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Welcome
During International Days and major international conferences there is a special opportunity to serve in
the creation of right human relations. They help us to focus our purposeful thought and action in ways that highlight diversity and unity in an interdependent world.
As meditators we can symbolically stand together with all actively working in the spirit of the one humanity and the one life, 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:
- Build right relations in the world by addressing serious problems of poverty, inequality and climate change through practical actions to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030
- engaging people of goodwill all over the world in a common movement.
2023 United Nations International Years
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 September an online virtual gathering, including 30 minutes of silence, will be held on Thursday, September 21, from 2.00- 3.15 pm EDT with a particular focus on supporting the UN. Write for details to info@spiritualcaucusun.org.
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October Please Hold These Events in the Light
October 1
International Day of Older Persons
Theme 2023: Fulfilling the Promises of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights for Older Persons: Across Generations
People are living longer. This is prompting governments and people's organisations all over the world to reflect deeply on how we can plan for future societies in which: every individual, each with rights and responsibilities, has an active role to play.
The work of the International Community around intergenerational solidarity has demonstrated, time and again, through various fora that intergenerational solutions, which are guided by the human rights principles of participation, accountability, non-discrimination and equality, empowerment and legality, can contribute to rekindle the legacy, relevance and activism of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by empowering both youth and older persons to shift the needle of political will towards fulfilling the promises of the Declaration for all people across generations
www.un.org/en/observances/
www.who.int/ageing/
October 2
International Day of Non-Violence
To mark the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, October 2nd is observed by the UN and around the world as an occasion to "disseminate the message of non-violence, including through education and public awareness". The General Assembly resolution reaffirms "the universal relevance of the principle of non-violence" and the desire "to secure a culture of peace, tolerance, understanding and non-violence". more
www.un.org
www.facebook.com/nonviolenceday
October 2
World Habitat Day
2023 theme: Resilient urban economies. Cities as drivers of growth and recovery
Celebrated on the first Monday of October every year, the UN World Habitat Day invites us to reflect on the state of our cities and towns and what we want the cities of our future to look like. The day marks the beginning of a month of activities on urban sustainability: Urban October.
World Habitat Day 2023 will look at how cities can position their economies to benefit residents.
urbanoctober.unhabitat.org
www.un.org
October 4
World Animal Day
World Animal Day, observed on the Feast Day of St Francis of Assisi, was first celebrated in 1931. Since then it has become a day for remembering and paying tribute to all animals and the people who love and respect them. The Day aims to raise the status of animals in order to improve welfare standards around the globe. Events are held around the world by peoples of diverse faiths and cultures.
www.worldanimalday.org.uk/
October 4
World Cotton Day
2023 theme: Making cotton fair and sustainable for all, from farm to fashion
Cotton represents so much more than just a commodity. This natural fabric is a life-changing product worldwide that sustains 32 million growers (almost half of them women) and benefits over 100 million families across 80 countries in 5 continents.
www.un.org
www.fao.org
October 4- 5
Rome Water Dialogue
This is the second Rome Water Dialogue hosted by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and is part of the agency's on-going efforts to foster sustainable management of water resources as part of its work to implement the 2030 Agenda. The hybrid event has a target audience of water experts and representatives from national governments, international organizations, NGOs, financing institutions, research institutes, the civil and private sectors and the media.
Given the importance of the integrated management of water, soils and land resources, the 2023 Rome Water Dialogue will coincide with and benefit from the “Global Symposium on Soils and Water” that will take place from 2 to 5 October 2023. This will enable technical exchange among participants of the two events with the reporting and closing plenary session jointly organized to provide an opportunity for cross-fertilization and exchange on the technical discussions and outcomes from both events.
www.fao.org
October 4 - 10
World Space Week
2023 theme: Space and Entrepreneurship
Observed with thousands of events all over the world, World Space Week celebrates the contribution of space science and technology to the betterment of the human condition. Every year events are held in schools around the world to observe the Week.
www.worldspaceweek.org
www.un.org
October 5
World Teachers' Day
Theme 2023: The teachers we need for the education we want: The global imperative to reverse the teacher shortage.
