Read this online at www.intuition-in-service.org/newsletter/September18.html


Please Hold in the Light
September 2018

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.

Daily Reminder
Check out a daily reminder of these events to hold in the light. Share this daily reminder with others by including the app on your website.

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.
 
2018 United Nations International Year
  • Contrary to past practice, the United Nations has not declared 2018 as International Year for any specific topic.
 
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. On the 1st Thursday of the month the Caucus invites friends to sit in silence for 30 minutes in the newly renovated Meditation Room at UN Headquarters in New York.
Please link in from wherever you are. More information at: http://www.spiritualcaucusun.org/

In September the Spiritual Caucus will gather for silence in the UN Meditation Room at UN Headquarters, New York on September 6 from 12.45 - 1.15 PM and for silence and discussion at the office of the Bahai UN Office, 866 UN Plaza, New York, NY 10017 on September 20 from 2.30 - 3.45 PM.
 
 
 

September Please Hold These Events in the Light


September 5
International Day of Charity

Honoring the date of Mother Theresa's death, the United Nations General Assembly has designated September 5th as International Day of Charity.
Affirming the role of charity in furthering the culture of peace the Day seeks to draw attention to the value of charitable organizations. The day is dedicated to commemorate the common desire to help the most disadvantaged members of society and to promote charitable activities around the world. Charity, like the notions of volunteerism and philanthropy, provides real social bonding and contributes to the creation of inclusive and more resilient societies. www.un.org/en/events/charityday/

September 5
UN High Level Forum on the Culture of Peace, UN Headquarters, New York

Theme 2018: The Culture of Peace: A Credible Pathway to Sustaining Peace
Organized by the President of the General Assembly, this sixth High Level Forum provides an opportunity for UN member states, UN agencies, media and civil society to consider ways and means of implementing the UN Programme of Action on the Culture of Peace and its importance to the Sustainable Development Goals. The Forum, which will be attended by members of the public, seeks to support the global movement for the Culture of Peace. It can be watched live at webtv.un.org
www.un.org/pga/

September 8
Rise for Climate: Global Day of Action

On September 8, we’re planning thousands of rallies in cities and towns around the world to demand our local leaders commit to building a fossil free world that puts people and justice before profits.
riseforclimate.org

September 8
International Literacy Day

Theme 2018: Literacy and skills development
This special UNESCO Day celebrates one of the most basic movements in the education and uplift of consciousness: the movement to promote support and teach adult literacy programs. Large numbers of professionals and volunteers work in every country helping adults in their efforts to learn to read and write.
Literacy contributes to peace as it brings people closer to attaining individual freedoms and better understanding the world, as well as preventing or resolving conflict.
www.unesco.org

September 8 - 22
Global Unity Compassion Games

The Global Unity Games: Building Bridges seek to bring about unprecedented unity in communities around the world through compassionate action and service.
Iindividuals and groups are invited to register and to 'play their hearts out' during the days before and after the International Day of Peace by organizing service projects and acts of kindness in their community.
Scoreboards and results are co-ordinated by Compassion Games International which reports that Over the past five years, the Compassion Games have been played in over 40 countries by more than 490,000 players who have served over 5.4 million people.
compassiongames.org

September 10
World Suicide Prevention Day

Theme 2018: Working together to prevent suicide.
Supported by the World Health Organization, this annual Day promotes worldwide commitment and action to prevent suicides. Every year, more than 800,000 people die by suicide and up to 25 times as many make a suicide attempt. Behind these statistics are the individual stories of those who have, for many different reasons, questioned the value of their own lives.
www.iasp.info

September 12 - 14
Global Climate Action Summit, San Francisco, USA

International and local leaders from states, regions, cities, businesses, investors and civil society will be joined by national government leaders, scientists, students, nonprofits and others around the theme: Take Ambition to the Next Level.
Citizens around the world are encouraged to organize local events and there will be a series of public events in San Francisco.
globalclimateactionsummit.org

September 15
International Day of Democracy

2018 theme: not yet announced
This United Nations Day highlights the state of democracy in the world.
Democracy is as much a process as a goal, and only with the full participation of and support by the international community, national governing bodies, civil society and individuals, can the ideal of democracy be made into a reality to be enjoyed by everyone, everywhere.
www.un.org/en/events/
www.greeningtheblue.org

