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World Water Day, celebrated on 22 March every year since 1993, draws the world’s attention to the importance of freshwater and the sustainable management of freshwater resources. Led by UN Water, the coordination mechanism of the United Nations system on water and sanitation issues, the 2020 World Water Day focuses on the inextricable link between water and climate change. The theme highlights how our use of water will help reduce floods, droughts, scarcity and pollution, and will help fight climate change itself.

The United Nations, with offices in 193 countries and 37,000 employees, is the world’s largest universal international multilateral organization. It inspires people from around the world to join its mission of maintaining peace, advancing human rights and promoting justice, equality and development. 

Twenty years ago, the United Nations proclaimed 21 February as International Mother Language Day in recognition of the importance of promoting and preserving linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism. The day encourages UN Member States to promote the preservation and protection of all languages used by peoples of the world and to promote unity in diversity and international understanding through multilingualism and multiculturalism.

This year marks the beginning of the Decade of Action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. The Global Goals, adopted by all countries in 2015, are our shared vision to end poverty, safeguard the environment and build a peaceful world. With only 10 years left to achieve the Goals, there is an urgent need to step up action.

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.

Whether you are starting the first day of the academic year or returning from winter holidays, UNAI would like to welcome you back to school! During your time away from June to August, the UN has published tens of reports on issues ranging from climate change, to the global fight against AIDS, food and agriculture, youth participation in peace processes, and rural youth development. To bring you up to date on these pivotal reports, take a look at the following summaries of important findings and test your knowledge with our UNAI quiz below!

The annual General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly has been called the World Cup of diplomacy, where world leaders gather at UN Headquarters in New York to discuss global issues. Established in 1945 under the Charter of the United Nations, the General Assembly occupies a central position as the chief deliberative, policymaking and representative organ of the United Nations.

International Youth Day is commemorated every year on 12 August, bringing youth issues to the attention of the international community and celebrating the potential of youth as partners in today’s global society!

Fernando Restoy Rodriguez describes his experience as an intern for United Nations Academic Impact in the Department of Global Communications.

15 July is World Youth Skills Day, a day to encourage youth to celebrate the value of acquiring skills like building, making, and creating as a way to achieve personal success and fulfillment!

Young people are almost three times more likely to be unemployed than adults and continuously exposed to lower quality jobs, greater labour market inequalities, and longer and more insecure school-to-work transitions. In addition, women are more likely to be underemployed and under-paid, and to undertake part-time jobs or work under temporary contracts.

20 June is World Refugee Day, a day to recognize the strength, courage, and resilience of refugees. Every minute 20 people are forced to leave everything behind to escape persecution, conflict, violence and human rights abuses. Forcibly displaced persons include refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons, stateless persons and returnees who are former refugees.

Energy is central to nearly every major challenge and opportunity the world faces today. Be it for jobs, security, climate change, food production or increasing incomes, access to energy for all is essential. Working towards this goal is especially important as it interlinks with other Sustainable Development Goals.

8 June is World Oceans Day and an opportunity to remind everyone of the major role oceans play in everyday life.

They are the lungs of our planet, providing 70% of the oxygen we breathe, they hold 97% of the planet’s water and contribute to poverty eradication by creating sustainable livelihoods, providing decent work and global food security, oceans are the primary regulator of global climate, and they host huge reservoirs of biodiversity.

"Each day at the UN I learned something new and was surrounded by compassionate people who strive to make the world a better place," Matthew Pampin describes his experience as an intern for United Nations Academic Impact in the Department of Global Communications.

UN peacekeeping is a flexible, evolving instrument that brings together political, security and technical tools at its disposal to assist countries in making the difficult transition from conflict to peace. Peacekeeping is truly a global partnership and Member States reflect strong global confidence in the value of the UN’s flagship enterprise. Peacekeeping has also proven to be a solid investment in global peace, security, and prosperity.