What is celebrated on October 24 in Ukraine and around the world
Kyiv • UNN
October 24 marks United Nations Day, Development Day, and World Polio Day. Disarmament Week also begins, and saints are honored.
On October 24, the world observes United Nations Day, World Development Information Day, and World Polio Day. According to the new-style church calendar, the icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow" is venerated, while according to the old-style calendar, Saint Philip, an apostle of the Seventy, is commemorated, UNN writes.
United Nations Day (United Nations Day)
The official international date of the United Nations, proclaimed by the General Assembly in 1947 and recommended as a public holiday for member states in 1971. The date commemorates the entry into force of the UN Charter on October 24, 1945, after its ratification by the majority of signatories, including the five permanent members of the Security Council.
The day reaffirms the global community's commitment to the goals of maintaining international peace, protecting human rights, developing international law, and overcoming global economic and humanitarian crises.
World Development Information Day (World Development Information Day)
Established by the UN General Assembly in 1972. The date was chosen deliberately: it coincides with United Nations Day and the date on which the International Development Strategy for the Second UN Development Decade was adopted in 1970.
The main purpose of the day is to draw global public attention to development issues, strengthen international cooperation, disseminate information about global economic imbalances, and highlight the role of digital technologies and mass media in addressing social challenges.
World Polio Day (World Polio Day)
The date was established by the international organization Rotary International to honor the birthday of Jonas Salk, an American virologist and immunologist who developed the first successful inactivated polio vaccine.
The event is supported by the World Health Organization and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative and aims to mobilize resources for the complete eradication of poliovirus worldwide by vaccinating children on a mass scale.
Disarmament Week (Disarmament Week)
An annual international UN initiative that begins on October 24, the day the Organization was founded, as recorded in the Final Document of the 1978 Special Session of the General Assembly devoted to disarmament.
The week is intended to inform the public about the threats posed by the arms race, promote control over nuclear, chemical, and conventional weapons, and contribute to the de-escalation of military conflicts around the world.
World Kangaroo Day (World Kangaroo Day)
A conservation observance established by environmental organizations and animal advocates to draw attention to Australia's unique marsupial mammals.
The day emphasizes the importance of preserving natural ecosystems, protecting kangaroos from commercial shooting, the threat of bushfires, and the destruction of their habitats as a result of human activity.
According to the new calendar, Orthodox and Greek Catholic believers commemorate Saint Arethas the Martyr and the 4,299 martyrs with him—the ruler of the Arab city of Najran, who, together with the city's Christian inhabitants, suffered for their faith at the hands of the Jewish king Dhu Nuwas.
On this day, they also commemorate the Venerable Arethas, Sisoe, and Theophilus, recluses of the Caves—ascetics of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra who became renowned for their prayers, humility, and strict ascetic life.
In addition, a celebration is held in honor of the icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow," to which believers turn with prayers for healing from illnesses, consolation in sorrow, and protection from misfortune.
According to the old calendar, believers commemorate Saint Philip, an apostle of the Seventy—one of the first seven deacons of the Jerusalem Church and a preacher in Samaria, who baptized the Ethiopian queen's official and completed his episcopal ministry as bishop in Tralles.