SEPTEMBER AWARENESS DAYS
THERE are many “awareness days” this month. Here are eight of the most significant ones.
INTERNATIONAL Day of Sign Languages
(image source: pbs.twimg.com) International Day of Sign Languages (IDSL) is celebrated annually across the world on 23 September every year along with International Week of the Deaf. The choice of 23 September is the same date that the WFD (World Federation of the Deaf) was established in 1951.
WORLD Contraception Day (image source: dnaindia.com) World Contraception Day takes place on September 26th every year. The day’s mission is to improve awareness of all contraceptive methods available and enable young people to make informed choices on their sexual and reproductive health.
The International Day of Peace, sometimes unofficially known as World Peace Day, is a United Nationssanctioned holiday observed annually on 21 September. It is dedicated to world peace, and specifically the absence of war and violence, such as might be occasioned by a temporary ceasefire in a combat zone for humanitarian aid access. The day was first celebrated in 1981, and is kept by many nations, political groups, military groups, and people. In 2013 the day was dedicated by the Secretary-General of the United Nations to peace education, the key preventive means to reduce war sustainably (“International Day of Peace Event Information”. Secretary-General of the United Nations).
WORLD TOURISM DAY (image source: 123rf.com) Since 1980, the United Nations World Tourism Organization has celebrated World Tourism Day as international observances on September 27. This date was chosen as on that day in 1970, the Statutes of the UNWTO were adopted. The adoption of these Statutes is considered a milestone in global tourism. The purpose of this day is to raise awareness on the role of tourism within the international community and to demonstrate how it affects social, cultural, political and economic values worldwide.
September 16 was designated by the United Nations General Assembly as the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer. This designation had been made on December 19, 2000, in commemoration of the date, in 1987, on which nations signed the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. The closure of the hole in the ozone layer was observed 30 years after the protocol was signed.[2] Due to the nature of the gases responsible for ozone depletion their chemical effects are expected to continue for between 50 to 100 years (Dani Cooper. “Hole in the ozone layer is finally ‘healing’”. ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation).
WORLD Suicide Prevention Day
(image source: thebookofman.com)
World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) is an awareness day observed on 10 September every year, in order to provide worldwide commitment and action to prevent suicides, with various activities around the world since 2003. The International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) collaborates with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) to host World Suicide Prevention Day. In 2011 an estimated 40 countries held awareness events to mark the occasion. According to WHO’s Mental health Atlas released in 2014, no low-income country reported having a national suicide prevention strategy, while less than 10% of lower-middle income countries, and almost a third of upper-middle and high-income countries had (Alaska Observes World Suicide Prevention Day and Alaska Suicide Prevention Month”. SitNews. 11 September 2004.)
In 2007 the United Nations General Assembly resolved to observe 15 September as the International Day of Democracy—with the purpose of promoting and upholding the principles of democracy—and invited all member states and organizations to commemorate the day in an appropriate manner that contributes to raising public awareness.
WORLD HEART DAY (image source: aw.cymru) World Heart Day 29 September
Scale up prevention of heart attack and stroke Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) take the lives of 17.9 million people every year, 31% of all global deaths. Triggering these diseases – which manifest primarily as heart attacks and strokes – are tobacco use, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, and the harmful use of alcohol. These in turn show up in people as raised blood pressure, elevated blood glucose and overweight and obesity, risks detrimental to good heart health (World Health Organization, who.int)