Saturday 31 October 2015
Wednesday 14 October 2015
World Standards Day
World Standards Day is celebrated internationally each year on 14 October.The day honours the efforts of the thousands of experts who develop
voluntary standards within standards development organizations such as
the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), International Organization for Standardization (ISO), International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). The aim of World Standards Day is to raise awareness among regulators, industry and consumers as to the importance of standardization to the global economy.
14 October was specifically chosen to mark the date, in 1946, when
delegates from 25 countries first gathered in London and decided to
create an international organization focused on facilitating
standardization.Even though ISO was formed one year later, it wasn't until 1970 that the first World Standards Day was celebrated.
Tuesday 13 October 2015
International Day for Disaster Reduction
International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction
2015 Theme: Knowledge for Life
The Step Up initiative started in 2011 and will be focusing on a
different group of partners every year leading up to the World
Conference for Disaster Reduction in 2015 - children and young People
(2011), women and girls (2012), people living with disabilities (2013),
the ageing population (2014), and traditional, indigenous and local
knowledge (2015).
The International Day for Disaster Reduction (IDDR) encourages every citizen and government to take part in building more disaster resilient communities and nations.
The International Day for Disaster Reduction started in 1989 with
the approval by the United Nations General Assembly. The UN General
Assembly sees the IDDR as a way to promote a global culture of disaster
reduction, including disaster prevention, mitigation and preparedness.
Originally celebrated on the second Wednesday of October (resolution
44/236, 22 December 1989), the UN General Assembly decided to designate
October 13th as the date to celebrate the IDDR (resolution 64/200, 21
December 2009).
2015: Knowledge for Life
The focus of this year’s International Day for Disaster
Reduction is on the traditional, indigenous and local knowledge which
complement modern science and add to an individual’s and societies’
resilience.
2014: Resilience is for Life
The world is ageing. This year's day will highlight the need
for a more inclusive approach for older people in disaster risk
reduction and recognize the critical role they can play in
resilience-building through their experience and knowledge.
2013: Living with Disability and Disasters
Persons living with disabilities are among the most excluded
in society, and their plight is magnified when a disaster strikes. More
often than not, their unique contribution to helping communities prepare
for and respond to disasters is also often overlooked.
2012: Women and Girls: the [in]Visible Force of Resilience
Women and girls are powerful agents of change. They have
unique knowledge and skills - crucial when addressing or managing
disaster risks. They must participate in poverty reduction, climate
change adaptation and disaster risk reduction that will shape their
future and those of their families and communities.
2011: Making Children and Young People Partners for Disaster Risk Reduction
Repeatedly portrayed as victims of disaster and climate
change, children and young people can and should be encouraged to
participate in disaster risk reduction and decision making.
2010: My City is Getting Ready!
UNISDR is calling on its partners to play a more active role
to protect cities against disasters. Earthquakes in Haiti, Chile and New
Zealand; floods and heavy rainfalls in Pakistan, Eastern Europe,
Mozambique; forest fires in Russia; and volcanic eruptions in Indonesia
and Iceland - Cities have never been so at risk.
2009: Hospitals Safe from Disasters
Beyond their practical importance, hospitals and health
facilities have a unique value as symbols of public well-being. Making
them safe from disasters is essential. UNISDR, WHO and the World Bank,
marked the International Day by highlighting the campaign dedicated to
Hospitals Safe from Disasters.
2008: Disaster risk reduction is everybody's business
Governments, civil society, international financial
institutions and the private sector are urged to step up implementation
of the Hyogo Framework. Disaster risk reduction is everybody's business.
Only by investing in tangible risk reduction measures can we reduce
vulnerability and protect development.
2007: Challenging the world's education authorities
Disaster risk reduction is about stronger building codes,
sound land use planning, better early warning systems, environmental
management and evacuation plans and, above all, education. It is about
making communities and individuals aware of their risk to natural
hazards and how they can reduce their vulnerability.
2006: Disaster risk reduction begins at school
Disaster risk reduction is about stronger building codes,
sound land use planning, better early warning systems, environmental
management and evacuation plans and, above all, education. It is about
making communities and individuals aware of their risk to natural
hazards and how they can reduce their vulnerability.
2005: Microfinance and disaster risk reduction
The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and more recently Hurricane
Katrina in the United States and the earthquake in Pakistan and India
demonstrated that the poor usually suffer most from disasters.
Microcredit is a useful tool for poverty reduction, but its potential to
reduce the impact of disasters needs to be further explored.
2004: Today's disasters for tomorrow's hazards
After a disaster, government authorities, businesses,
community groups and individuals should all ask whether appropriate
actions were taken to save life and property. All should work together
to improve the chain of information and decision-making, so that their
communities are better prepared should hazards strike again.
