The United Nations
C a l e n d a r
Making A Difference
Did you know … ■ In June 2012 in Brazil, the United Nations
Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio+20, will focus on two themes: the green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication; and the institutional framework for sustainable development. The Conference marks the 20th anniversary of the UN Conference on Environment and Development held in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro and the 10th anniversary of the World Summit on Sustainable Development held in 2002 in Johannesburg. ■ The United Nations General Assembly declared
2012 the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All—supporting the promotion and use of new and renewable energy technologies, including measures to improve access to such technologies— and the International Year of Cooperatives— highlighting the contribution of cooperatives to socioeconomic development, especially poverty reduction, employment generation and social integration. The first international year was World Refugee Year (1959). ■ Observance of the World Day of Social Justice, 20 February, supports efforts of the international community towards poverty eradication, the promotion of full employment and decent work, gender equality and access to social well-being and justice for all. ■ International Women’s Day was commemorated
for the first time in 1911 in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. In 1975, during International Women’s Year, the United Nations began celebrating 8 March as International Women’s Day.
The United Nations
Making A Difference
■ World Water Day, 22 March, is a means for
advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources. The theme for 2012 is the relation between water and food security.
■ World Press Freedom Day, 3 May, marks the
anniversary of the Declaration of Windhoek, a statement of free press principles put together by newspaper journalists during a UNESCO seminar on “Promoting an Independent and Pluralistic African Press” in Windhoek in 1991. It also pays tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the line of duty. ■ For World Environment Day, 5 June, you
can organize a neighborhood clean-up, stop using plastic bags and get your community to do the same, organize a tree-planting effort, walk to work, or start a recycling drive. The possibilities are endless for supporting sustainable and equitable development. ■ Nelson Mandela International Day, 18 July, celebrates
the life and work of this human rights lawyer, prisoner of conscience, international peacemaker and first democratically elected president of a free South Africa. Take action and inspire change by devoting 67 minutes to community service on this day. ■ A conference of the International Association of
University Presidents (1981) originally proposed the International Day of Peace, 21 September, endorsed that same year by the General Assembly as a means to commemorate and strengthen the ideals of peace, especially through education. ■ United Nations Day, 24 October, marks the date
the UN Charter entered into force in 1945. That year the UN had 51 members; today 193 countries are members of the Organization. The most recent member, South Sudan, joined on 14 July 2011. ■ The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was
adopted on 10 December 1948. Commemorating this historic occasion, Human Rights Day was the first international day approved by the General Assembly (1950). Along with the Universal Declaration, the United Nations has formulated more than 80 human rights treaties which help protect and promote human rights.
For the most up-to-date listing of United Nations Observances, please visit www.un.org/observances.
■ The United Nations and its agencies have received
eight Nobel Peace Prizes: the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2007), the International Atomic Energy Agency (2005), the United Nations (2001), the UN Peacekeeping Forces (1988), the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (1981 and 1954), the International Labour Organization (1969) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (1965). ■ In 2009, the United Nations spent some
$13.6 billion on operational activities for development: 57 per cent, or $7.7 billion, went to country projects and 43 per cent to global and regional programmes. ■ Africa accounts for 32 per cent of UN development-
related expenditures and 50 per cent of those with a humanitarian assistance focus. ■ UNICEF is the world’s largest provider of
vaccines for developing countries, supplying vaccines to 56 per cent of the world’s children. It helps improve children’s health, expand access to education and protect children’s rights in more than 150 countries. ■ UN environmental treaties have helped curb
acid rain in North America and Europe; cut down marine pollution worldwide; restricted the use of dangerous long-lasting chemicals; and helped phase out production of substances destroying the Earth’s ozone layer. ■ Air traffic the world over is safer thanks to the rules
and regulations agreed on through the International Civil Aviation Organization, a UN agency. ■ Do you want to help out? The United Nations
Volunteers programme mobilizes more than 7,700 UN Volunteers every year. UN Volunteers assist in organizing and running local and national elections, support a large number of humanitarian projects, and comprise one third of all international civilians working in UN peacekeeping operations.
