Current Affairs of June 2017 : Important Days

Current Affairs of June 2017 : Important Days

World Environment Day: 5 June 2017

Ø   June 5 is World Environment Day, the largest, most globally celebrated day for positive environmental action.

Ø   Theme 2017: Connecting People to Nature.

Ø   That means encouraging people to get outdoors and appreciate the beauty of the planet in a bid to show people the importance of protecting it for future generations.

Ø   The theme was chosen by this year’s host country – Canada – which will be the centre of World Environment Day activities.

World Oceans Day: June 8

Ø   World Oceans Day is a global day of ocean celebration and collaboration for a better future.

Ø   This site serves as the central coordinating platform for World Oceans Day, with free resources and ideas for everyone – no matter where you live – to help expand the reach and impact of World Oceans Day on June 8 and year-round.

Ø   Overall theme for World Oceans Day 2017: Our Oceans, Our Future

World Day Against Child Labour: 12 June

Ø   The International Labour Organization (ILO) launched the World Day Against Child Labour in 2002 to focus attention on the global extent of child labour and the action and efforts needed to eliminate it.

Ø   Each year on 12 June, the World Day brings together governments, employers and workers organizations, civil society, as well as millions of people from around the world to highlight the plight of child labourers and what can be done to help them.

Ø   Theme 2017: "In conflicts and disasters, protect children from child labour"

World Blood Donor Day: 14 June 2017

Ø   World Blood Donor Day is celebrated every year by the people in many countries around the world on 14th of June.

Ø   World Blood Donor Day is celebrated every year on the day of birthday anniversary of Karl Landsteiner on 14th of June in 1868.

Ø   This event celebration was first started in the year 2004 aiming to raise the public awareness about the need for safe blood donation (including its products) voluntarily and unpaid by the healthy person.

Ø   Blood donors are the key role player at this day as they donate life-saving gifts of blood to the needed person.

Ø   Theme 2017: Giving blood in a time of crisis

International Day of Family Remittances: 16 June 2017

Ø   The International Day of Family Remittances (IDFR), celebrated on 16 June, is aimed at recognizing the significant financial contribution migrant workers make to the wellbeing of their families back home and to the sustainable development of their countries of origin.

Ø   It is also aimed at encouraging the public and private sectors, as well as the civil society, to do more and collaborate to maximize the impact of these funds in the developing world.

Ø   The first IDFR was celebrated on 16 June 2015 by more than 400 policy-makers, private sector representatives and civil society leaders at the opening of the Fifth Global Forum on Remittances and Development in Milan.

Ø   Patron of the first IDFR was Her Excellency Queen Máxima of the Netherlands in her capacity as United Nations Secretary-General's Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development (UNSGSA).

World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought: 17 June 2017

Ø   The World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is observed every year to promote public awareness of international efforts to combat desertification.

Ø   The day is a unique moment to remind everyone that land degradation neutrality is achievable through problem-solving, strong community involvement and co-operation at all levels

Ø   This year the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought examine the important link between land degradation and migration.

Ø   Among others, environmental degradation, food insecurity and poverty are causes of migration and development challenges.

International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict: 19 June

Ø   On 19 June 2015, the United Nations General Assembly (A/RES/69/293) proclaimed 19 June of each year the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, in order to raise awareness of the need to put an end to conflict-related sexual violence, to honour the victims and survivors of sexual violence around the world and to pay tribute to all those who have courageously devoted their lives to and lost their lives in standing up for the eradication of these crimes.

Ø   The date was chosen to commemorate the adoption on 19 June 2008 of Security Council resolution 1820 (2008), in which the Council condemned sexual violence as a tactic of war and an impediment to peacebuilding.

Ø   2017 Theme: “Preventing Sexual Violence Crimes through Justice and Deterrence”

Ø   A panel discussion to commemorate the second annual International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict will be held at United Nations Headquarters in New York

World Refugee Day: 20 June

Ø   On World Refugee Day, held every year on June 20th to commemorate the strength, courage and perseverance of millions of refugees.

Ø    This year, World Refugee Day also marks a key moment for the public to show support for families forced to flee.

Ø   In a world where violence forces thousands of families to flee for their lives each day, the time is now to show that the global public stands with refugees.

