The Hippocratic Oath written in the 5th century BC in ancient Greece was an oath historically taken by all healthcare practitioners swearing to practice medicine honestly. This oath was meant to encourage integrity among doctors, and ensure the minimization of negative effects their work might have on people. Hippocratic Oath I swear by Apollo the physician, and Asclepius, and Hygieia and Panacea and all the gods and goddesses as my witnesses, that, according to my ability and … [Read more...]
Anti-Slavery Day celebrated, creating awareness OCT 18
People with slaves? They don't know how to behave, so let's demonstrate ... Anti Slavery Day 18 October 2014 What do you think when you hear Anti Slavery Day? That slavery is something of the past? It should be, yet it's still rife in many parts of the world. Slavery has existed almost as long as human beings themselves, having been recorded as far back as the fifth century BC. Many people were treated as dogs - locked in chains around their hands, feet and even their necks. … [Read more...]
MDG momentum – Post 2015
Providing key information for MDG momentum UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for an end to the unfinished business of the Millennium Development Goals while speaking at a high-level event convened by the MDG Advocacy Group on 25 September. Organized by UN DESA in collaboration with a number of partners, the event featured the launch of a new publication as well as a data tool visualizing 14 years’ worth of MDG data from UN DESA’s Statistics Division. Gathering 300 global leaders, … [Read more...]
Global Update: Special UN General Assembly Edition
As the General Assembly began the general debate of its sixty-ninth session, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon presented to the Assembly his annual report on the work of the Organization. UN Photo/Mark Garten 24 September 2014 – Warning that the world’s “fasten seat belt” light is illuminated, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today opened the 69th annual debate of the United Nations General Assembly with a call for decisive leadership at a time when the ghosts of the Cold War have returned and … [Read more...]
UN General Assembly gather in NYC, SEPT 21-22
On September 21-22 – as leaders gather in New York for the UN General Assembly – people from Jakarta to Johannesburg to New York will be joining the conversation through the 2014 Social Good Summit. Participants include heads of United Nations agencies, leaders of top non-governmental organizations, and celebrities such as Alicia Keys, Connie Britton, and Pharrell Williams. It's not every day you get the chance to join a conversation with people from around the world. And when the … [Read more...]
International Day of Democracy, 15 September
2014 Theme: Engaging Young People on Democracy Democracy is a universal value based on the freely expressed will of people to determine their own political, economic, social and cultural systems and their full participation in all aspects of their lives. While democracies share common features, there is no single model of democracy. Activities carried out by the United Nations in support of efforts of Governments to promote and consolidate democracy are undertaken in accordance with the UN … [Read more...]
World We Want 2015
The World We Want 2015 enables people to engage, visualize and analyze people’s voices on sustainable development. Trends & Outcomes “The World We Want 2015 Trends” is a one-stop shop for people’s participation and engagement with policy making. It also allows policy makers to better understand the needs and priorities of their constituents. At the same time, it is a place for local solutions to be shared and learnt from, a space for open-knowledge, open-data, and cooperation. Thanks to … [Read more...]
World Urbanization Prospects Worldwide
Revealing urbanization trends worldwide The world’s urban population has grown rapidly since 1950 and the coming decades will bring further profound changes to its size and distribution. On 10 July, UN DESA’s Population Division will release the latest urbanization trends, providing data that are critical for assessing current and future needs with respect to urban growth. Scheduled for launch on 10 July, just one day before World Population Day, the latest version of the World … [Read more...]
Global Human Trafficking, a Modern form of Slavery
Steve McQueen, director of this year’s Oscar winner for best film “12 Years A Slave,” mentioned in his acceptance speech last month that 21 million people are living in slavery today. That quoted figure comes from the 2012 report issued by the United Nation’s International Labor Organization (ILO) that has been attempting to gather international data for over a decade now. In the Asia-Pacific region where most of the world’s forced laborers come from at 56%, an estimated 11.7 million people, … [Read more...]