Read this online at www.intuition-in-service.org/newsletter/December18.html


Please Hold in the Light
December 2018

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 Sustainable Development Goals
  • engaging people of goodwill all over the world in a common movement.
 
2018 United Nations International Year
  • Contrary to past practice, the United Nations has not declared 2018 as International Year for any specific topic.
 
2019 United Nations International Years
 
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 6 from 12.45 - 1.15 PM and for silence and discussion at the Conference Room of the NGO Resource Center at UN Headquarters in New York on December 20 from 2.30 - 3.45 PM.
 
 
 

December Please Hold These Events in the Light


December 1
World AIDS Day

2018 theme: Live life positively: Know your HIV status
Thirty years after the first World AIDS Day, the response to HIV stands at a crossroads. Which way we turn may define the course of the epidemic—whether we will end AIDS by 2030, or whether future generations will carry on bearing the burden of this devastating disease.
More than 77 million people have become infected with HIV, and more than 35 million have died of an AIDS-related illness. Huge progress has been made in diagnosis and treatment, and prevention efforts have avoided millions of new infections.
Yet the pace of progress is not matching global ambition.
Antonio Guterres
UN Aids Day
knowyourstatus.unaids.org

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 2 - 14
UN Climate Change Conference, Katowice, Poland

This will be the 24th annual meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), informally referred to as COP24.With representatives from 195 member nations and 152 Observer Organizations these annual sessions (Conference of the Parties, or COP) set policy and agree to the program for the technical Working Groups.
cop24.gov.pl
unfccc.int
www.climatenetwork.org
wwf.panda.org

December 3 - 7
Water Security & Climate Change Conference, Nairobi, Kenya

Achieving water security is one of the major challenges facing humanity at both global and local levels. This annual conference brings together researchers, professionals, practitioners, politicians, industry, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other stakeholders from around thre world. Special attention will be given to SDGs that have water security targets.
www.watersecurity.info

December 3
International Day for Persons with Disabilities

2018 theme: Empowering persons with disabilities and ensuring inclusiveness and equality
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 years theme focuses on empowering persons with disabilities for the inclusive, equitable and sustainable development envisaged in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
www.un.org/en/events/
www.un.org/desa/

December 5
World Soil Day

Theme 2018: Be the Solution to Soil Pollution
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

International Volunteer Day

2018 theme: Volunteers Build Resilient Communities.
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.unv.org

December 8 - 9
One World Bearing Witness

From the 8th to the 9th of December 2018, for one full rotation of the Earth, we will gather together in our homes, houses of worship, community centers, and sacred spaces through the global connective power of the internet to meditate, be, and bear witness. Bearing Witness is a spiritual practice and an act of conscience. It means holding unity, wholeness, and our shared humanity while facing the separation, trauma, and pain that divides us. It is a practice of spirtual warriorship that helps us to develop our humanity so that we can hold more of the whole and respond to life from that wholeness. Bearing Witness connects us with the truth that we are not separate. There is only one human experience. And we each hold part of that whole.
oneworldindialogue.com

December 9
International Anti-Corruption Day

2018 theme: United Against Corruption
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.anticorruptionday.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 Human Rights Day marks the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration.
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 10 - 11
Intergovernmental Conference to Adopt the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, Marrakech, Morocco

The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration negotiated by UN Member States is the first ever agreement between governments on a common approach to migration in all its dimensions. The Compact, which is not an international treaty, will not be formally binding on signatory governments, yet it lays out a common way of approaching the difficulties involved with migration. One country, USA, did not participate in the negotiation process and, along with 11 other countries, will not be attending the Marrakech conference to adopt the Compact.
In support of this Conference and the Global Compact World Goodwill will shortly be announcing a Cycle of Conferences Visualization initiative, inviting participants to project a lighted seed of ‘will energy’ into the heart of the thoughtform under construction on International Unity in connection with the Intergovernmental Conference.
www.un.org/en/conf/migration
www.worldgoodwill.org/cycle

December 11
International Mountains Day

2018 Theme: #MountainsMatter
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/
fore.yale.edu/religion/

December 12
International Universal Health Coverage Day

2018 Theme: Unite for Universal Health Coverage: Now is the Time for Collective Action
Established by the UN General Assembly in December 2012, Universal Health Coverage Day aims to raise awareness of the need for strong and resilient health systems and universal health coverage with multi-stakeholder partners. The General Assembly voted to encourage governments to move towards Universal Health coverage on the understanding that everyone, everywhere should have access to quality, affordable health care - as an essential priority for international development.
www.un.org/en/events/
www.uhc2030.org

December 12
International Day of Neutrality

Concerned to encourage the settlement of international disputes by peaceful means the UN General Assemby voted in 2017 to declare December 12 International Day of Neutrality
It is worth noting that the policy of neutrality — a key factor for providing conditions and building a platform for peaceful negotiations — is also closely interconnected with and based on the tools of preventive diplomacy, such as early warning and prevention of conflict, mediation, good offices, fact-finding missions, negotiation, the use of special envoys, informal consultations, peacebuilding and targeted development activities.
www.un.org/en/events

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/
www.iom.int

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 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/

December 21 - 24
EarthRISE50

On Dec 24, 1968, Apollo 8 astronauts became the first human beings to see the Earth from the Moon. Their iconic "Earthrise" photograph, accompanied by a TV Broadcast watched by a billion people on the planet, helped heal a fractured world and inspired an entire generation.
EarthRISE50 is a global movement aiming to use the 50th anniversary of the famous photograph to generate community reflection around the world on the way forward towards interdependence and collaboration. A Global Day of Action is planned for the Winter Solstice, December 21, 2018, with the suggestion that people host an EarthRISE Dinner for neighbors, family and friends.
My sense is that in the evolution of the planet, we are still becoming human, still striving to reach our full human potential. Through our deepening awareness and loving attention we can collectively shift consciousness to embrace compassionate interdependence with all life on earth. Martin Ping
Watch the stunning documentary by Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee, featuring interviews with the astronauts at www.shortoftheweek.com earthrise50.org
www.kennedyspacecenter.com

December 22
Full Moon — Capricorn

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