Current Affairs Sep 2016 - Important Days

News 1 - The 50^th International Literacy Day 2016 celebrated worldwide

2016 marks the 50^th anniversary of International Literacy Day and it was celebrated by UNESCO under theme “Reading the Past, Writing the Future”. It throws light on current challenges and creating lifelong learning opportunities for all. Theme was to honor the efforts and progress contributed by national and international involvement in the past 5 decades.

A two-day conference was organized at Paris to present Literacy Prizes. Prizes were given to people with outstanding solutions that can drive literacy towards achieving the 2030 Education Agenda. 2016 is the focus is on innovation.

News 2 - National Hindi Divas observed on 14^th September

National Hindi Diwas 2016 was celebrated all over India on 14^th September. The day is observed annually to promote and propagate the Hindi language. Its importance is demonstrated by feasts, events, competitions and other services held on this day. The event also serves as a patriotic reminder to Hindispeaking populations of their common roots and unity.

Hindi is spoken as a mother tongue by around 258 million people and known as the 4^th largest language of the world.

News 3 - International Day of Democracy observed

The United Nations’ (UN) International Day of Democracy is observed annually on September 15 to raise public awareness about democracy. The theme for this year is "Democracy and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development".

The International Day of Democracy was created by the UN General Assembly through a resolution in 2007 to strengthen national programmes devoted to the promotion and consolidation of democracy. It was observed for the first time in 2008.

News 4 - International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer 2016 observed across the world

The United Nations' (UN) International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer is celebrated annually on September 16. The day is celebrated in commemoration of the date, in 1987, on which nations signed the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. The theme for the year 2016 is “Ozone and climate: Restored by a world united”.

The theme for this year recognizes the collective efforts of the parties to the Vienna Convention and the Montreal Protocol towards the restoration of the ozone layer over the past three decades.

News 5 - International Day of Peace observed with theme Building Blocks for Peace

The International Day of Peace is observed annually all around the world on 21 September. The General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples. The Day’s theme for 2016 is “The Sustainable Development Goals: Building Blocks for Peace.”

The day is sometimes unofficially known as World Peace Day. To inaugurate the day, the United Nations Peace Bell is rung at UN Headquarters (in New York City).

News 6 - World Tourism Day 2016 observed across the Globe

The World Tourism Day 2016 was observed worldwide on 27^th September 2016 with the theme as ‘Tourism for All − Promoting Universal Accessibility’, to foster accessible tourism among the international community for all and help us spread the word of both the importance and immense benefits universal accessibility has and can bring to society at large.

The official World Tourism Day 2016 celebrations were held in Bangkok, Thailand. It has been found that International tourist arrivals grew by 4.6 % in 2015 to 1,184 million and UNWTO forecasts international tourist arrivals to reach 1.8 billion by 2030.

News 7 - Global Elimination of Nuclear Weapons International Day observed

The 26^th September 2016 was observed as the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons across the globe. The day is celebrated in voice of global nuclear disarmament as a high priority. There are growing variations on the future of multilateral nuclear disarmament. The next review cycle of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons begins in year 2017.

The day gives an opportunity to educate the public and their leaders about the real benefits of eliminating such weapons.

News 8 - World Rabies Day observed on 28^th September

The World Rabies Day is celebrated annually on the 28^th September to raise awareness about rabies prevention and to highlight progress in defeating this horrifying disease. This day (28 September) also marks the anniversary of Louis Pasteur's death, the French chemist and microbiologist, who developed the first rabies vaccine.

The theme for 2016 is Rabies: Educate. Vaccinate. Eliminate. Which emphasises the two crucial actions that communities can do to prevent rabies. It also reflects the global target to eliminate all human deaths from dog-mediated rabies by 2030.

News 9 - World Maritime Day observed across the world

Every year, 29^th September is celebrated as the World Maritime Day across the world. The theme for this year is ‘Shipping: Indispensable to the world’. The theme focusses on to mark the importance of shipping in supporting sustainable development agenda and increase awareness of the role of International Maritime Organization.

2016 World Maritime Day, a parallel event will be held in Istanbul, Turkey, from 4 to 6 November 2016.

News 10 - World Heart Day observed worldwide

World Heart Day 2016 was observed all over the world on 29^th of September. World Heart Federation, based in Geneva has established the World Heart Day Campaign in 2000 to be celebrated every year on the 29^th of September.

The World Heart Federation organizes awareness events in more than 100 countries like health checks, sports events, public talks, exhibitions etc. to prevent and control heart ailments through proper awareness campaigns and actions.

News 11 - International Translation Day observed across the World on 30^th September

The International Translation Day was observed worldwide on 30^th September 2016 to promote the translation profession. The theme for 2016 was Translation and Interpreting: Connecting Worlds. Various events, seminars and symposiums were organized across the world. International Federation of Translators established this day in 1953, to let people celebrate this day every year on 30^th September.

International Translation Day happens to fall on the feast day of St. Jerome, a Christian scholar and priest, who was the first person to translate the Bible into Latin from the original Hebrew, making it accessible to readers worldwide.