For more information on the UN and its family of organizations, please visit www.un.org and www.unsystem.org.
The United Nations System Programmes and Funds
UN Principal Organs General Assembly
UNCTAD United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
Subsidiary Bodies Main and other sessional committees
Security Council
Economic and Social Council
Secretariat
array of geopolitical and humanitarian challenges—
in some countries and difficult transitions in
Trusteeship Council 5
Disarmament Commission Human Rights Council
• UNV United Nations Volunteers
International Law Commission
UNEP United Nations Environment Programme
world’s people look to us for answers and action.” —B an Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, 15 September 2011
Counter-terrorism committees International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR)
Peacekeeping operations and political missions
UN Peacebuilding Commission
Sanctions committees (ad hoc) Standing committees and ad hoc bodies
Other Bodies
Regional Commissions
Functional Commissions
ECLAC Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice
Social Development Statistics Status of Women Sustainable Development United Nations Forum on Forests
4 Specialized agencies are autono-
This is not an official document of the United Nations, nor is it intended to be all-inclusive.
Specialized Agencies4
IMF International Monetary Fund
ILO International Labour Organization
ICAO International Civil Aviation Organization
UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
Science and Technology for Development
tion on 1 November 1994 with the independence of Palau, the last remaining United Nations Trust Territory, on 1 October 1994.
WTO3 World Trade Organization
FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
1 UNRWA and UNIDIR report only to
5 The Trusteeship Council suspended opera-
IAEA2 International Atomic Energy Agency
Advisory Subsidiary Body
Military Staff Committee
ECE Economic Commission for Europe
mous organizations working with the UN and each other through the coordinating machinery of ECOSOC at the intergovernmental level, and through the Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB) at the inter-secretariat level. This section is listed in order of establishment of these organizations as specialized agencies of the United Nations.
Related Organizations CTBTO Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization
OPCW Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
Population and Development
to the General Assembly (GA) but contributes on an ad-hoc basis to GA and ECOSOC work inter alia on finance and developmental issues.
UNOPS United Nations Office for Project Services
UNIDIR1 United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research
UNFPA United Nations Population Fund
NOTES:
and the General Assembly.
UNISDR United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction
UNICRI United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute
Committee of Experts on Public Administration
the General Assembly.
Other Entities UNAIDS Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS
Research and Training Institutes
Narcotic Drugs
to the deeper political,
In this age of anxiety, the
WFP World Food Programme
Committee for Development Policy
3 WTO has no reporting obligation
reshaping our world. …
UNU United Nations University
ECA Economic Commission for Africa
2 IAEA reports to the Security Council
transformations that are
UNSSC United Nations System Staff College
UNODC United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
International Court of Justice
others. All this is in addition economic and environmental
UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund
UN-Women United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women
UNDP United Nations Development Programme
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)
aftershocks of the Arab Spring, ongoing conflicts
UNRISD United Nations Research Institute for Social Development
ESCAP Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
Departments and Offices EOSG Executive Office of the Secretary-General
World Bank Group • IBRD International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
ITU International Telecommunication Union UPU Universal Postal Union WMO World Meteorological Organization WIPO World Intellectual Property Organization
Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations
• IDA International Development Association
Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
• IFC International Finance Corporation
United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names
IFAD International Fund for Agricultural Development
• MIGA Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency
UNIDO United Nations Industrial Development Organization
• ICSID International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes
UNWTO World Tourism Organization
Other sessional and standing committees and expert, ad hoc and related bodies
ESCWA Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia
WHO World Health Organization
IMO International Maritime Organization
DM Department of Management DPA Department of Political Affairs DPI Department of Public Information
DESA Department of Economic and Social Affairs
DPKO Department of Peacekeeping Operations
DFS Department of Field Support
DSS Department of Safety and Security
DGACM Department for General Assembly and Conference Management
OCHA Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
