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 invoke the aid of the Forces of Light in support of these events.
Sustainable Development Goals & Climate Change
These International Days and events reflect important themes in the mobilization of energies to:
- End poverty, inequality and climate change by 2030 through practical actions to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals
- engaging people of goodwill all over the world in a common movement.
2020 United Nations International Year
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.
Please link in from wherever you are. More information at: http://www.spiritualcaucusun.org/
In January & February the Spiritual Caucus will gather for silence and discussion near to UN HQ on January 16 and February 20 from 1.30 - 2.45 PM.
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January & February Please Hold These Events in the Light
December 31 - January 1
Universe Day
The passage into a new year is widely observed as a time for meditation and deep reflection, when resolutions are made and attention is given to the purpose of life. The will to contribute to the well-being of humanity and the planet; and the vivifying of authentic goodness, beauty and truth are increasingly becoming central features of personal and group meditations at this time.
One effort to focus this global spirit of reflection is Universe Day, from noon December 31st to noon January 1. On this 11th Universe Day celebration, we invite you and all other universe and planetary citizens and evolutioneers to gather with friends locally to consider your rights and responsibilities as universe and planetary citizens and planetary evolutioneers and then, choose where to best help to enact wise evolutionary solutions to the escalating global warming emergency while also celebrating the beauty and wonder of the universe we live in.
universespirit.org
January 1 - 7
7 Days of Rest & Radiant Diversity
7 Days of Rest is an annual global event that takes place the first week of every year. The aim of the event is to begin the new year by co-creating a global unified field of intention and experience dedicated to the healing and replenishment of the planet and all its inhabitants.
The event provides an open, co-creative space for individuals and groups around the world to freely share and self-organize online and physical events such as retreats, webinars, meditations, ceremonies, sacred activism, artistic expression and more.
For 2020, 7 Days of Rest & Radiant Diversity, will be dedicated to exploring and remembering the essential nature of Life-enhancing diversity. Together we will cultivate our capacity to engage with ourselves, each other, and the world around us with greater empathy and wisdom, and learn about the vitalizing nature of our similarities, differences, and complementarities.
www.7days-of-rest.org
January 10
Full Moon — Capricorn
Since ancient times human beings have honored the full moon as a time when the sacred is most accesible. It is a time of light — the moon reflects the light of the sun onto the face of the earth. In astrology this is a time when the qualities and potentials of the zodiacal sign of the sun are especially available to humanity for use in service.
During the full moon religious and esoteric groups around the world use the opportunities of this time to vizualize light and love and spiritual power flowing into humanity and strengthening all that is being done to help prepare the way for a world of unity, justice and peace; a world in which the Sustainable Development Goals are in process of being achieved.
www.lucistrust.org
January 15 - February 23
Feast for the Soul
The annual Feast for the Soul unites people in their commitment to a 40-day practice of stillness. Many commit to 40 minutes of spiritual practice each morning of the Feast and report transformational effects form their commitment. The Feast for the Soul embraces all forms of spiritual practice, whatever allows you to bask in a period of peace in your daily life. Whether it is winter or summer where you are in January, we hope you will join the more than 20,000 people worldwide who participate each year.
What nine months does for the embryo
Forty early mornings
Will do for your growing awareness
Jelaluddin Rumi
feastforthesoul.org
January 16 - 18
Global Forum for Food & Agriculture, Berlin, Germany
2020 Theme: Food for all! Trade for Secure, Diverse and Sustainable Nutrition.
The Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) is an international conference on central issues of vital importance for global agricultural and food policies. The three-day forum features a large number of events that provide an international audience of experts from the worlds of politics, business, science and civil society with an opportunity to address and reach consensus on issues and challenges relating to global agricultural policy and food security.The event includes the Berlin Agriculture Ministers’ Conference, the largest annual gathering of Agriculture Ministers from over 70 states.
www.gffa-berlin.de
January 20 - 24
Global Forum on Migration and Development, Summit, Quito, Ecuador
2020 Theme: "Sustainable approaches to human mobility: Upholding rights, strengthening state agency, and advancing development through partnerships and collective action."
The Twelfth GFMD Summit will be attended by Ministers and Deputy Ministers from all regions of the world as well as policy-makers and practitioners in migration and development. The GFMD has since remained as the largest informal, non-binding, voluntary and government-led process, bringing together expertise from all regions and countries at all stages of economic, social and political development.
www.gfmd.org
January 21 - 24
World Economic Forum, Davos, Switzerland
2020 Theme: Stakeholders for a Cohesive and Sustainable World
The annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos provides an opportunity for leaders of corporations and business to consider global issues together with politicians and civil society representatives.
www3.weforum.org/
January 27
Holocaust Remembrance Day
2020 Theme: 75 years after Auschwitz -
Holocaust Education and Remembrance for Global Justice
On this day every year the United Nations commemorates the memory of the victims of the holocaust. Recalling the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations General Assembly, in designating this International Day, affirmed that the Holocaust, which resulted in the murder of one third of the Jewish people along with countless members of other minorities, will forever be a warning to all people of the dangers of hatred, bigotry, racism and prejudice.
Events will be held at UN Headquarters in New York every day from January 27 - 30; the UN Holocaust Memorial Ceremony will take place in the General Assembly Hall on Monday, January 27.
www.un.org/en/holocaustremembrance/
February 1 - 7
World Interfaith Harmony Week
In November 2010, following a proposal by HM King Abdullah II and HRH Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad of Jordan, the United Nations General Assembly decided to observe the first week of February every year as World Interfaith Harmony Week. The resolution recognized that the moral imperatives of all religions, convictions and beliefs call for peace, tolerance and mutual understanding, and it reaffirmed that mutual understanding and inter religious dialogue constitute important dimensions of a culture of peace.