Think about the role of teachers in the transition into a new era. Who are the teachers? What is required of those who teach the children and young people?
Created by UNESCO, World Teachers Day celebrates teachers worldwide.This year, the Day will aim to put the importance of stopping the decline in the number of teachers and then starting to increase that number at the top of the global agenda.
www.unesco.org/en/
October 10
World Mental Health Day
WHO 2023 theme: Our minds, our rights.
HEALERS TAKE NOTE: This is a Day to focus on the contribution all can make towards the creation of a healthy mental environment - and on the sensitive healing needed by those who suffer from mental illness in its many forms. The 2023 theme is designed to improve knowledge, raise awareness and drive actions that promote and protect everyone’s mental health as a universal human right.
wmhdofficial.com
www.who.int/
October 11
International Day of the Girl Child
2023 theme: Invest in Girls' Rights: Our Leadership, Our Well-being.
The international celebration of this Day is yet another sign of the growing concentration on efforts to fulfill the vision of the Declaration of Human Rights and the Declaration of the Rights of the Child as they concern gender rights.
www.un.org/en/events/girlchild/
www.unicef.org/
October 11 - 13
Inner Development Goals Summit, 2023, Stockholm, Sweden
2023 Theme: Connecting the Dots: Inner Development Goals in Action.
Many awareness-based social change groups have coalesced to support a series of Inner Goals which provide an essential framework of transformative skills for sustainable development.This years annual Summit will bring together global perspectives and get into the actual practices of working with and living the IDG Framework across the five dimensions of Being, Thinking, Relating, Collaborating, and Acting. Summit participants will explore how to leverage the power of inner development for the challenges we face as humanity.
summit.innerdevelopmentgoals.org
October 13
International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction
2023 theme: Fighting inequality for a resilient future.
Disasters and inequality are two sides of the same coin. Each adversity reinforces the other: unequal access to services leaves the most vulnerable exposed to the danger of disasters; while the effects of disasters exacerbate inequalities and push the most at risk further into poverty.
iddrr.undrr.org
www.un.org/en/events/
October 14
World Migratory Bird Day
2023 theme: Water
World Migratory Bird Day is an annual awareness-raising campaign by the UN Environment Program highlighting the need for the protection of migratory birds and their habitats. On the second Saturday each May and October, people around the world take action and organise public events such as bird festivals, education programmes and birdwatching excursions to celebrate World Migratory Bird Day.
Water is fundamental to life on our planet. The vast majority of migratory birds rely on aquatic ecosystems during their life cycles. Inland and coastal wetlands, rivers, lakes, streams, marshes, and ponds are all vital for feeding, drinking, or nesting, and also as places to rest and refuel during their long journeys.
Unfortunately, aquatic ecosystems are becoming increasingly threatened around the world and so are the migratory birds that depend on them. The increasing human demand for water, as well as pollution and climate change, are having a direct impact on the availability of clean water and the conservation status of many migratory birds.
www.worldmigratorybirdday.org
October 15
International Day of Rural Women
First celebrated by the UN in 2008, this Day is yet another sign of the major focus on women and gender issues in global affairs. The Day has been celebrated by civil society around the world since the Beijing Women's Conference in 1995.
The Day seeks to raise awareness of rural women’s participation in the development process with a focus on their needs and rights, highlighting their contributions to sustainable development, household food security, safeguarding traditional knowledge, biodiversity, and peacebuilding and so much more.
www.woman.ch
www.un.org/
www.unwomen.org
October 15 - 17
World Health Summit, Berlin, Germany
2023 Theme: A Defining Year for Global Health Action
The World Health Summit is [a] unique international strategic forum for global health. Held annually in Berlin, it brings together stakeholders from politics, science, the private sector, and civil society from around the world to set the agenda for a healthier future by inspiring innovative solutions for better health and well-being for all.
www.worldhealthsummit.org
October 16
World Food Day
2023 Theme: Water is life, water is food. Leave no one behind.
We need to produce more food and other essential agricultural commodities with less water, while ensuring water is distributed equally, our aquatic food systems are preserved, and nobody is left behind.