2003: Turning the tide...
This theme reminds us, during the International Year of
Freshwater, that the task is not just to preserve water resources to
sustain life, but also to reduce the capacity of water to take life
away. More than 90 per cent of all disasters occurring around the world
today are related to water.
2002: Sustainable mountain development
No community is immune from the threat of natural disasters,
but mountain communities are particularly vulnerable. Poor land-use
planning, environmental mismanagement, the lack of regulatory mechanisms
and other human activities increase the risk that a disaster will
occur, and worsen their effects when they do.
2001: Countering Disasters, Targeting Vulnerability
Vulnerability is increasing. While no country is entirely
safe, poorer countries in particular lack the capacity to and prevent
and prepare for disasters. With the urban population of developing
countries having reached more than 1.3 billion, people are forced to
inhabit disaster-prone areas such as flood plains and deforested lands.
2000: Disaster Prevention, Education and Youth
It is important for future generations, as the leaders of
tomorrow, to learn about the long-term aspects of environmental
protection and to provide them with the necessary early education for a
better understanding of both natural hazards and the way to prevent
their disastrous impact on societies.
International Nonviolence Day Competitions Winners
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Saturday 10 October 2015
WINNERS
World Mental Health Day (WMHD) is a day for global mental health education, awareness and advocacy. An initiative of the World Federation for Mental Health (link is external), WMHD is an annual program held on 10 October to raise public awareness of mental health issues worldwide.
This year in Australia, WMHD has three objectives:
- Encourage help seeking behaviour
- Reduce the stigma associated with mental illness
- Foster connectivity throughout communities
The 2015 WMHD campaign aims to achieve these goals by
encouraging people to take personal ownership of their own mental health
and wellbeing.
To do this, the campaign focusses on a simple, personal mental health promise that can be made by anyone, regardless of their own mental health.
You don’t have to have a mental illness to take part, you just need
to have an interest in your own good health, which is important to
everyone.
Mental Health Australia is delighted to be leading the WMHD campaign
in Australia. As the peak not-for-profit organisation representing the
mental health sector in Australia, Mental Health Australia has a focus
on ensuring the whole community recognises the part we all play in
creating a mentally healthy societ
Friday 9 October 2015
World Post Day
On 9 October each year we celebrate World Post Day.
Did you
know the UK Penny Black, featuring Queen Victoria's portrait was issued
on 1 May 1840 and it was the world's first official adhesive postage
stamp.
The day marks the anniversary of creation of the Universal Postal Union
in 1874 in Bern in Switzerland. Then, in 1969, the Universal Postal
Union Congress was held in Japan and they declared October 9th World
Post Day. These days, countries from all around the world celebrate
postal systems everywhere!
Nearly 445 billion letters are delivered around the world every year.
In
the UK, the peak period for the Royal Mail (the UK postal system) was
2005-2006 when they delivered around 84 million items every day and had
around 14,376 Post Offices across the country!
A number of events
will be held worldwide to celebrate the day, including workshops on the
art of stamp making and information and seminars about stamp collecting.
Often
around this special day, postal services issue special commemorative
stamps, so all you budding philatelists (that's stamp collectors to you
and me!) should keep your eyes peeled on the World Post Day website!
The
day is supported by the United Nations (UN), and you can also find out
more about the history of the postal service at the site.
Wednesday 7 October 2015
Indian Air Force day & World Sight day
Air Force Day
The Air Force Day was officially started celebrating at 8th
of October in the year 1932 as an auxiliary air force of Indian Empire.
The Indian Air Force, air arm of the Indian armed forces, has its prime
responsibility of securing the Indian airspace as well as to carry out
the aerial warfare during any clash.
World Sight Day is an important advocacy and communications
opportunity for the eye health community. It is a great time to engage
with a wider audience – a patient’s family, those who seldom get an eye
exam, diabetics – and showcase why eye health needs everybody’s
attention.
World Sight Day 2015 will be on 8 October 2015. This year’s call to action:
Eye care for all
This year, IAPB urges you to focus on everybody who needs eye care
services – everybody. Think of all the groups of people who need eye
care – especially the most vulnerable or the ones most in need. What can
we do to bring eye care to them all? How can we ensure that access to
eye care is not limited by gender or geographic location, or even
financial status? Do remember, ‘Eye Health’ also includes rehabilitation
and assistive services for those with irreversible vision loss.
This World Sight Day, let’s do something that will draw attention to the great unmet need in eye care services.
Monday 5 October 2015
Thursday 1 October 2015
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