Tag Archives: UN Days

World Oral Health Day

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Organised annually on 20 March, World Oral Health Day is observed to raise global awareness of the issues around oral health and the importance of oral hygiene so that governments, health associations and the general public can work together to achieve healthier mouths and happier lives. World Oral Health Day aims to recognise the importance of good oral health and unite to reduce the burden of oral diseases which affect individuals, health systems, and economies everywhere. It also aims to empower people with the knowledge, tools, and confidence to secure good oral health

Oral diseases are a major health concern for many countries and negatively impact people throughout their lives. 90% of the world’s population will suffer from oral diseases in their lifetime, many avoidable. Oral diseases lead to pain and discomfort, social isolation, and loss of self-confidence, and they are often linked to other serious health issues. And yet, there is no reason to suffer – most oral health conditions are largely preventable and can be treated in their early stages. 

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Oral hygiene is the practice of keeping one’s mouth clean and free of disease and other problems by regular brushing of the teeth and cleaning between the teeth. Oral hygiene must be carried out regularly to enable the prevention of dental disease and bad breath. The most common types of dental disease are tooth decay which includes cavities, and dental caries and gum diseases, including gingivitis, and periodontitis. General guidelines for adults suggest brushing at least twice a day with fluoridated toothpaste and brushing last thing at night and at least on one other occasion. Cleaning between the teeth is called interdental cleaning and is as important as tooth brushing. This is because a toothbrush cannot reach between the teeth and therefore only removes about 50% of plaque from the surface of the teeth. There are many tools to clean between the teeth, including floss, tape and interdental brushes; it is up to each individual to choose which tool they prefer to use. Sometimes white or straight teeth are associated with oral hygiene. However, a hygienic mouth can have stained teeth or crooked teeth. To improve the appearance of their teeth, people may use tooth whitening treatments and orthodontics.

More than 130 countries take part in World Oral Health Day which is organised by the FDI World Dental Federation. World Oral Health Day was launched on 20 March 2013 by the FDI World Dental Federation which also marks the launch of a year-long campaign to raise awareness of oral health and the prevention of oral diseases. Since 2013 these campaigns have featured a specific theme. Since 2014 and in collaboration with its daughter organisation, the International Association of Dental Students or IADS, FDI organises an annual worldwide competition for best awareness and prophylactic activities held by dental student organizations in celebration of World Oral Health Day.

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The campaign theme for the years 2021 to 2023 is Be Proud of Your Mouth. This theme that spans three years sends out a simple but powerful message to value and take care of our mouths. This year, the campaign wants to inspire change by focusing on the importance of oral health at every stage of life, because no matter what age one is, caring for the mouth and looking after oral health is important.

So take care of your oral health,  because establishing good oral hygiene and dietary habits have proven to be essential to achieving and maintaining, overall physical and emotional well-being throughout life.

International Women’s Day 2023

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Today is International Women’s Day, a day which brings to the fore the women’s rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women.

Spurred on by the universal female suffrage movement that had begun in New Zealand, IWD originated from labour movements in North America and Europe during the early 20th century. The earliest version was purportedly a Women’s Day organised by the Socialist Party of America in New York City on February 28, 1909. This inspired German delegates at the 1910 International Socialist Women’s Conference to propose a special Women’s Day be organised annually, albeit with no set date; the following year saw the first demonstrations and commemorations of International Women’s Day across Europe. After women gained suffrage in Soviet Russia in 1917 which was the beginning of the February Revolution, International Women’s Day was made a national holiday on March 8; it was subsequently celebrated on that date by the socialist movement and communist countries. The holiday was associated with far-left movements and governments until its adoption by the global feminist movement in the late 1960s. International Women’s Day became a mainstream global holiday following its adoption by the United Nations in 1977. The UN observes the holiday in connection with a particular issue, campaign, or theme in women’s rights.

International Women’s Day is a day when women can imagine a gender-equal world, a world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. A world that’s diverse, equitable, and inclusive an a world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together and collectively, women’s equality can be forged and equity embraced.

And Embrace Equity is the theme for this year’s IWD. Equity isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s a must-have. A focus on gender equity needs to be part of every society’s DNA and it is critical to understand the difference between equity and equality. The words equity and equality are often used interchangeably. Etymologically, the root word they share is aequus, meaning even, fair or equal – which led to equity being from the Latin aequitas, and equality from aequalitas. Yet, despite these similarities, equity and equality are inherently different concepts, and the IWD 2023 #EmbraceEquity campaign theme seeks to help forge worldwide conversations about this important issue and its impact. 

