Twenty-four years ago, more than 800,000 people were systematically killed in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.  The victims were overwhelmingly Tutsi, but also included moderate Hutu, Twa and others.  Today we remember all those who were murdered and reflect on the suffering of the survivors, who have shown that reconciliation is possible, even after a tragedy of such monumental proportions.

Globally, racial equality is under attack. Vile discourses of explicit hate and ideologies of racial supremacy have moved from the fringe to the mainstream. Today, racial, ethnic and religious bigotry fuels human rights violations, including extreme violence against minorities, and against refugees, migrants, stateless persons, and internally displaced, with a particularly acute effect on women, and sexual and gender diverse populations. This bigotry is unashamed.

Did you know that 50% of the world’s population lives in urban areas and that by 2050 this number could be as high as 70%? As more and more of us live and work in cities, urban forests and trees and the benefits they provide — from filtering the air of harmful pollutants to reducing noise pollution to providing us with food and medicine — become increasingly important.  

On World Wildlife Day we focus on the important role the planet’s wild animals and plants play in our cultures and the sustainability of our societies.  This year, the spotlight falls on the world’s big cats.  These magnificent predators, which include species such as cheetahs, jaguars, leopards, lions, pumas, snow leopards and tigers, are found from Africa to Asia and the Americas.

“Radio and Sports”

Radio reaches the widest audience in the world.

In an era of dramatic advances in communications, radio retains its power to entertain, educate, inform and inspire.

It can unite and empower communities, and give voice to the marginalized.

This year, with the Winter Olympics now under way, we also recognize the many ways in which sports broadcasting brings people together around excitement and achievement.

The United Nations Department of Public Information together with the International School for Holocaust Studies at Yad Vashem, The World Holocaust Remembrance Center, announce the winners of the 2017-2018 Holocaust Poster Design Competition that was held under the theme “Keeping the Memory Alive- Our Shared Responsibility".

Background

Today we remember the six million Jewish men, women, and children who perished in the Holocaust.  Countless others also lost their lives as cruelty convulsed the world.

Yet decades since the Second World War, we see the persistence of anti-Semitism and an increase in other forms of prejudice.

Neo-Nazis and white supremacy groups are among the main purveyors of extreme hatred.

And too often, vile views are moving from the margins to the mainstream of societies and politics.

We must stand together against the normalization of hate.