United Nations International Years, Decades, Days and Conferences
in 2010

Decades and Years -- Days and Weeks

The General Assembly has declared three new United Nations Decades. It has marked the third decade after the 26 April 1986 disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant as the Decade of Recovery and Sustainable Development of the Affected Regions.  It has proclaimed 2008-2017 as the second United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty.  And it has declared 2010-2020 as the United Nations Decade for Deserts and the Fight against Desertification.

Reaffirming the universal principle of non-violence, the General Assembly has declared 2 October -- Mahatma Gandhi's birthday -- as the International Day of Non-Violence.  It has declared 15 September as the International Day of Democracy, designated 25 March as an annual International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, and proclaimed 15 October as the International Day of Rural Women.

Deeply concerned by the prevalence and high rate of autism, a developmental disability that affects children worldwide, the Assembly has designated 2 April as World Autism Awareness Day.  It has also decided to rename the International Day of Disabled Persons, observed annually on 3 December, as the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.  20 February has been declared as the World Day of Social Justice, beginning in 2009.

The Assembly has declared 2009 as the International Year of Reconciliation, to highlight the necessity of reconciliation processes in societies affected by conflicts.  Noting that natural fibres, an important source of income for farmers, can play an considerable role in improving food security and eradicating poverty, it has proclaimed 2009 as the International Year of Natural Fibres.  It has also declared 2009 the International Year of Astronomy, to promote widespread access to the fruits of astronomical observation.

During 2010, the Assembly focuses attention on the importance of mutual understanding and interreligious dialogue, with the International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures, and on the continued loss of biodiversity, with the International Year of Biodiversity.  The contribution of forests to sustainable development, poverty eradication and development will be highlighted in 2011, which has been declared the International Year of Forests.

Meanwhile, the international community continues to observe the Decade to Roll Back Malaria in Developing Countries, Particularly in Africa (2001-2010); the Second International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism (2001-2010); the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-violence for the Children of the World (2001-2010); the United Nations Literacy Decade:  Education for All (2003-2012); the Second International Decade of the World's Indigenous People (2005-2014); the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014); and the International Decade for Action, "Water for Life"(2005-2015).