Current Affairs August 2020 - Important Days

1 - International Day of Friendship observed on August 2

Friendship Day is observed on first Sunday of August every year. This year, it was observed on August 2^nd. It was first proposed in 1958 in Paraguay as the "International Friendship Day". The International Day of Friendship is an initiative that follows on the proposal made by UNESCO defining the Culture of Peace as a set of values, attitudes and behaviors’ that reject violence.

The UN General Assembly with the idea that friendship between people, countries, cultures and individuals can inspire peace efforts and build bridges between communities proclaimed the International Day of Friendship in 2011.

2 - World Sanskrit Day

The World Sanskrit Day is observed every year on Shraavana Poornima, full moon day in the month of Shraavana in the Hindu calendar. This year it was celebrated on August 3^rd. The day is also known as Vishvasamskritadinam.

The day is focused around the ancient Indian language of Sanskrit that incorporates lectures about the language and is aimed to promote its revival and maintenance. The Sanskrit language has the largest vocabulary of about 102 arab 78 crores 50 lakh words. It is also the second official language of Uttarakhand.

3 - World Breastfeeding Week 2020

World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated every year from 1 to 7 August to encourage breastfeeding and improve the health of babies around the world. The theme for World Breastfeeding Week 2020 is “Support breastfeeding for a healthier planet”.

The annual week is organized by WABA, WHO and UNICEF since 1991. WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding starting within one hour after birth until a baby is 6 months old. Nutritious complementary foods should then be added while continuing to breastfeed for up to 2 years or beyond.

4 - 6^th National Handloom Day 2020

The National Handloom Day is observed annually on 7^th August to honour the handloom weavers in the country and also carter an impetus to India’s handloom industry. 2020 was the 6^th edition of the National Handloom Day after it was instituted in 2015.

The celebration of the day seeks to highlight the contribution of handloom to the socio-economic development of the country and promote handlooms to increase income of weavers and also enhance their pride.

5 - World Elephant Day 2020

World Elephant Day is observed on 12 August every year to raise awareness about the protection and preservation of elephants in the wild. World Elephant Day is an opportunity for everyone to get together to find ways to reduce conflict between humans and elephants.

World Elephant Day was created in 2011 by two Canadian filmmakers - Patricia Sims and Thailand's Elephant Reintroduction Foundation and first celebrated on August 12, 2012. The initiative was greatly supported by film star and Star Trek legend William Shatner.

6 - World Biofuel Day 2020

World Biofuel Day is observed every year on 10^th August to create awareness about the importance of non-fossil fuels as an alternative to conventional fossil fuels and to highlight the various efforts made by the Government in the Biofuel sector. A webinar on the occasion was organized with the theme “Biofuels towards Atmanirbhar Bharat”.

This day also honors the research experiments by Sir Rudolf Diesel who ran an engine with peanut oil in the year 1893. His research experiment had predicted that vegetable oil is going to replace fossil fuels in the next century to fuel different mechanical engines.

7 - World Tribal Day 2020

International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples or World Tribal Day is observed on August 9^th every year since 1994. The day is aimed at promoting and protecting the rights of the world’s indigenous population. The date recognizes the first meeting of the United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Populations in Geneva in 1982.

The theme of 2020 was ‘COVID-19 and indigenous peoples’ resilience. It discussed the innovative ways indigenous peoples continue demonstrating resilience and strength in the face of the pandemic, while confronting grave threats to their survival.

8 - India observed 78^th anniversary of Quit India movement

The 78^th anniversary of the August Kranti Din or Quit India Movement, which is considered as one of the important milestones in the history of freedom struggle of our country, is being observed on 8 August 2020.

On this date in 1942, Mahatma Gandhi gave a clarion call to end the British rule and launched the Quit India Movement at the session of the All-India Congress Committee in Mumbai. After the failure of Cripps Mission, Gandhiji gave the call to Do or Die in his Quit India speech delivered at the Gowalia Tank Maidan in Mumbai.

9 - International Youth Day 2020

The United Nations’ (UN) International Youth Day is celebrated annually on August 12. The day recognizes the contribution of the world’s youth in enhancing global society. The day gives an opportunity to celebrate and mainstream young peoples’ voices, actions and initiatives, as well as their meaningful, universal and equitable engagement.

The theme for International Youth Day 2020 is “Youth Engagement for Global Action”. It seeks to highlight the ways in which the engagement of young people at the local, national and global levels is enriching national and multilateral institutions and processes.