OHCHR Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights OIOS Office of Internal Oversight Services OLA Office of Legal Affairs OSAA Office of the Special Adviser on Africa SRSG/CAAC Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict
UNODA Office for Disarmament Affairs UNOG United Nations Office at Geneva UN-OHRLLS Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States UNON United Nations Office at Nairobi UNOV United Nations Office at Vienna
Published by the United Nations Department of Public Information DPI/2470 rev.1—11-36429—August 2011
famine in Somalia, the
UNHCR Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
• ITC International Trade Centre (UNCTAD/WTO)
Subsidiary Bodies
“We face an extraordinary
UNITAR United Nations Institute for Training and Research
UNRWA1 United Nations Relief and Works Agency
• UNCDF United Nations Capital Development Fund
Standing committees and ad hoc bodies
UN-HABITAT United Nations Human Settlements Programme
2012 Calendar
The United Nations
Making A Difference
Thai peacekeepers greeting children in West Darfur (2011) UN Photo / Albert Gonzalez Farran
Maintaining peace and security By sending 65 peacekeeping and observer missions to the world’s trouble spots over the past 64 years, the United Nations has helped restore calm and allow countries to begin to recover from the ravages of conflict. There are now 15 peacekeeping operations around the world carried out by some 99,600 brave men and women from 115 countries. More than 2,900 UN peacekeepers have lost their lives since 1948 in the cause of peace. Annual UN peacekeeping costs amount to less than 0.5 per cent of total world military expenditures.
Building peace Many conflicts have been brought to an end through UN mediation or the action of third parties acting with UN support. Recent examples include Sierra Leone (2002), Liberia (2003), Burundi (2005), the north-south conflict in the Sudan (2005), and Nepal (2007). UN peacemaking, peacekeeping and conflict prevention are major factors behind a 40 per cent decline in conflicts worldwide since the 1990s, while UN preventive diplomacy has defused many other potential conflicts. Today 12 UN political and peacebuilding missions around the world help countries consolidate peace and aid in their recovery.
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27 January International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust
January 2012
The United Nations
Making A Difference
Afghan men constructing a road on a food-for-work project (2009)
Promoting development The United Nations Development Programme works in 176 countries and territories to reduce poverty, support good governance, address crises and preserve the environment. The World Food Programme promotes development through innovative tools—providing food in exchange for work, creating temporary employment in public projects, connecting small farmers to markets and providing school meals to increase school attendance. Total UN expenditures for development amounted to $13.6 billion in 2009, of which 71 per cent went to the poorest countries. Virtually all funds for UN development assistance come from voluntary contributions.
Meeting humanitarian needs When natural disasters strike or emergencies arise, the United Nations mobilizes and coordinates humanitarian assistance to the victims, working with Governments, the Red Cross/ Red Crescent Movement, major aid organizations and donors. Funds managed by the UN provide food, water and shelter following natural disasters; life-saving nutrition and medical care for babies born in refugee camps; and basic life necessities for those struggling to survive. Global voluntary contributions for humanitarian needs amounted to $15.9 billion in 2010, coming from more than 120 countries and private-sector donors.
UN Photo / WFP
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First week of February World Interfaith Harmony Week 4 February World Cancer Day
20 February World Day of Social Justice 21 February International Mother Language Day
February 2012
The United Nations
Making A Difference
Advancing women’s rights A new organization, UN-Women, is boosting efforts to promote equality, expand opportunity and tackle discrimination. It works with Governments to enhance women’s economic and political involvement, end violence against women, and include women’s concerns in national budgets and planning. It also supports programmes that increase women’s economic opportunities and political participation, including access to work and rights to land and inheritance. UN World Conferences on Women have set the agenda for advancing women’s rights and promoting gender equality. The UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, ratified by 187 countries, supports the rights of women worldwide.
Promoting women’s well-being UN-Women manages a fund to fight violence against women that has delivered more than $60 million to 317 initiatives in 124 countries. The United Nations Population Fund works to make every pregnancy wanted and every birth safe, putting special focus on universal access to reproductive health. As a result, women in developing countries are having fewer unintended pregnancies, fewer abortions and fewer children—from an average of six in the 1960s to less than three today. The Fund supports safe motherhood initiatives in nearly 100 countries—including skilled assistance during childbirth and emergency obstetric and newborn care. It also works with UNICEF and other partners in thousands of communities to end female genital mutilation.
