Seven special UN days in October

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Seven special UN days in October

Published: 15 Oct. 2024, 20:05

Kim Jong-jin
The author is Assistant Director-General and FAO Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific.

Each year, the United Nations and its Specialized Agencies mark many days on our calendars for special observations. This month, October, has more special days than usual — seven in total. But what I find special about the days in October is the common thread each day has with the others.

There is, of course, World Food Day on October 16, which my agency — the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations — promotes. Ending hunger in all its forms is a key objective of the SDGs. A day earlier is International Day of Rural Women, while the following day, October 17, is International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. These three days, all back-to-back, resonate with a common message: Poverty leads to hunger, and rural women are often the most vulnerable and disadvantaged.

If the world would better recognize the value of rural women in agriculture, compensate them for their work, and give them a greater say and access to finance, it would accelerate achieving our collective goal of eradicating poverty and ending hunger and malnutrition in the world, including the Asia-Pacific region in particular. Most of the world’s hunger, most of its rural women and much of the poverty is found in that region which has been backsliding for several years in the fight against hunger.

These special days are not just announced and observed to get a quick headline. Instead, they are fixtures meant to remind us of our duty to take proactive actions to meet the 2030 SDG deadlines for humanity. It’s not enough to circulate and pin up a few posters or 30 second TV adverts or send out a short message on our social media, which many will quickly scroll without reflecting on the significance. All of these special days have meaning and a call to action.

As I mentioned, there are seven special days in October, which are recognized by the United Nations Common System. The remaining four days also carry special significance with the three above. They are World Habitat Day (October 7), International Day for Disaster Reduction (October 13), World Statistics Day (October 20) — and finally United Nations Day on October 24 — each year.

While each of these special days is observed by a pertinent UN Agency, they are tied one way or another with the grand goal of reducing poverty, hunger and inequalities (SDGs 1,2,10). After all, everyone needs to have a roof over their head. Climate change and climate-related disasters set back the fights against hunger and poverty. Without better statistics in all sectors, how can we ever know if we are making progress for mankind or even to understand if the situation is getting worse?

So we are all required to pay attention to these special days. As they are not just random dates on our calendars, we need to do more than just observe them. Every Member Nation, every UN agency, every NGO, every CEO, every man, woman and the world’s youth must work together to make our world a better place.

At FAO, we have taken the word “better” to a higher level. We have repositioned ourselves and our work to achieve and deliver better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life for all, leaving no one behind. Working with our member nations, we have been empowering rural women, striving to ensure smallholders in all food production get a better deal, introducing climate-smart agricultural methods to our members, and working to make sure everyone has access and the means to achieve a healthy diet to thrive and survive.

Let’s view these special days in October not simply as seven separate days but as tightly connected days for a common goal. As a regional and global community, let them inspire us to work with the single vision of transforming the entire world into a better place for all.

Today, the world may be our responsibility. But tomorrow, it will be the responsibility of a new generation. Collectively, we have a duty to take care of the underprivileged to honor Mother Earth for our sake — and for the sake of our children and their children. Let these special days be a reminder to us that no one should go hungry, no one should live in poverty, and no one should be homeless. To achieve this ambitious goal, we must first end inequalities for everyone before it’s too late.