So, what’s the difference between equity and equality – and why is it important to understand and acknowledge this? Equality means each individual or group of people is given the same resources or opportunities. Equity recognizes that each person has different circumstances, and allocates the exact resources and opportunities needed to reach an equal outcome. Equity can be defined as giving everyone what they need to be successful. In other words, it’s not giving everyone the same thing. If we give everyone the same thing, expecting that will make people equal, it assumes that everyone started in the same place – and this can be vastly inaccurate because everyone isn’t the same.

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We can all truly embrace equity. It should not be just something we say or write about. It’s something we need to think about, know, and embrace. It’s what we believe in, unconditionally. Equity means creating an inclusive world. All of us, irrespective of gender can play a part in creating an inclusive world by actively supporting and embracing equity within our sphere of influence. We can and should challenge gender stereotypes, call out discrimination, draw attention to bias, and seek out inclusion. Collective activism is what drives change. From grassroots action to wide-scale momentum, we can all embrace equity. Forging gender equity isn’t limited to women solely fighting the good fight. Allies are incredibly important for the social, economic, cultural, and political advancement of women.

Over at the United Nations, the theme for International Women’s Day is DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality. This theme highlights the need for inclusive and transformative technology and digital education.

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The United Nations recognises and celebrates the women and girls who are championing the advancement of transformative technology and digital education. This IWD will explore the impact of the digital gender gap on widening economic and social inequalities and will also spotlight the importance of protecting the rights of women and girls in digital spaces and addressing online and ICT-facilitated gender-based violence. Bringing women and other marginalised groups into technology results in more creative solutions and has greater potential for innovations that meet women’s needs and promote gender equality. Their lack of inclusion, by contrast, comes with massive costs. As per the UN Women’s Gender Snapshot 2022 report, women’s exclusion from the digital world has shaved $1 trillion from the gross domestic product of low-and middle-income countries in the last decade—a loss that will grow to $1.5 trillion by 2025 without action. Reversing this trend will require tackling the problem of online violence, which a study of 51 countries revealed 38 percent of women had personally experienced.

A gender-responsive approach to innovation, technology, and digital education can increase the awareness of women and girls regarding their rights and civic engagement. Advancements in digital technology offer immense opportunities to address development and humanitarian challenges and to achieve the 2030 Agenda’s Sustainable Development Goals. Unfortunately, the opportunities of the digital revolution also present a risk of perpetuating existing patterns of gender inequality. Growing inequalities are becoming increasingly evident in the context of digital skills and access to technologies, with women being left behind as the result of this digital gender divide. The need for inclusive and transformative technology and digital education is therefore crucial for a sustainable future.

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Lets us all celebrate women’s achievements today and raise awareness about the discriminations we face. Let’s take action to drive gender parity and embrace equity.

World Cancer Day

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Tomorrow is World Cancer Day, an international observance that takes place every year. The day is observed to raise awareness of cancer and to encourage its prevention, detection, and treatment. The day is organised by the Union for International Cancer Control or UICC to support the goals of the World Cancer Declaration, written in 2008. The primary goal of World Cancer Day is to increase awareness about the disease and significantly reduce illness and death caused by cancer as well as an opportunity to rally the international community to end the injustice of preventable suffering from cancer. This can include things like promoting healthy lifestyles, increasing access to cancer screenings and treatments, and investing in cancer research. The day is observed by the United Nations.

World Cancer Day was established on 4 February 2000 at the World Cancer Summit Against Cancer for the New Millennium, held in Paris. The Charter of Paris Against Cancer, which was created to promote research, prevent cancer, and improve patient services, also included an article establishing the anniversary of the document’s official signing as World Cancer Day. This was signed at the Summit by the then General Director of UNESCO, Kōichirō Matsuura, and then French President Jacques Chirac. World Cancer Day targets misinformation, raises awareness and reduces stigma.

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Cancer is a disease which occurs when changes in a group of normal cells within the body lead to uncontrolled, abnormal growth forming a lump called a tumour; this is true of all cancers except leukaemia which is cancer of the blood. If left untreated, tumours can grow and spread into the surrounding normal tissue, or to other parts of the body via the bloodstream and lymphatic systems, and can affect the digestive, nervous and circulatory systems or release hormones that may affect body function.

Cancer tumours can be divided into three groups: benign, malignant or precancerous. Benign tumours are not cancerous and rarely threaten life. They tend to grow quite slowly, do not spread to other parts of the body and are usually made up of cells quite similar to normal or healthy cells. They will only cause a problem if they grow very large, become uncomfortable or press on other organs. Malignant tumours are faster growing than benign tumours and can spread and destroy neighbouring tissue. Cells of malignant tumours can break off from the primary tumour and spread to other parts of the body through a process known as metastasis. Upon invading healthy tissue at the new site they continue to divide and grow. These secondary sites are known as metastases and the condition is referred to as metastatic cancer. Precancerous or premalignant describes the condition involving abnormal cells which may or are likely to develop into cancer.