A woman working in a garment factory in Bangladesh (2010) UN Photo / Kibae Park
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21–27 March Week of Solidarity with the Peoples Struggling against Racism and Racial Discrimination
21 March International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
8 March International Women’s Day
World Poetry Day
International Day of Nowruz 22 March World Water Day
Tuesday Wednesday Thursday 23 March World Meteorological Day 24 March International Day for the Right to the Truth concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims
25 March International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade
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International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members
World Tuberculosis Day
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March 2012
The United Nations
Making A Difference
A Haitian girl carrying a pine seedling for a tree-planting campaign (2011)
Protecting the environment The United Nations builds global consensus and drives concerted action— both at the grassroots level and through legislation and treaties—on issues such as ozone layer depletion, deforestation and desertification, loss of biodiversity, air and water pollution, energy efficiency, and management of fragile lands. The United Nations Environment Programme provides global leadership, fostering partnerships in caring for our planet so that people around the world can improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations. The Global Environment Facility has allocated $9.5 billion, supplemented by some $42 billion in cofinancing, for more than 2,700 projects in 165 countries.
UN Photo / Logan Abassi
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Responding to climate change The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change brings together thousands of climate change scientists to assess this problem that demands a global solution. The 194 countries that are members of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change are negotiating agreements to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change and to help countries adapt to its effects. The Global Environment Facility—the financial mechanism of the Climate Convention— allocates about $250 million per year to projects on energy efficiency, forest management, renewable energies and sustainable transportation.
2 April World Autism Awareness Day 4 April International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action 7 April World Health Day Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Rwanda Genocide
12 April International Day of Human Space Flight 22 April
International Mother Earth Day 23 April World Book and Copyright Day 25 April World Malaria Day
26 April World Intellectual Property Day 28 April World Day for Safety and Health at Work 29 April Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare
April 2012
The United Nations
Making A Difference
A man carrying rations following floods in Pakistan (2010)
Fighting hunger The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations helps developing countries modernize and improve agriculture, forestry and fisheries in ways that conserve natural resources and improve nutrition. Overseeing more than 2,000 field projects throughout the world, the FAO also assists countries in devising agricultural policy, drafting legislation and creating national strategies to achieve rural development. The International Fund for Agricultural Development provides low-interest loans and grants to poor rural people to enable them to grow and sell more. Since 1978, the Fund has invested more than $12.9 billion in some 860 projects and programmes, helping more than 370 million people increase their incomes and provide for their families.
UN Photo / WFP / Amjad Jamal
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Providing food to the neediest The World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger. Funded entirely through voluntary donations, it provides an average of over 5 million metric tons of food per year to some 90 million beneficiaries in 73 countries. At any given time, the WFP has 30 ships at sea, 70 aircraft in the sky and 5,000 trucks on the ground, moving food and other assistance to where it is needed most. In 2010, it provided 21.1 million children with school meals and supported 24.3 million people with ‘food for work’ projects that improved community infrastructure, implemented irrigation, terracing, and soil and water conservation, and planted trees or helped set up home gardening businesses.
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25–31 May Week of Solidarity with the Peoples of Non-Self-Governing Territories May Day of Vesak (Day of the Full Moon) 3 May World Press Freedom Day 8–9 May Time of Remembrance and Recon ciliation for Those Who Lost Their Lives during the Second World War 12–13 May World Migratory Bird Day
15 May International Day of Families 17 May World Telecommunication and Information Society Day 21 May World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development 22 May International Day for Biological Diversity 29 May International Day of UN Peacekeepers 31 May World No-Tobacco Day
May 2012
The United Nations
Making A Difference
Assisting refugees The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees works in 123 countries assisting 36.4 million people—including 15.6 million internally displaced people, 10.4 million refugees, 6.5 million stateless people, 2.5 million returnees, more than 980,000 asylum seekers and over 400,000 other persons of concern. UNHCR seeks long-term, durable solutions by helping these highly vulnerable people return home, if conditions warrant; integrate in their countries of asylum; or resettle in third countries. UNHCR provides food, shelter, medical aid, education and repatriation assistance. Special care is provided to the some 3 million forcibly displaced persons who live with disabilities.
