Cultivating Peace - International Days Calendar

While every day is an occasion for peace education, international days represent great opportunities to be part of something larger. See the following list of references for ideas on how to commemorate these important dates in your classroom or school.

January

15th - Martin Luther King Jr. Day (celebrated on his birthday) thekingcenter.com/holiday/index.asp

February

All month - Black History Month www.pch.gc.ca/progs/multi/black-noir/index_e.cfm
February 4 - Birth of Rosa Parks, civil rights protester (born in 1913) e-portals.org/Parks/
Third Monday of February - Heritage Day in Canada www.heritagecanada.org/eng/about/h_day.html
February 15 - National Flag of Canada Day www.pch.gc.ca/special/canada/flag-drapeau/index_e.cfm

March

March 1- Nuclear-Free and Independent Pacific Day www.converge.org.nz/pma/010301.htm
March 8 - International Women’s Day www.swc-cfc.gc.ca/dates/iwd/index_e.html
March 21 - International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination www.pch.gc.ca/march-21-mars/
March 22 - World Water Day www.unesco.org/water/water_celebrations/

April

April 7 - World Health Day www.who.int/world-health-day/2004/
April 18, 2004 - Yom Hashoah Holocaust Remembrance Day (being the 27th day of the Hebrew month of Nissan, each year it falls on a different date of the Gregorian calendar) remember.org/
April 18-24 – National Volunteer Week www.volunteer.ca/volcan/eng/content/nvw/
April 22 - International Earth Day www.earthday.net; www.earthday.ca
April 28 - Workers Memorial Day honouring workers killed or injured on the job www.aflcio.org/yourjobeconomy/safety/memorial/

May

May 1 - International Workers Day (better known as May Day) www.ottawalabour.org/may_day_history.htm
First week - International Youth Week coordinated by Youth Action Network (May 2-8, 2004) www.youthactionnetwork.org/
May 3 - World Press Freedom Day www.unac.org/en/news_events/un_days/press.asp
May 22 - International Day for Biological Diversity www.biodiv.org
May 29 - International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers www.un.org/events/peacekeepers

June

June is Gay Pride Month www.glaad.org/media/resource_kit_detail.php?id=2973
First week - Canadian Environment Week www.ec.gc.ca/e-week/
June 4 - Clean Air Day www.ec.gc.ca/cleanair
June 5 - World Environment Day www.unep.org/wed/2003/
June 20 - World Refugee Day www.un.org/depts/dhl/refugee/
June 21 - National Aboriginal Day (Canada) www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/nad/index_e.html
June 24 - Saint -Jean-Baptiste Day (French Canada) www.pch.gc.ca/special/canada/11/baptiste_e.cfm
June 27 - Canadian Multiculturalism Day www.pch.gc.ca/progs/cpsc-ccsp/jfa-ha/journee-multi-day/index_e.cfm

July

July 1 – Canada Day www.pch.gc.ca/special/canada/11/canada_e.cfm

August

August 6 - Hiroshima Day www.ananuclear.org/Hiroshima2003.html
August 9 - Nagasaki Day (same as above)
August 9 - International Day of Indigenous People www.un.org/depts/dhl/indigenous/
August 12 - International Youth Day www.un.org/Depts/dhl/youth/
August 23 - International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition(proclaimed by UNESCO) www.unesco.org/culture/dialogue/slave/html_eng/day.shtml

September

September 8 - International Literacy Day www.un.org/depts/dhl/literacy/
Third Tuesday in September- International Day of Peace (opening of UN General Assembly) www.un.org/Pubs/CyberSchoolBus/peaceflag/whatis.html

October

October is Women’s History Month www.swc-cfc.gc.ca/dates/whm/index_e.html
October is also Domestic Violence Awareness Month www.ncadv.org/community/dvamonth.htm
First Monday in October - World Habitat Day www.unchs.org/whd/2003/default.asp
October 1 - International Day of Older Persons www.hc-sc.gc.ca/seniors-aines/idop/intro_e.htm
October 12 - Dia de la Raza (Day of the People, Latin American struggle for justice) www.lasculturas.com/lib/libDiadelaRaza.htm
Third week in October - Canada’s Citizenship Week www.cic.gc.ca/english/citizen/celebrate.html
October 16 - World Food Day www.oxfam.ca/campaigns/worldFoodDay.htm
October 17- International Day for the Eradication of Poverty www.undp.org/idep02/events.html
October 24 - United Nations Day (anniversary of founding of UN in 1945) www.unac.org/en/news_events/un_days/un_day1.asp
October 24-30 - Disarmament Week (includes One World Week and Week of Prayer for World Peace) www.un.org/depts/dhl/disarmament/

November

November 6 - International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict www.un.org/depts/dhl/environment_war/
November 11- Remembrance Day www.canada.com/national/features/remembranceday/index.html
Second week of November - Veteran’s Week www.vac-acc.gc.ca/youth/
November 16 - International Day of Tolerance www.unesco.org/tolerance/teneng.htm
November 20 - Universal Children’s Day/ National Child Day Canada www.un.org/depts/dhl/children_day/; www.hc-sc.gc.ca/dca-dea/ncd-jna/main_e.html
November 25 - International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women www.un.org/depts/dhl/violence/
November 28 - Buy Nothing Day www.adbusters.org/metas/eco/bnd/

December

December 1 - World AIDS Day www.unac.org/en/news_events/un_days/aids1.asp
December 1 - Prisoners for Peace Day www.wri-irg.org/co/01dec.htm
December 2 - International Day for the Abolition of Slavery www.un.org/depts/dhl/slavery/
December 3 - International Day of Disabled Persons www.unac.org/en/news_events/un_days/disabled1.asp
December 6 - National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women (Commemorating the December 6th attacks against women in 1989 in Montreal, Canada) www.swc-cfc.gc.ca/dates/dec6/index_e.html
December 10 - InternationalHuman Rights Day (commemorates the adoption of the UN Declaration of Human Rights in 1948) www0.un.org/cyberschoolbus/humanrights/index.asp
December 12 - International Children’s Day of Broadcasting www.unicef.org/videoaudio/video_icdb.html