History

All Christians are invited to participate in an online Prayer Marathon on Monday, 8 February, marking the 7th International Day of Prayer and Reflection against Human Trafficking.

In 2012, the UN General Assembly designated February 6 as the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, with the aim to amplify and direct the efforts on the elimination of this practice.

The United Nations acknowledged that tolerance, pluralistic tradition, mutual respect and the diversity of religions and beliefs promote human fraternity.

This year’s theme shines a spotlight on wetlands as a source of freshwater and encourages actions to restore them and stop their loss.

Today the United Nations commemorate the victims of the holocaust to remind the world of the lessons to be learnt from the Holocaust to help prevent future acts of genocide.

Education offers children a ladder out of poverty and a path to a promising future. But millions of children and adolescents around the world do not have the opportunity to enter or complete school.

Traditionally the week of prayer is celebrated between 18-25 January, between the Feast of St. Peter's Chair on January 18 and the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul on January 25.

World Braille Day is a reminder of the importance of accessibility and independence for those who are blind or visually-impaired.

The year 2020 was marked by the massive Covid-19 health crisis… These and other events that marked humanity’s path this past year have taught us how important it is to care for one another and for creation in our efforts to build a more fraternal society. That is why I have chosen as the title of this year’s Message, A Culture of Care as a Path to Peace.

The United Nations' International Human Solidarity Day is annually held on December 20 to celebrate unity in diversity. It also aims to remind people on the importance of solidarity in working towards eradicating poverty.

The lure of a well-paid job in a wealthy country is a powerful driver of international migration. The attraction has intensified as the difference in incomes among countries continue to grow.

This year’s Human Rights Day theme relates to the COVID-19 pandemic and focuses on the need to build back better by ensuring Human Rights are central to recovery efforts.

This year's theme of the observance emphasizes that an inclusive COVID-19 recovery can only be achieved with integrity and accountability.

This year, World Soil Day 2020 (#WorldSoilDay) and its campaign carries the theme "Keep soil alive, Protect soil biodiversity.”

The theme this year is “Building Back Better: toward a disability-inclusive, accessible and sustainable post COVID-19 World.”

The International Day for the Abolition of Slavery on December 2 focuses on eradicating contemporary forms of slavery, such as trafficking in persons, sexual exploitation, the worst forms of child labor, forced marriage, and the forced recruitment of children for use in armed conflict.

On December 1, we pray for all of those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.

Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday in the United States, and Thanksgiving 2020 occurs on Thursday, November 26.

To raise awareness and trigger action to end this global scourge, the UN observes International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on November 25.

World Television Day is not so much a celebration of the tool, but rather the philosophy which it represents. Television represents a symbol for communication and globalization in the contemporary world.