Refugees from Libya arriving at a Tunisian transit camp (2011) UN Photo / UNHCR / Alexis Duclos
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4 June International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression 5 June World Environment Day 8 June World Oceans Day
12 June World Day Against Child Labour 14 June World Blood Donor Day 17 June World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought
20 June World Refugee Day 23 June International Widows’ Day 23 June United Nations Public Service Day
25 June Day of the Seafarer 26 June International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture
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Promoting the rights of persons with disabilities Around 10 per cent of the world’s population, or some 650 million people, live with a disability. They are the world’s largest minority. The United Nations has led the fight for equality for persons with disabilities, promoting their full participation in social, economic and political life. The first treaty to advance their rights and dignity worldwide—the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, adopted at United Nations Headquarters in 2006—has been ratified by 103 countries. The UN is now assisting countries in putting into practice the provisions of the Convention—and so helping unleash the huge potential of persons with disabilities.
June 2012
The United Nations
Making A Difference
A mother and child visiting a family clinic in Mongolia (2009)
Improving global health The World Health Organization helps coordinate global health matters, sets health norms and standards, monitors the global health situation and provides technical support to countries. It works to halt the spread of epidemics and non-communicable diseases, and leads the global response to diseases such as meningitis, cholera and influenza. A 13-year effort by WHO resulted in smallpox being officially declared eradicated from the planet in 1980. WHO is now leading efforts to eliminate poliomyelitis, together with UNICEF, Rotary International and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In partnership with public and private organizations, WHO is also acting to reverse the incidence of HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.
UN Photo / Eskinder Debebe
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First Saturday of July International Day of Cooperatives 11 July World Population Day 18 July Nelson Mandela International Day
Responding to the global HIV epidemic In 2010, more than 34 million people were living with HIV. Nearly 30 million people have died of AIDS-related causes since the first case of AIDS was reported in 1981. Thirty years later, much progress has been made to reduce new infections, as well as to increase the number of people receiving life-saving antiretroviral treatment. UNAIDS—the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/ AIDS—is an innovative partnership that combines the efforts of the United Nations system, civil society, Governments, the private sector, global institutions and people living with HIV towards achieving universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support.
28 July World Hepatitis Day 30 July International Day of Friendship
July 2012
The United Nations
Making A Difference
Reducing child mortality In 1990, 1 out of 10 children died before reaching the age of five. Through oral rehydration therapy, increased access to clean water and sanitation, and other health and nutrition measures undertaken by the United Nations Children’s Fund, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Population Fund and other agencies, child mortality rates in developing countries dropped to less than 1 in 16 by 2009. Other decisive measures have included expanding immunization, providing mosquito nets, promoting breastfeeding and providing skilled care to mothers during and after birth. The goal now is to reduce the 1990 underfive mortality rate by two thirds by 2015.
Pressing for universal immunization Immunization saves 2.5 million lives every year. As a result of efforts by WHO, UNICEF and other organizations and Governments, an estimated 82 per cent of the world’s children are now vaccinated with the diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus vaccine, up from 20 per cent in 1980. More than 2 billion children have been immunized against polio since 1988, averting more than 1.5 million childhood deaths and preventing paralysis for 5 million children. Measles deaths fell by 78 per cent between 2000 and 2008. Contacts forged through UN immunization efforts are now being used to provide additional life-saving assistance such as insecticide-treated nets to protect against malaria and vitamin A supplements to prevent malnutrition.
