrations taking place in their respective country or holiday destination.

World Tourism Day theme and official celebrations

World Tourism Day is celebrated with appropriate events on themes selected by the UNWTO General Assembly, on the recommendation of the UNWTO Executive Council.

The UNWTO Secretary-General issues a message each year to mark the occasion and chairs the official celebrations.

Establishment of World Tourism Day

It was at its third session (Torremolinos, Spain, September 1979), that the UNWTO General Assembly decided to institute World Tourism Day, commencing in the year 1980. This date was chosen to coincide with an important milestone in world tourism: the anniversary of the adoption of the UNWTO Statutes on 27 September 1970.

The timing of World Tourism Day is particularly appropriate in that it comes at the end of the high season in the northern hemisphere and the beginning of the season in the southern hemisphere, when tourism is of topical interest to hundreds of thousands of people worldwide.