There are five main types of cancer. Carcinoma cancers arise from the epithelial cells which are the lining of cells that help protect or enclose organs. Carcinomas may invade the surrounding tissues and organs and metastasise to the lymph nodes and other areas of the body. The most common forms of cancer in this group are breast, prostate, lung and colon cancer. A type of malignant tumour of the bone or soft tissue like fat, muscle, blood vessels, nerves and other connective tissues that support and surround organs, the most common forms of sarcoma are leiomyosarcoma, liposarcoma and osteosarcoma. Lymphoma and Myeloma are cancers that begin in the cells of the immune system. Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic system, which runs all through the body, and can therefore occur anywhere. Myeloma or multiple myeloma starts in the plasma cells, a type of white blood cell that produces antibodies to help fight infection. This cancer can affect the cell’s ability to produce antibodies effectively. Leukaemia is a cancer of the white blood cells and bone marrow, the tissue that forms blood cells. There are several subtypes; common are lymphocytic leukaemia and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. Brain and spinal cord cancers are known as central nervous system cancers. Some are benign while others can grow and spread.

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Cancers can be caused by many different factors and, as with many other illnesses, most cancers are the result of exposure to several different causal factors. Around one-third of cancer cases can be prevented by reducing behavioural and dietary risks. Modifiable risk factors include the drinking of alcohol, being overweight or obese, diet and nutrition, physical activity, tobacco, ionising radiation, workplace hazards and infection. Non-modifiable risk factors include age, cancer-causing substances or carcinogens in the body, genetics, and one’s immune system.

With so many different types of cancers, the symptoms are varied and depend on where the disease is located. However, there are some key signs and symptoms to look out for, including unusual lumps or swelling, coughing, breathlessness or difficulty swallowing, changes in bowel habits, unexpected bleeding, unexplained weight loss, fatigue, pain or aches, new moles or changes to a mole, complications with urinating, unusual breast changes, appetite loss, a sore or ulcer that won’t heal, heartburn or indigestion and heavy night sweats.

Cancer is the second-leading cause of death worldwide with 10 million people dying from it every year, which is more than the deaths because of HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined. By 2030, experts project cancer deaths to rise to 13 million. More than 40% of cancer-related death could be preventable as they are linked to modifiable risk factors. At least one-third of all deaths related to cancer could be prevented through routine screening, and early detection and treatment. 70% of cancer deaths occur in low-to-middle-income countries and millions of lives could be saved each year by implementing resource-appropriate strategies for prevention, early detection and treatment. The total annual economic cost of cancer is estimated at US$1.16 trillion.

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The theme for the years 2022-2024 is Close the care gap which focuses on eliminating the difference in access to cancer care services faced by populations of various groups of country income, age, gender, ethnicity etc. The World Cancer Day theme is a multi-year campaign that means more exposure and engagement, more opportunities to build global awareness and ultimately more impact. In 2022, the first year of the Close the Care Gap campaign was all about understanding and recognising the inequities in cancer care around the globe. This was the year to question the status quo and help reduce stigma; to listen to the perspectives of the people living with cancer and their communities and let those lived experiences guide our thoughts and actions. This year is all about uniting voices and taking action. These actions can take countless forms, from motivating neighbours to provide transport to cancer treatment for a fellow resident or ensuring that healthy and affordable food options are offered at the local school. In 2024, the last year of the campaign will bring attention to a higher level by raising voices to engage leaders and become lifelong advocates fully equipped to push for lasting change.

In recent years, cities have begun to support the day by lighting up important landmarks in orange and blue. In 2019, 55 landmarks in 37 cities participated in the landmark lighting initiative and at least 60 governments officially observe World Cancer Day. The event invites everyone to take action, make a pledge and support the cancer movement. By doing this, it aims to reduce the number of premature deaths from cancer and improve the quality of life for cancer patients around the world.

International Day of Epidemic Preparedness

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COVID-19 has devasted the world and has shown us how much of an impact this pandemic as well as that of major infectious diseases and epidemics has on human lives, wreaking havoc on long-term social and economic development. Global health crises threaten to overwhelm already overstretched health systems, disrupt global supply chains and cause disproportionate devastation of the livelihoods of people, including women and children, and the economies of the poorest and most vulnerable countries. There is an urgent need to have resilient and robust health systems, which can reach those who are vulnerable or in vulnerable situations. The first-ever International Day of Epidemic Preparedness was held on 27 December 2020.