A child receiving a measles vaccination in Pakistan (2010) UN Photo / UNICEF / ZAK
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1–7 August World Breastfeeding Week 9 August International Day of the World’s Indigenous People 12 August International Youth Day
19 August World Humanitarian Day 23 August International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition 26 August Namibia Day
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29 August International Day against Nuclear Tests 30 August International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances
August 2012
The United Nations
Making A Difference
A UN-trained demining team in the mountains of northern Nepal (2010)
Preventing nuclear proliferation The International Atomic Energy Agency helps prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. ‘Safeguards’ are activities by which the IAEA verifies that a State is living up to its commitment not to use its nuclear programme for weaponry purposes. To date, 178 States have entered into safeguards agreements with the IAEA. The 110 States with an Additional Protocol in force further strengthening verification have agreed to provide the IAEA with broader information on all aspects of their nuclear fuel cycle-related activities, grant it wider access rights and enable it to use the most advanced verification technologies. Safeguards activities take place at more than 1,100 nuclear facilities worldwide.
UN Mine Action Team
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8 September International Literacy Day 10 September World Suicide Prevention Day 15 September International Day of Democracy
16 September International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer 21 September International Day of Peace 27 September World Tourism Day
28 September World Rabies Day Last Thursday in September World Maritime Day Last Sunday in September World Heart Day
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Clearing landmines The United Nations assists in clearing landmines and explosive remnants of war in 29 countries. It teaches people how to stay out of harm’s way, aids victims in becoming self-sufficient, helps destroy stockpiles, and advocates for mine-related treaties. More than 1 million explosive remnants of war were destroyed in Afghanistan in 2010, and over 7,000 kilometres of roads opened in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Sudan. Nearly 290,000 people in Somalia learned about landmine risks. In Iraq, 18.7 million square meters of land were cleared between 2007 and 2010. Joint efforts by countries, nongovernmental organizations and the UN have reduced annual casualties to around 4,000—down more than 75 per cent from a high of 26,000 in 1997.
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The United Nations
Making A Difference
Voter registration materials being loaded onto a helicopter in the Sudan (2010)
Promoting human rights UN experts monitor human rights issues worldwide and in individual countries, including violations such as torture, arbitrary detention and extralegal execution. These experts, along with the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights, also appeal to Governments on behalf of victims. Thanks to such action, laws have been changed, prisoners released and people subjected to torture protected. Through its network of regional and country offices, the Office of the High Commissioner oversees major human rights programmes, monitors violations and provides technical assistance to States. UN treaties protect the rights of women, children, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups.
UN Photo / Tim McKulka
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Fostering democracy The UN assists parliaments in enhancing the checks and balances that allow democracy to thrive; helps strengthen national human rights structures and judicial systems; aids in developing legislation to ensure freedom of expression and access to information; and provides corresponding electoral assistance. The UN has assisted in milestone elections in many countries, including Afghanistan, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Nepal, Sierra Leone and the Sudan. At times, the United Nations has organized elections, as in Cambodia (1992–1993) and Timor-Leste (2001–2002). UN experts have also shared responsibility for national electoral administration with Governments, as in Afghanistan in 2004–2005 and Iraq in 2005.
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4–10 October World Space Week 24–30 October Disarmament Week First Monday in October World Habitat Day 1 October International Day of Older Persons 2 October International Day of Non-Violence 5 October World Teachers’ Day
9 October World Post Day 10 October World Mental Health Day Second Thursday in October World Sight Day 13 October International Day for Disaster Reduction 15 October International Day of Rural Women 16 October World Food Day
17 October International Day for the Eradication of Poverty 20 October World Statistics Day 24 October United Nations Day World Development Information Day 27 October World Day for Audiovisual Heritage
October 2012
The United Nations
Making A Difference
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, Courtroom 1, in session in The Hague (2009) ICTY
Countering terrorism Governments coordinate counterterrorism efforts through the United Nations. UN agencies and programmes help countries put in practice the firstever global strategy against terrorism, adopted at United Nations Headquarters in 2006, by promoting cooperation and providing legal assistance. The UN has developed the international legal framework to combat terrorism. Sixteen global agreements negotiated under UN auspices address problems such as hostage-taking, aircraft hijacking, terrorist bombings, detection of plastic explosives, and protection of nuclear material. The Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism provides for seizing terrorism-related funds, criminalizes the financing of terrorism and promotes police and judicial collaboration.