10 - Hiroshima Day 2020

The Hiroshima Day is observed every year on August 6 to promote "peace politics". The day is a reminder of the bombing attack on Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States during World War II in 1945.

This year marks the 75^th anniversary of the bomb killings. The ‘Little boy’ nuclear bomb dropped at Hiroshima led to the destruction of almost all the city. The annual event is organised by the Galway Alliance Against War in Eyre Square.

11 - 74^th Independence Day observed

India celebrated the 74^th Independence Day this year. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation from Red Fort. It was his seventh consecutive Independence Day speech. He focused on the themes of "Aatma Nirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India)", "Vocal for local" and "Make in India to Make for World".

PM announced a Health ID under the National Digital Health Mission (NDH) for every Indian citizen. In the next 1,000 days, villages across the country will have optical fibre connections available.

12 - World Humanitarian Day 2020

The World Humanitarian Day is observed every year on 19^th August to pay tribute to workers who risk their lives in humanitarian services and gather support for people affected by crises around the world. This year is the 11^th edition of World Humanitarian Day.

On 19 August 2003, a terrorist attack hit the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad. Five years later, the General Assembly adopted a resolution designating 19 August as World Humanitarian Day.

13 - Sadbhavana Diwas celebrated

The birth anniversary of late Rajiv Gandhi is celebrated every year on 20^th August as Sadbhavana Diwas or Communal Harmony Day. This day is observed to encourage the national integration, peace, affection and communal harmony among the Indian people of all religions.

2020 marked the 76^th birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi. Rajiv Gandhi was the youngest Prime Minister of the country at the age of 40 years. A Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) suicide bomber assassinated him in May 1991.

14 - Akshay Urja Day 2020

The Akshay Urja Day is celebrated every year in India since 2004 to raise awareness campaign about the developments of renewable energy in India. The Indian Ministry for New & Renewable Energy Sources initiated Akshay Urja Day (Diwas) in 2004. The day commemorates the birthday of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

According to the WWF, the whole world could get all the power it needs from renewable resources by 2050, ending our reliance on fossil fuels and other non-renewable resources.

15 - International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism

The third International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism was observed on 21^st August. The day was designated by the United Nations General Assembly in 2017 to honor the victims and survivors of terrorism.

The day was proclaimed to honour and support the victims and survivors of terrorism and to promote and protect the full enjoyment of their human rights and fundamental freedoms. The day also focuses on the resilience of victims and their families.

16 - World Senior Citizen Day 2020

The World Senior Citizen's Day is celebrated on 21 August each year. The day aims to raise awareness of the condition of older people and to support them throughout the aging process. It is also a day to recognize and acknowledge the contributions of older people to society.

The day was first proclaimed by the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 14, 1990, while the first celebration was marked on October 1, 1991. The World Senior Citizen’s Day was officially founded by the former President of the United States of America, Ronald Reagan.

17 - International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition

International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition, is an international day celebrated August 23 of each year, the day designated by UNESCO to memorialize the transatlantic slave trade. The theme of 2020 was “Confronting Slavery’s Legacy of Racism Together”.

The 2020 theme underscores the reality that lasting effects of the transatlantic slave trade, including racism, continue to divide societies across the globe and hamper our advancement towards a world that respects human rights and enables sustainable development for all.

18 - World Water Week 2020: 24-28 August

The 2020 format of the World Water Week was observed from 24-28 August. It was the 30^th edition of World Water Week and organized by Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI). The theme this year was “Water and Climate Change: Accelerating Action”.

The Stockholm Water Prize 2020, under the patronage of H.M. King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, was awarded to Dr John Cherry for the discoveries which revolutionized the understanding of the vulnerability of groundwater.

19 - Women's Equality Day 2020

The 100^th anniversary of the Women’s Equality Day was observed on 26^th August in the United States. The day commemorates the 1920 adoption of the 19^th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which prohibits the states and the federal government from denying the right to vote to citizens of the United States on the basis of sex.

American women in the early 19^th century, couldn’t inherit property and earned half a man’s wages in any available job. This led to a demand for requisite political rights and representation for women.

20 - National Sports Day 2020

August 29^th was observed as the National Sports Day. The Day is celebrated to mark the birthday of legendary hockey player Dhyan Chand, the hockey player who won gold medals in Olympics for India in the years 1928, 1932 and 1936. He scored over 400 goals in his career, from 1926 to 1948.

The most noted memorials for him is the Major Dhyan Chand Award, the highest award for lifetime achievement in sports and games in India, and the National Sports Day celebrations on his birthday.