Countless events are held around the world during the week, including an annual gathering in the General Assembly Hall of the United Nations.
worldinterfaithharmonyweek.com
www.un.org/en/events/
February 2
World Wetlands Day
2020 Theme: Wetlands and Biodiversity
Wetlands are critical to human and planet life. Directly or indirectly, they provide almost all of the world’s consumption of freshwater. More than one billion people depend on them for a living and 40 per cent of the world’s species live and breed in wetlands. They are a vital source for food, raw materials, genetic resources for medicines, and hydropower; they mitigate floods, protect coastlines and build community resilience to disasters, and they play an important role in transport, tourism and the cultural and spiritual well-being of people.
Wetlands are also essential to efforts to regulate the global climate. Peatlands store twice as much carbon as the world’s forests despite accounting for just three per cent of the world’s land surface, with salt marshes, sea grass beds and mangroves also carbon-dense ecosystems. However, wetlands produce 20-25 per cent of global methane emissions and rising temperatures from climate change are expected to increase greenhouse gases from wetlands, particularly in permafrost regions.
On February 2,1971 an intergovernmental treaty, The Ramsar Convention, was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar. It commits member countries to maintain the ecological character of their Wetlands of International Importance and to plan for the "wise use", or sustainable use, of all of the wetlands in their territories. It is the only environmental treaty governing a particular ecosystem.
www.worldwetlandsday.org
February 4
World Cancer Day
2020 Theme: I Am and I Will.
Every year the equivalent of the entire population of Switzerland dies from cancer - two thirds of these deaths occur in low and middle-income countries. Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally, killing more people every year than AIDS, malaria and TB combined. Research suggests that one-third of all cancer deaths can be avoided by prevention and another third by early detection and treatment.
For many cancer patients and their families the disease provides an opportunity to access deep spiritual resources and there are now a wide range of programs in meditation, spiritual development and alternative therapies offered as part of cancer treatment. See, for example, the US government's National Cancer Institute:
www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/. Similar sites are available from major cancer centers in many countries.
www.worldcancerday.org
www.who.int
February 6
International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation
Female genital mutilation (FGM) is recognized internationally as a violation of the human rights of girls and women. Over 140 million girls and women alive today have undergone some form of FGM.The United Nations Population Fund and UNICEF jointly lead the largest global program to accelerate the abandonment of FGM.
www.un.org/en/events/
www.unfpa.org/
February 9
Full Moon — Aquarius
Since ancient times human beings have honored the full moon as a time when the sacred is most accesible. It is a time of light — the moon reflects the light of the sun onto the face of the earth. In astrology this is a time when the qualities and potentials of the zodiacal sign of the sun are especially available to humanity for use in service.
During the full moon religious and esoteric groups around the world use the opportunities of this time to vizualize light and love and spiritual power flowing into humanity and strengthening all that is being done to help prepare the way for a world of unity, justice and peace; a world in which the Sustainable Development Goals are in process of being achieved.
www.lucistrust.org
February 10 - 19
UN Commission for Social Development
2020 theme: Affordable housing and social protection systems for all to address homelessness
Following the 1995 World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen the Commission for Social Development is the major UN body responsible for implementation and follow-up on the Programme of Action agreed to at the Summit. This means that the annual meetings of the Commission in New York provide an important arena for governments and civil society to review progress and develop dialogue around key themes, including poverty eradication, disability, youth, ageing, families.
During the 10 days of the Commission conference rooms at UN Headquarters in New York will be full of events organized by civil society as well as governments.
www.un.org/development/
www.ngosocdev.net
February 14 - 16
The Youth Assembly
2020 Theme: It's Time: Youth for Global Impact
This will be the 25th session of the Assembly where youth leaders from around the world gather in New York city in service of United Nations purposes and goals.
The Youth Assembly brings together the world’s foremost young leaders and changemakers at the heart of global change twice a year. The Youth Assembly delegates, age 16 to 32, come from over 100 countries and possess strong leadership potential as well as keen interest in global issues.
faf.org/
February 20
World Day of Social Justice
The United Nations World Day of Social Justice celebrates the international agreements reached at the World Summit on Social Development in Copenhagen, 1995.
On this Day governments are called upon to undertake concrete activities towards the goals of poverty eradication, full employment and social integration.
The World Summit in 1995 recognised that social development aims at social justice, solidarity, harmony and equality within and among countries and social justice, equality and equity constitute the fundamental values of all societies.
http://www.un.org/en/events/
February 21
International Mother Language Day
We live in One World, and are all part of One Life. Yet within this unified whole each individual unit is precious and significant. It is essential that cultural diversity be fostered to maintain richness and variety in the human community. At the heart of culture is language.
Each individual's mother language plays a vital role in their health and development: "It is the language of childhood, of intimate family experience and of our social relations". Yet in a world of increasing globalization small language groups find it increasingly difficult to survive.
UNESCO estimates that about half of the approximately 6,000 languages spoken in the world are under threat.
International Mother Language Day promotes linguistic and cultural diversity and multi-lingualism. The date represents the day in 1952 when students demonstrating for recognition of their language, Bangla, as one of the two national languages of the then Pakistan, were shot and killed by police in Dhaka, the capital of what is now Bangladesh. The Day supports Target 6 of Goal 4 of the SDGs: "Ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy."
http://www.un.org/en/events/
www.unesco.org/
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