Sunday
6 November International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict 10 November World Science Day for Peace and Development The week of 11 November International Week of Science and Peace
Monday 14 November World Diabetes Day 16 November International Day for Tolerance Third Thursday in November World Philosophy Day 16 November World Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Day
Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Third Sunday in November World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims 20 November Africa Industrialization Day 20 November Universal Children’s Day 21 November World Television Day
25 November International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women 29 November International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People
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Prosecuting war criminals By prosecuting and convicting war criminals, the UN International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and for Rwanda have helped fight impunity and expand international law dealing with genocide and other crimes. Both Tribunals have contributed to restoring peace and justice in the affected countries and in the region. UN-backed courts in Cambodia, Lebanon and Sierra Leone are prosecuting those responsible for serious violations of international law, including mass killings and war crimes. The International Criminal Court investigates and prosecutes persons accused of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, if national authorities are unwilling or unable to do so.
November 2012
The United Nations
Making A Difference
Women using cell phones in Egypt (2008)
Laying the groundwork for business The United Nations is good for business. It develops universally accepted technical standards in statistics, trade law, customs procedures, intellectual property, aviation, shipping, and telecommunications, facilitating economic activity and reducing transaction costs. The UN lays the groundwork for investment in developing economies by promoting stability and good governance, battling corruption and urging sound economic policies and business-friendly legislation. The United Nations Industrial Development Organization promotes sustainable industrial development, helps integrate developing countries in global trade and fosters energy efficiency in industry. The World Intellectual Property Organization works to protect intellectual property and so reward creativity, stimulate innovation and contribute to economic development.
ITU / J. M. FerrĂŠ
Sunday
1 December World AIDS Day 2 December International Day for the Abolition of Slavery 3 December International Day of Persons with Disabilities
Monday 5 December International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development 7 December International Civil Aviation Day 9 December International Anti-Corruption Day
Tuesday Wednesday Thursday 10 December Human Rights Day 11 December International Mountain Day 18 December International Migrants Day 19 December United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation
Friday
Saturday
1
20 December International Human Solidarity Day
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
Connecting the world The International Telecommunication Union brings together Governments and industry to develop global telecommunication networks and services. It coordinates the shared use of the radio spectrum, promotes international cooperation in assigning satellite orbits, works to improve telecommunication infrastructure in developing countries, and establishes the worldwide standards that ensure the seamless interconnection of communications systems. From broadband networks and new-generation wireless technologies to air and sea navigation, satellite-based meteorology and fixed-mobile phone, Internet and broadcasting technologies, the ITU has helped telecommunications grow into a $3.3 trillion global industry.
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December 2012
2012 Calendar January
■ Maintaining peace and security ■ Building peace
A Somali refugee standing with her baby inside a tent in Ethiopia (2011)
Cover image:
UN Photo / Eskinder Debebe
February
■ Promoting development
■ Fighting hunger
■ Providing food to the neediest
■ Advancing women’s rights
■ Meeting humanitarian needs
May
June
■ Assisting refugees
■ Promoting the rights of persons
September
■ Clearing landmines
April
■ Protecting the environment
■ Promoting women’s well-being
with disabilities
■ Preventing nuclear proliferation
March
■ Responding to climate change
July
■ Improving global health
August
■ Reducing child mortality
■ Responding to the global HIV
■ Pressing for universal immunization
epidemic
October
■ Promoting human rights ■ Fostering democracy
Every day the United Nations works to solve global challenges.
November
■ Countering terrorism
■ Prosecuting war criminals
December
■ Laying the groundwork for business ■ Connecting the world
ISBN 978-92-1-012538 All data are the latest available and are current as of September 2011. Published by the United Nations Department of Public Information New York, New York 10017, United States of America Printed at the United Nations, New York 11-50706—September 2011—2,950