Read this online at www.intuition-in-service.org/newsletter/December17.html


Please Hold in the Light
December 2017

Welcome
During International Days and major international conferences there is a special opportunity to serve in the creation of a more unified and compassionate world.
As meditators we can symbolically stand together with all actively working in the spirit of the Charter of Compassion, and invoke the aid of the Forces of Light in support of these events.

Daily Reminder
Check out a daily reminder of these events to hold in the light. Share this daily reminder with others by including the app on your website.

Sustainable Development Goals & Climate Change 
These International Days and events reflect important themes in the mobilization of energies to:
  • End poverty, inequality and climate change by 2030 through practical actions to achieve the new Sustainable Development Goals
  • engaging people of goodwill all over the world in a common movement.
 
2017 United Nations International Year
 
Silence at the United Nations



The Spiritual Caucus at the United Nations gathers in the vicinity of UN Headquarters in New York (September - June) on the third Thursday every month for 30 minutes of silence followed by 30 minutes of dialogue, sharing insights and exploring ways to use an inner focus in service of the work of the UN. On the 1st Thursday of the month the Caucus invites friends to sit in silence for 30 minutes in the newly renovated Meditation Room at UN Headquarters in New York.
Please link in from wherever you are. More information at: http://www.spiritualcaucusun.org/

In December the Spiritual Caucus will gather for silence in the UN Meditation Room at UN Headquarters, New York on December 7 from 12.45 - 1.15 PM and for silence at the Meditation Room at UN Headquarters in New York on December 21 from 2.00 - 3.30 PM; followed by discussion outside the Meditation Room.
 
 
 

December Please Hold These Events in the Light




December 1
World AIDS Day

2017 theme: My health, my right
Ending AIDS as a public health threat can only happen if every persons right to health is placed at the centre of global health, so that quality health care is available and accessible for everyone and leaves no one behind. The right to health, is also dependent on adequate sanitation and housing, nutritious food, healthy working conditions and access to justice.
Remarkable progress is being made on HIV treatment. UNAIDS has launched a new report showing that access to treatment has risen significantly. In 2000, just 685 000 people living with HIV had access to antiretroviral therapy. By June 2017, around 20.9 million people had access to the life-saving medicines. Such a dramatic scale-up could not have happened without the courage and determination of people living with HIV demanding and claiming their rights, backed up by steady, strong leadership and financial commitment.
UN Aids Day
www.unaids.org/en/resources/

December 2
One World Bearing Witness

Described as a Global Vigil for Humanity, this will be a free 24-hour online, global/local, live, participatory, healing ritual for humanity that brings us together in Unity and Difference.
oneworldindialogue.com

December 2
International Day for the Abolition of Slavery

Millions of men, women and children around the world are forced to lead lives as slaves. Although this exploitation is often not called slavery, the conditions are the same. People are sold like objects, forced to work for little or no pay and are at the mercy of their 'employers'. more
Slavery was, in a very real sense, the first international human rights issue to come to the fore. It led to the adoption of the first human rights laws and to the creation of the first human rights non-governmental organization….
On the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, let us reaffirm the inherent dignity of all men, women and children. And let us redouble our efforts so that the words of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights -- "no one shall be held in slavery or servitude" -- ring true.
- Kofi Annan

www.un.org/en/events/
www.ilo.org

December 3
Full Moon - Sagittarius

Since ancient times human beings have honored the full moon as a time when the sacred is most accesible. It is a time of light - the moon reflects the light of the sun onto the face of the earth. In astrology this is a time when the qualities and potentials of the zodiacal sign of the sun are especially available to humanity for use in service.
During the full moon religious and esoteric groups around the world use the opportunities of this time to vizualize light and love and spiritual power flowing into humanity and strengthening all that is being done to help prepare the way for a world of unity, justice and peace; a world in which the Sustainable Development Goals are in process of being achieved.
www.lucistrust.org
www.worldservicegroup.com

December 3
International Day for Persons with Disabilities

2017 theme: Transformation towards sustainable and resilient society for all
Over a billion people, approximately 15 per cent of the world’s population, live with some form of disability. Following the historic passage of a global Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities there has been a growing recognition by governments and civil society that any plans for human development must include and involve the community of people living with disabilities.
This year's theme focuses on the 2030 Agenda, with its theme 'No one left behind'. Persons with disabilities, as both beneficiaries and agents of change, can fast track the process towards inclusive and sustainable development and promote resilient society for all, including in the context of disaster risk reduction and humanitarian action, and urban development. www.un.org/en/events/
www.un.org/desa/

December 5
World Soil Day

Theme 2017: Caring for the Planet starts from the Ground
Soils have been neglected for too long. We fail to connect soil with our food, water, climate, biodiversity and life. We must invert this tendency and take up some preserving and restoring actions. The World Soil Day campaign aims to connect people with soils and raise awareness on their critical importance in our lives.
www.fao.org/
www.un.org/en/events/