In the event of the absence of international attention, future epidemics could surpass previous outbreaks in terms of intensity and gravity. It is important to strengthen epidemic prevention by applying lessons learned on epidemic management and how to prevent the stoppage of basic services. There is a great need of raising awareness, the exchange of information, scientific knowledge and best practices, quality education, and advocacy programmes on epidemics at the local, national, regional and global levels as effective measures to prevent and respond to epidemics. It is important to strengthen epidemic prevention by applying lessons learned on epidemic management and how to prevent the stoppage of basic services, and to raise the level of preparedness to have the earliest and most adequate response to any epidemic that may arise, and recognising also the value of an integrated One Health approach that fosters the integration of human health, animal health and plant health, as well as environmental and other relevant sectors.

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International cooperation and multilateralism play an important role in the response to epidemics. The significance of partnership and solidarity among every individual, community, State, and regional and international organisation, in all stages of epidemic management, can’t be stressed enough, as well as the importance of considering a gender perspective in this regard.

Last month Singapore’s Ministry of Health officially launched a new research programme that aims to build up Singapore’s preparedness and response capabilities for future pandemics. The Programme for Research in Epidemic Preparedness and Response’s (PREPARE) immediate task will be to work closely with MOH to develop a national epidemic research and development plan. This dedicated research programme will help to bring together multi-disciplinary experts throughout the pandemic research ecosystem in a coordinated fashion and will also further strengthen Singapore’s existing capabilities by forming research networks as well as developing necessary tools, methods, and products to respond to future infectious disease outbreak threats. Internationally, the new programme will strengthen research partnerships, share information and knowledge, and collaborate in clinical trials with various institutions in the region.

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The United Nations system, in particular the World Health Organization, plays a pivotal role in coordinating responses to epidemics, per its mandate, and in supporting national, regional and international efforts to prevent, mitigate and address the impacts of infectious diseases and epidemics under the goal of advancing the 2030 Agenda. There is a need to recognise the primary role and responsibility of Governments and the indispensable contribution of relevant stakeholders in tackling global health challenges, especially women, who make up the majority of the world’s health workers. Member states must commit to ensuring inclusive, equal and non-discriminatory participation, with special attention to those, who are vulnerable or in vulnerable situations with the highest chance of epidemic infection. There is an urgent need to have resilient and robust health systems, to reach those who are vulnerable or in vulnerable situations.

The theme for the 2022 International Day of Epidemic Preparedness is

International Mountains Day

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Yesterday was the International Mountains Day. December 11 was designated as International Mountains Day by the United Nations General Assembly in 2003 which encouraged the international community to organize events at all levels on that day to highlight the importance of sustainable mountain development. FAO is the UN organisation mandated to lead the observance of International Mountain Day.

International Mountain Day has its roots in 1992 when the adoption of Chapter 13 of Agenda 21 or Managing Fragile Ecosystems: Sustainable Mountain Development at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development put a milestone in the history of mountain development. The increasing attention to the importance of mountains led the UN General Assembly to declare 2002 the UN International Year of Mountains. The first international day was celebrated for the first time the following year, in 2003.

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Mountains cover 27% of the earth’s surface and are home to 15% of the world´s population or 1.1 billion people, hosting about half of the world’s biodiversity hotspots. They provide fresh water for everyday life to half of humanity and their conservation is a key factor for sustainable development and is part of Goal 15 of the SDGs. More than half of humanity relies on mountain freshwater for everyday life and six of the 20 most important food crops originate in the mountains. Unfortunately, mountains are under threat from climate change and overexploitation. As the global climate continues to warm, mountain people — some of the world’s poorest — face even greater struggles to survive. The rising temperatures also mean that mountain glaciers are melting at unprecedented rates, affecting freshwater supplies downstream for millions of people. This problem affects us all. We must reduce our carbon footprint and take care of these natural treasures.

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Women move mountains is the theme of this year’s International Mountain Day. Women play a key role in environmental protection and social and economic development in mountain areas. They are often the primary managers of mountain resources, guardians of biodiversity, keepers of traditional knowledge, custodians of local culture and experts in traditional medicine. Increasing climate variability, coupled with a lack of investment in mountain agriculture and rural development, has often pushed men to migrate elsewhere in search of alternative livelihoods. Women have therefore taken on many tasks formerly done by men, yet mountain women are often invisible due to a lack of decision-making power and unequal access to resources. As farmers, market sellers, businesswomen, artisans, entrepreneurs and community leaders, mountain women and girls, in particular in rural areas, have the potential to be major agents of change. When rural women have access to resources, services and opportunities, they become a driving force against hunger, malnutrition and rural poverty and are active in the development of mountain economies. To trigger real change towards sustainable development, it is important to engage in gender transformative change. International Mountain Day is an opportunity to raise awareness about the need to empower mountain women so they can participate more effectively in decision-making processes and have more control over productive resources. By sharing excellence, opportunities and capacity development in mountains, the Day can promote gender equality and therefore contribute to improving social justice, livelihoods and resilience.