As in previous years, a network of international movements, coordinated by Regeneration International and leading partners from the organic food community, is organizing a 24-hour, virtual People's Food Summit on World Food Day.
www.fao.org
regenerationinternational.org
October 16 - 20
World Forum on Urban Forests, Washington D.C., USA
Theme 2023: Greener, healthier and happier cities for all
The World Forum on Urban Forests (WFUF) is an informal platform jointly developed by FAO, the Politecnico di Milano and Italian Society of Silviculture of Forest Ecology (SISEF). This is the second meeting of the Forum. It aims, among other things, to support and promote good practices in the planning, design and management of urban forests and green spaces as cities worldwide move towards a greener and more sustainable and resilient model of urban development.
www.worldforumonurbanforests.org
October 16 - 20
World Food Forum, Rome, Italy
2023 theme: Agrifood systems transformation accelerates climate action.
Conceived by the Youth Committee of the FAO, the World Food Forum is an independent global network of partners, created for and led by youth, to spark a movement to transform our agri-food systems and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including “Zero Hunger”.
The 2023 Forum includes the Global Youth Forum,the FAO Science and Innovation Forum and the FAO Hand-in-Hand Investment Forum.
www.world-food-forum.org
October 17
International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
2023 theme: Dignity For All in Practice: The commitments we make together for social justice, peace, and the planet.
In a world characterized by an unprecedented level of economic development, technological means and financial resources, that millions of persons are living in extreme poverty is a moral outrage. Poverty is not solely an economic issue, but rather a multidimensional phenomenon that encompasses a lack of both income and the basic capabilities to live in dignity.
The dignity of the human being is not only a fundamental right in itself but constitutes the basis of all other fundamental rights. Therefore, “Dignity” is not an abstract concept: it belongs to each and every one. Today, many people living in persistent poverty experience their dignity being denied and disrespected.
www.un.org/development/
overcomingpoverty.org
www.un.org/
October 19
Global Ethics Day
2023 Theme: Ethics Empowered.
Established by Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, Global Ethics Day is an annual moment to empower ethics through the actions of both individuals and organizations. Since 2014, citizens, businesses, professional organizations, schools, governments, and nonprofits from over 75 countries have participated in Global Ethics Day.
www.carnegiecouncil.org
October 21 - 24
Global Oneness Summit
Theme 2023: Transforming our Lives Through Conscious Creativity
Online forum with visionary speakers coordinated by Humanity's Team,
www.humanitysteam.org
October 24
United Nations Day
Hold the United Nations in the light especially on this Day marking the 78th anniversary of the coming into force of the UN Charter. Visualise the General Assembly being overshadowed with higher energies of Synthesis and of the active principle of Peace. Please also hold the Meditation Room at the United Nations Headquarters in New York in the light - you will find a photograph of the room and a copy of Dag Hammarskjold's inspiring paper on the room here. Read about the Chagall Window of Peace outside the Meditation Room here and here.
Every year UN Day is celebrated at the United Nations with a special concert held in the General Assembly Hall. The concert is broadcast live on UN Web TV. See the 2022 virtual Concert here.
www.un.org/
October 24 - 30
World Disarmament Week
Disarmament Week has been observed by the United Nations since 1978. Member States are invited to highlight the dangers of the arms race, promote recognition of the need to stop the arms race, and increase public understanding of the urgent tasks of disarmament. NGOs organize a range of events seeking to raise public opinion and pressurize governments to act on disarmament.
www.un.org/
www.reachingcriticalwill.org
ngodisarm.org
October 27 - 28
XV World Values Meeting, Monterrey, Mexico
Theme 2023: Social harmony and Reconciliation
Speakers and participants from around the world meet every year to consider the role that values play in social projects that guide the community on ways to achieve social well-being and that support the prevention and solution of current problems.
encuentromundialdevalores.org
October 28
Full Moon — Scorpio
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 will be achieved.
www.lucistrust.org
October 31
World Cities Day
2023 theme: Financing sustainable urban future for all
The Day will explore how we can unlock transformative investment in urban planning and achieve adequate fiscal decentralization.
www.un.org/
urbanoctober.unhabitat.org
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