December 5
International Volunteer Day

2017 theme: Volunteers Act First. Here. Everywhere.
A day to celebrate the goodwill energy radiated throughout the human family by volunteers. Every society in the world relies on a vast network of volunteers to bring the energies of heart into community.
Volunteer Day offers an opportunity for volunteer organizations and individual volunteers to make visible their contributions - at local, national and international levels - to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Over the years, rallies, parades, community volunteering projects, environmental awareness, free medical care and advocacy campaigns have all featured prominently on Volunteer Day.
In a world dominated by self, volunteers are catalysts in the generation of the selfless spirit. Volunteers bring soul into community. Because volunteers in human development and environment issues are, more often than not, acting from idealistic and altruistic motives they bring a spiritual force into their own communities and the communities they serve. In the process of serving others, volunteers become a source of inspiration. They help to create an atmosphere of hope and goodwill that can be the critical transforming factor in ending a cycle of poverty and despair.
Yet bringing soul into community is not only about inspiration and vision. It is about meeting the most basic human needs at all levels - physical as well as psychological. Volunteers play a crucial role in every area of life, in all parts of the world. Wherever people are in need, volunteers are at hand to assist. In times of disaster, governments turn to voluntary agencies for all manner of expertise and assistance. And volunteers are key agents in tackling the silent disasters and human tragedies associated with poverty, pollution, disease and conflict.

www.un.org/en/events/
www.volunteeractioncounts.org/en/

December 9
International Anti-Corruption Day

2017 theme: Corruption: An impediment to the Sustainable Development Goals
Attitudes on corruption are changing. As recently as ten years ago, corruption was only whispered about. Today there are signs of growing intolerance toward corruption and more and more politicians and chief executives are being tried and convicted.
The United Nations Convention against Corruption - which entered into force in December 2005 - is both a cause and an effect of this trend. Its provisions are the most comprehensive, universal and even-handed measures for tackling this global challenge. The Convention subjects all the State Parties to the same scrutiny and sets clear rules to be applied equally to all.

www.un.org/en/events/anticorruptionday/
www.actagainstcorruption.org/
www.transparency.org

December 9
International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime

First observed in 2015, this Day seeks to raise awareness of the 1948 Genocide Convention (adopted on 9 December) and its role in combating and preventing the crime of genocide, as defined in the Convention, and to commemorate and honour its victims.
www.un.org/en/events/genocidepreventionday/

December 10
Human Rights Day

On 10 December every year, Human Rights Day commemorates the date on which the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, proclaiming its principles as the "common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations." This year UN Human Rights will launch a year-long campaign that will culminate in the Declarations 70th anniversary celebration on the December 10, 2018.
Help break the toxic patterns of a fearful world and embark on a more peaceful, more sustainable future. We don't have to stand by while the haters drive wedges of hostility between communities – we can build bridges. Wherever we are, we can make a real difference. In the street, in school, at work, in public transport; in the voting booth, on social media, at home and on the sports field.
www.un.org/en/events/
www.standup4humanrights.org

December 11
International Mountains Day

2017 Theme: Mountains under Pressure: climate, hunger, migration.
International Mountain Day is an opportunity to create awareness about the importance of mountains to life, to highlight the opportunities and constraints in mountain development and to build partnerships that will bring positive change to the mountain peoples and environments.
Many of the world's great mountain regions have long been considered to be sacred. See for example:
Nine Sacred Mountains of China;
Sacred Mountains, Themes and Teachings by Edwin Bernbaum.
www.fao.org
www.un.org/en/events/mountainday/

December 11 - 12
UNWTO/UNESCO Second World Conference on Tourism and Culture, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman

Theme: Fostering Sustainable Development
The first World Conference was held in 2015 in Siem Reap, Cambodia. This years Conference is part of the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. It will explore ways to build and strengthen partnerships between the Tourism and Culture sectors, enhancing their role in the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
www.tourism4development2017.org

December 18
International Migrants Day

International Migrants Day is observed on December 18 to mark the anniversary of the adoption by the UN General Assembly, in 1990, of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. During the last decade migrants have made up around 3% of the global population — 214 million people are today classified as migrants.
Migrants contribute greatly to the sense of cultural diversity in modern societies, and to our appreciation of the oneness of the human spirit. They give us the experience of living in a global neighborhood. Yet migrants are often subject to discrimination and exploitation. In a world of unity in diversity all communities are challenged to ensure that migrants are treated with humanity and their rights respected.
The Day will be observed by Migrants groups as The Global Day of Action for the Rights of Migrants, Refugees and Displaced People.
www.un.org/en/events/
www.gfmd.org/

December 20
International Human Solidarity Day

Convinced that the promotion of the culture of solidarity and the spirit of sharing was important for combating poverty, the UN General Assembly, in 2005, proclaimed 20 December as International Human Solidarity Day.
It is to be observed as :
  • A day to celebrate our unity in diversity
  • A day to remind governments to respect their commitments to international agreements
  • A day to raise public awareness of the importance of solidarity
  • A day to encourage debate on the ways to promote solidarity for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals including poverty eradication
  • A day of action to encourage new initiatives for poverty eradication.

Once we truly grasp that we are brothers and sisters in a common humanity, then we can shape our attitudes towards life in the light of the solidarity which makes us one. This is especially true in all that relates to the basic universal project: peace. - John Paul II.
www.un.org/en/events/
www.facebook.com/