September 15 - 16
Clean Up the World Weekend

2018 theme: Beat Plastic Pollution
Groups, organisations, schools and businesses from communities around the world unite on Clean Up the World Weekend to take action at a local level to address global environmental issues. An estimated 35 million volunteers participate in this annual weekend of activities.
Clean Up activities include tree planting, cleaning parks or beaches, conserving water or running environmental awareness-raising and education initiatives.
www.cleanuptheworld.org

September 16
International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer

2018 theme: Keep Cool and Carry On
The 1985 Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer and the associated Montreal Protocol is one of the great successes of modern international action to protect the environment. As a result of concerted international efforts, the ozone layer is healing itself and is expected to recover by the middle of this century.
This is a Day to celebrate humanity’s ability to work together for a common cause and is a model for climate change agreements.
ozone.unep.org/
www.un.org/en/events/ozoneday/
www.facebook.com/my.ozone.day

September 18
United Nations General Assembly 73rd Session opens with a Minute of Silence

Every year the annual session of the General Assembly at UN Headquarters in New York opens with a Minute of Silent Prayer or Meditation. The General Assembly is the one place where representatives of all 193 member states of the UN have the opportunity to take part in deliberation and policy making on global issues. The Minute of Silence is an important symbolic moment in UN affairs, when according to the Rules of Procedure, members are invited to stand to observe one minute of meditation or prayer.
Following the ceremonial opening of the session, the General Debate takes place over a number of days (starting September 20) when Heads of State from many of the member countries address the Assembly.The period surrounding the opening of the General Assembly marks a high point in international affairs every year because heads of state from many of the countries of the world are in New York City and a wide variety of other events are held.
Explore the function and purpose of the General Assembly at: www.un.org/ga/

September 21
International Day of Peace

2018 theme: The Right to Peace — The Universal Declaration of Human Rights at 70.
UN Peace Day has come to be widely observed around the world with citizens undertaking a huge variety of local actions for peace including interfaith prayers, meditations and minutes of silence. At UN Headquarters, an annual ceremony is held during which the Secretary General ceremonially rings the Peace Bell and calls on the people of the world to observe a minute of silence at 12 noon. (This years ceremony will take place at 9.00 am.) The day is celebrated by the UN as a day of non-violence and cease fire, inviting all nations and people to honour a cessation of hostilities during the Day, and to otherwise commemorate the Day through education and public awareness on issues related to peace.
Events organized around the world on the day include festivals, concerts, a global Peace Wave with moments of silence at noon in every time zone and countless local activities. See the list at: internationaldayofpeace.org.
Meditation Vigils and inter faith events are being organized around the world for Peace Day - more information here A global 24 hour Vigil will again be organized by UNmeditation.org, using the Great Invocation or another world prayer every 15 minutes. To find out more and register for the Vigil visit: http://www.meditationvigil.org. Registration is open now.
www.internationaldayofpeace.org
www.un.org/en/events/peaceday/
www.peaceoneday.org

September 21 - 23
World Peace Weekend

Co-ordinated by UNIFY, a global movement for World Peace, World Peace Weekend includes Decentralized Dance Parties celebrating Peace Day in thousands of locations around the world on September 21; a Day of Radical Acts of Compassion in local communities on September 22; and what aims to be the largest ever global synchronized meditation for world peace on September 23.
www.unify.org

September 22 - 29
Global Goals Week

Global Goals Week is an annual week of action, awareness, and accountability for the Sustainable Development Goals (also known as the SDGs or the Global Goals). Launched by Project Everyone, UNDP, and the United Nations Foundation in 2016, it brings together governments, businesses, individuals, international organizations, civil society, and others during the UN General Assembly in September to build momentum to achieve the Global Goals and ensure no-one is left behind.
A large number of conferences and events are organized around New York City as part of the Week as well as several global web-based conferences and events, including a Global People's Summit on September 22; and the World's Largest Lesson introducing children to the SDGs on September 24.
globalgoalsweek.org

September 23
Social Good Summit

2018 theme: #2030NOW
The Social Good Summit examines the impact of technology and new media on social good initiatives around the world. Held in New York, while heads of state and others are gathered for the opening of the UN General Assembly, the Summit brings together a lively community of global citizens and progressive thought leaders around a common theme: #2030NOW. A dynamic exploration of the world we want to live in by 2030, the Social Good Summit will focus on how we can unlock technology’s potential to make the world a better place.
September 23
World Rivers Day

