A continued lack of decent work opportunities, insufficient investments and under-consumption lead to an erosion of the basic social contract underlying democratic societies: that all must share in progress. Even though the average annual growth rate of real GDP per capita worldwide is increasing year on year, there are still many countries in the developing world that are decelerating in their growth rates and moving farther from the 7% growth rate target set for 2030. As labor productivity decreases and unemployment rates rise, standards of living begin to decline due to lower wages.

Human Rights Day is observed every year on 10 December. Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, regardless of race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, or any other status. Human rights include the right to life and liberty, freedom from slavery and torture, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to work and education, and many more. Everyone is entitled to these rights, without discrimination.

World Science Day for Peace and Development is 10 November! The day underlines the importance and relevance of science in our daily lives and highlights the need to engage the wider public in debates on emerging scientific issues. It also underscores the role scientists play in broadening our understanding of the remarkable, fragile planet we call home and in making our societies more sustainable.

Did you know that 60% of the world’s population, or 4.5 billion people, live without a toilet or have one that doesn’t adequately dispose of waste? Or that 892 million people still practice open defecation? Exposure to human feces on this scale has a devastating impact upon public health, living and working conditions, nutrition, education and economic productivity across the world.

This essay is by De Montfort University (DMU) PhD student Nabeelah Ahmed Omarjee. Nabeelah ran a workshop at this year’s UN Civil Society conference in Salt Lake City, United States, as part of a DMU delegation.

World Food Day is celebrated every year on 16 October, promoting worldwide action to promote food security and nutritious diets for all.

Over 820 million people in the world suffer chronic undernourishment, 60 per cent of them women, and each day 16,000 children die from hunger-related causes, a child every second. But amidst this hunger, there is also an epidemic of obesity due to a lack of access to nutritious, healthy food.