International Human Solidarity Day
The International Human Solidarity Day is an international annual unity day of the United Nations held on 20th December to celebrate unity in diversity. It aims at raising awareness of the importance of solidarity and encouraging debates on the ways to promote solidarity for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals including poverty eradication.
Solidarity – is to support, mutual aid members of the society, the unity of action and belief. In a world full of chaos and disharmony, it is important to recognize and promote solidarity, on all levels of society. UN observance is meant to encourage all human beings of every ethnic, linguistic, cultural, political, and religious background to dedicate themselves to unity with all other human beings in trying to solve the world’s great problems.
The Sustainable Development Agenda is centered on people & the planet, underpinned by human rights, and supported by a global partnership determined to lift people out of poverty, hunger, and disease. It will, thus, be built on a foundation of global cooperation and solidarity.
History
The United Nations General Assembly, on 22 December 2005 adopted Resolution 60/209, “Implementation of the first United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (1997-2006)”, which proclaims 20 December of each year as ‘International Human Solidarity Day’. In this document, there are references to the Millennium Declaration, where solidarity is written as one of the basic human values of the XXI century. Solidarity is one of the fundamental values that should underpin the interactions between people in the Twenty-first Century.
Moreover, international human solidarity is in keeping with the spirit and aim of the UN Charter which asserts that in order to maintain international peace and security effective collective measures must be taken. For the prevention and removal of threats to peace, for the suppression of acts of aggression or other breaches of the peace, and to bring peaceful means.
As a follow-up, on 20 December 2002, it established the World Solidarity Fund, which was set up in February 2003 as a trust fund of the United Nations Development Programme. The fund’s objective is to eradicate poverty and promote human and social development in developing countries, in particular among the poorest segments of their populations.
Human Solidarity Day is an internationally agreed-upon day to promote cooperation and to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the struggle people face every day. Putting ourselves in other people’s shoes for brief moments leads to appreciating what we have, and perhaps steps towards providing the same privilege for someone else, someone who has lost is or has never experienced it.
How to observe International Human Solidarity Day
On this day United Nations agencies, and other international organizations, and non-governmental organizations integrate the right of peoples and individuals to international solidarity into the mainstream of their activities. Events like presentations, seminars, conferences, and roundtable discussions to promote solidarity are held throughout the world.
On this day donate to a relief organization that helps the poor and people in need. Share posts on your social media to create awareness using the hashtag #HumanSolidarityDay.
Suggested Read: Important Days In December