Every year since 2005, when the UN Water for Life Decade was launched, millions of people around the world have observed the last Sunday of September as World Rivers Day.
World Rivers Day highlights the many values of our rivers, strives to increase public awareness, and encorages the improved stewardship of all rivers around the world. Activities include stream cleanups, habitat enhancement projects, educational outings, and community riverside celebrations. In previous years several million people across more than 60 countries have participated in the Day.
worldriversday.com

September 24
United Nations Global Compact, Leaders Summit, New York, USA

The Summit brings together an international community of leaders from business, civil society, academia, Government and the United Nations to accelerate local and global business action and partnerships to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Includes a CEO Roundtable and a UN Private Sector Forum.
www.unglobalcompact.org

September 24
United Nations General Assembly Nelson Mandela Peace Summit

Honoring the centenary of the birth of Nelson Mandela, this high level meeting of the General Assembly will focus on the theme of Global Peace. The Summit provides an opportunity for world leaders who are gathered in New York for the General Debate marking the opening of the 73rd session of the General Assembly to renew their commitment to global peace, conflict resolution, peacebuilding, promotion and protecton of human rights and long-term development initiatives.
www.un.org/pga/

September 24
United Nations Secretary-General's High-Level Meeting: Financing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

During recent remarks by UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, this important event in the UN General Assembly will address five bottle-necks that need to be broken for the financing of the SDGs - including the lack of long-term vision to drive investments.
sdg.iisd.org

September 25
Global Day of Action

Co-ordinated by the UN SDG Action Campaign, this day of action (#act4SDGs) seeks to empower and inspire people of goodwill around the world to do their part to achieve the SDGs.
On September 25th we'll mark the 3rd anniversary of the historic adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals by joining forces and challenging national & local governments, institutions & organizations of all kinds, influencers & citizens in every corner of the world to take action for the SDGs; to end poverty & inequalities, protect the planet & ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030. Will you join us?
sdgactioncampaign.org

September 25
United Nations Secretary-General's High-Level Meeting: Action for Peacekeeping

Heads of State and government representatives will attend this high level meeting which seeks to advance the Secretary-General's initiative to renew political and financial support for UN peacekeeping operations. This year UN peacekeeping marks its 70th anniversary, and the Secretary-General has implemented a thorough review of changes needed. This High Level meeting is part of an effort to develop a set of mutually-agreed principles and commitments to create peacekeeping operations fit for the future.
www.un.org/sg/
peacekeeping.un.org

September 25
Full Moon — Libra

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
www.worldservicegroup.com/

September 26
International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons

The UN has been aiming to achieve nuclear disarmament for much of its history. It was the subject of a General Assembly resolution in 1946. On July 17 2017 the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was adopted. This is the first multilateral legally binding instrument for nuclear disarmament to have been negotiated in 20 years, by 122 countries.
Today, some 15,000 nuclear weapons remain. Countries possessing such weapons have well-funded, long-term plans to modernize their nuclear arsenals. More than half of the world’s population still lives in countries that either have such weapons or are members of nuclear alliances.
www.un.org/en/events/
www.greeningtheblue.org/

September 27
World Tourism Day

2018 theme: Tourism and the Digital Transformation
This United Nations Day seeks to foster awareness of the social, cultural and economic importance of tourism and its role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. 2017 is being observed as International Year for Sustainable Tourism for Development.
www.un.org/en/events/
wtd.unwto.org

September 28
World Rabies Day

2018 theme:Rabies: Share the message. Save a life.
Marking the anniversary of the death of Louis Pasteur who developed the first rabies vaccine, Rabies Day raises awareness about rabies prevention and celebrates progress in defeating the disease. The WHO and FAO have agreed to a goal to achieve zero human deaths from canine rabies by 2030.
WHO promotes mass dog vaccinations and animal birth control programs among street and stray dog populations. Significant progress has been made in pioneering this work at Help in Suffering Animal Shelter in Jaipur India and the two shelters in the Darjeeling District of India administered by Darjeeling Goodwill Animal Shelters Trust.
www.who.int/rabies/
rabiesalliance.org/