International Yoga Day: 21 June 2017

Ø   Yoga in India is considered to be an around 5,000-year-old mental, physical and spiritual practice.

Ø   The practice has turned into a rage across the world and on 11th December 2014, the United Nations General Assembly decided to observe one common day in the year as International Yoga day or World Yoga Day.

Ø   United Nations General Assembly declared 21st of June as International Yoga Day.

World Music Day: 21 June 2017

Ø   World Music Day 2017 (not to be confused with International Music Day) is being celebrated today, June 21, marking the beginning of summer solstice, i.e., the longest day of the year.

Ø   Initiated by France in 1982, World Music day has been adopted by over 120 nations across the world, including India.

Ø   Musicians from all genres and all ages, amateurs and experienced performers, gather together to perform at various public places.

United Nations Public Service Day: 23 June

Ø   The United Nations Public Service Day is celebrated on June 23 of every year.

Ø   The prestigious UN Public Service Awards are given away on this day.

Ø   The UN Public Service Day was designated by the United Nations General Assembly's resolution to “celebrate the value and virtue of public service to the community”.

Ø   The United Nations Economic and Social Council established that the United Nations Public Service Awards be bestowed on Public Service Day for contributions made to the cause of enhancing the role, prestige, and visibility of public service.

International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking: 26 June

Ø   By resolution 42/112 of 7 December 1987, the General Assembly decided to observe 26 June as the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking as an expression of its determination to strengthen action and cooperation to achieve the goal of an international society free of drug abuse.

Ø   Supported each year by individuals, communities and various organisations all over the world, this global observance aims to raise awareness of the major problem that illicit drugs represent to society

Ø   Building on the success of last year, the theme for 2017 is: "Listen First - Listening to children and youth is the first step to help them grow healthy and safe." It is an initiative to increase support for prevention of drug use that is based on science and is thus an effective investment in the well-being of children and youth, their families and their communities.

Day of the Seafarer: 25 June 2017

Ø   This year, once again, 25 June will mark the annual Day of the Seafarer (DotS). DotS was established in a resolution adopted by the 2010 Diplomatic Conference in Manila to adopt the revised STCW Convention.

Ø   Its stated purpose is to recognize the unique contribution made by seafarers from all over the world to international seaborne trade, the world economy and civil society as a whole.

Ø   The resolution "encourages Governments, shipping organisations, companies, shipowners and all other parties concerned to duly and appropriately promote the Day of the Seafarer and take action to celebrate it meaningfully".

Ø   This year our theme is "Seafarers Matter".

Govt to observe anti-Emergency day on June 25-26

Ø   The government has decided to observe anti-Emergency day on June 25-26 and asked all its ministers to hold programmes across the country to remind people how Emergency was clamped by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1975.

Ø   Terming the Emergency as a “black day” in the constitutional democracy of independent India, Union information and broadcasting minister M Venkaiah Naidu has written to all ministers, asking them to make themselves available to the requests of the presidents of state units of the BJP to demonstrate how the party values democracy.

Small Business – Big Impact: ITC celebrated first ever International MSME Day on June 27

Ø   The International Trade Centre (ITC) celebrated the first International MSME Day on June 27, 2017.

Ø   ITC is the joint agency of the UN and the WTO supporting SMEs in developing countries and transition economies for sustainable and inclusive trade

Ø   June 27, after being marked as the MSME Day, is being celebrated globally to recognise the importance of the role that the sector plays in generating employment and in a country’s economy.

Ø   ITC said more than 90% of world’s businesses are micro, small and medium enterprises. There are 500 million MSMEs in the world and they represent 90 percent of all goods exporters.

National Statistics Day: 29 June

Ø   On June 29, every year, National Statistics Day is celebrated to mark the birth anniversary of Prof. Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis, a renowned and eminent statistician.

Ø   The Government of India, in 2007 decided to acknowledge the outstanding contributions made by Prof. P.C. Mahalanobis in the fields of economic planning and statistical development and hence designated 29th June as the National Statistics Day to celebrate Prof. Mahalanobis’s birth anniversary.

Ø   The very first National Statistics Day was celebrated on 29th June, 2007 and this year 29th June 2016, marks its 10th anniversary.