UNITED NATIONS PUBLIC SERVICE DAY - 23 JUNE

"The annual observance of Service Day highlights the invaluable contributions of public servants and administrators in our efforts to build a better world for all."
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

The UN General Assembly, in its resolution 57/277, designated 23 June as Public Service Day.
The UN Public Service Day intends to celebrate the value and virtue of public service to the community; highlight the contribution of public service in the development process; recognize the work of public servants, and encourage young people to pursue careers in the public sector.

Since the first Awards Ceremony in 2003, the United Nations has received an increasing number of submissions from all around the world.
This year's United Nations Public Service Day Awards Ceremony and Forum will take place in
Medellin, Colombia from 23 to 26 June, 2015.
Ayo David, ADEYEMI
ANUNSA-U.I

WORLD REFUGEE DAY - 20 JUNE

"Most of the world’s refugees – 86 per cent -- live
in the developing world, compared to 70 per cent
10 years ago. Most of these countries have kept
their doors open to people in search of safety, and
have shown a generosity that is often well beyond
their means. I appeal to all Member States and
our partners in civil society to do their utmost to
support the nations and communities that have
welcomed the forcibly displaced into their midst.."
Ban Ki-moon

For years, many countries and regions have been holding their own Refugee Days and even Weeks. One of the most widespread is Africa Refugee Day, which is celebrated on 20 June in several countries.

The UN General Assembly, on 4 December 2000, adopted resolution 55/76 where it noted that 2001 marked the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, and that the Organization of African Unity (OAU) had agreed to have International Refugee Day coincide with Africa Refugee Day on 20 June.

The General Assembly therefore decided that 20 June would be celebrated as World Refugee Day.

This year, Over twenty celebrities from around the world have released a series of 30 second videos supporting refugees as part of a coordinated campaign for this year's World Refugee Day.
Ayo David, ADEYEMI
ANUNSA-U.I

WORLD DAY TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION - 17 JUNE

Desertification is a process of land degradation by which a region becomes progressively drier and drier eventually becoming desert. Or, to put it another way

— desertification is the process by which previously biologically productive land is transformed into wasteland.

2015 THEME: ATTAINMENT OF FOOD SECURITY FOR ALL THROUGH SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS

The World Day to Combat Desertification (WDCD)

is observed worldwide on 17 June every year.

The focus this year is “attainment of food security

for all through sustainable food systems.”

With the slogan, ‘No such thing as a free lunch.

Invest in healthy soil’, the 2015 observance calls

for:

(1) A change in our land use practices through

smart agriculture and adaptation to changing

climate, especially in the dry fragile parts of the

world where food shortages are becoming more

and more severe.

(2) Access to technology and land rights for small

holder farmers who safeguard the environment

and meet the food needs of millions of

households, especially among the poorest

households.

(3) A balance in the land use for ecology and

consumption, drawing on the best practices.

(4) More investments in sustainable land

practices so that sustainable food systems

become the normal practice and

(5) More effective action on desertification whose

effects on security, peace and stability are

invisible yet real for the affected countries due

especially to food and water scarcity and

environmentally forced migration.

Some 805 million people in the world lacked

sufficient nutritious food between 2012 and 2014

according to the 2014 State of Food Insecurity

report. That is about one in every eight people.

The vast majority lived in developing countries.

Although significant progress has been made

towards the MDG hunger target, progress across

regions and countries is still uneven.

Tackling hunger requires a multi-faceted

approach – from economic development,

nutritional intake to managing natural disasters.

Still, a focus on land is critical. More than 99.7%

of our food calories comes from the land. With the

competition for productive land growing even as

the global population rises, land for food

production will get scarcer. We need to recover

degraded land to remain food secure.

Hunger is most prevalent in the developing

country dryland areas where water retention is

poor, and the land is highly vulnerable to natural

and human destructions. The vast majority of the

dryland people survive on local foods. Sub-

Saharan Africa has made some progress in

eradicating hunger, but still has the highest

prevalence of undernourishment.

Ayo David, ADEYEMI

ANUNSA-U.I