Eid al-Adha is the second and largest of the two main holidays in Islam and it is celebrated on the third day of the annual pilgrimage Hajj – wishing everyone celebrating, Eid Mubarak! 

Physical activity is associated with improved mental health and improved quality of life and well-being. A routine practice of yoga – a 5000-year-old tradition – is a valuable tool for people of all ages to make physical activity an integral part of life and reach the level needed to promote good health. The International Day of Yoga aims to raise awareness worldwide of the many benefits of practicing yoga, which is not just an exercise - it unites body and mind, humanity and nature, and millions of people across the globe, for whom it is a source of strength, harmony, and peace.

"Vesak", the Day of the Full Moon in the month of May, is the most sacred day to millions of Buddhists around the world. It’s a day that we honour the birth, enlightenment and passing of Lord Buddha. On this Day of Vesak, let’s find inspiration in the Buddha’s message of honesty, compassion and respect for all living things to shape a better, more peaceful world for all people.

The Secretary-General Urges ‘Peace, Mutual Respect, Solidarity’, in message marking beginning of Ramadan:

"I send my warmest wishes as Muslims around the world begin observing the holy month of Ramadan. This is a moment of reflection and learning. A time to come together in a spirit of understanding and compassion, bound by our common humanity. That is also the mission of the United Nations — to foster dialogue, unity and peace. In these challenging times, my thoughts are with those facing conflict, displacement and suffering. I join everyone observing Ramadan to call for peace, mutual respect and solidarity. Let us take inspiration from this holy month and build a more just and equitable world for all. Ramadan Kareem."

At the core of all the faith systems and traditions is the recognition that we are all in this together and that we need to love and support one another to live in harmony and peace in an environmentally sustainable world. As our world continues to be beset by conflict, intolerance, and the spread of hate speech, let us observe the International Day of Human Fraternity (4 February), while doubling our efforts to spread the message of good neighbourliness based on our common humanity - a message shared by all faith traditions.

Future pandemics and natural catastrophic events are likely to continue, adversely impacting the health and wellbeing of peoples. These stressors will continue accentuating already-existing inequities, unless addressed with urgency. World Interfaith Harmony Week (1-7 February) was first designated by the United Nations to promote harmony between all people regardless of their faith. Let us celebrate the teachings of various faiths and the collective belief in the essential goodness in all of us - exhort us to be our brother’s/sister’s keepers and to be good custodians of our planet.

The 9th Global Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, taking place on 22-23 November 2022, in Fez, Morocco, is a leading platform for promoting intercultural dialogue, understanding and cooperation.  The Forum is hosted by UNAOC, as part of its mission to improve understanding and cooperation among peoples across cultures and to reduce polarization at local and global levels. The Forum takes place against a wide array of global challenges including the surge of hate speech and racism, thus, finding pathways to peace rooted in mutual respect has never been more urgent.

By celebrating World Philosophy Day each year, on the third Thursday of November, UNESCO underlines the value of the development of human thought. By awakening minds to the exercise of thinking and the reasoned confrontation of opinions, philosophy helps to build a more tolerant, more respectful society. It thus helps to understand major contemporary challenges and to stimulate intercultural dialogue by creating the intellectual conditions for change. This year’s celebration titled “The Human of the Future” will take place in UNESCO, Paris, on 16-18 November and will be LIVE webcasted!

"Vesak", the Day of the Full Moon in the month of May, is the most sacred day to millions of Buddhists around the world. It’s a day that we honour the birth, enlightenment and passing of Lord Buddha. On this Day of Vesak (16 May), let us seize this moment of spiritual renewal, and honour Buddha’s wisdom by coming together as one, in solidarity, and shaping a better, more peaceful world for all people.

I send my warmest wishes as millions of Muslims around the world begin the holy month of Ramadan. This is a period of compassion and empathy… a time for reflection and learning… an opportunity to come together and uplift each other.

Philosophy goes beyond the traditional legacy derived from past cultures and time; it is an inspiring discipline as well as an everyday practice that can transform societies. Philosophy deals with the challenges the world is currently facing: the plurality of identities, languages, migration, environmental change, critical thinking on theory, action, and policies. World Philosophy Day (18 November) celebrates the value of philosophy for the development of human thought, for each culture and for each individual, while helping nurture inventive approaches to social change.

The first week of February is marked as World Interfaith Harmony Week, during which religious leaders are urged to use their pulpit to promote interfaith dialogue, mutual respect and understanding across different faiths. As mutual understanding and interreligious dialogue constitute important dimensions of a culture of peace, states are encouraged to promote spreading the message of interfaith harmony and goodwill in the world’s churches, mosques, synagogues, temples and other places of worship. In these trying times, we need this spirit more than ever.

World Philosophy Day 2020, on 19 November, invites the world to reflect on the meaning of the current pandemic, underlining the need, more than ever before, to resort to philosophical reflection in order to face the multiple crises we are going through. The health crisis brings into question multiple aspects of our societies. In this context, philosophy helps us to take the necessary distance to better move forward, by stimulating critical reflection on problems that are already present, but which the pandemic has pushed to the forefront.

Freedom of religion or belief is the basic human right, which plays an important role to combat religious hatred, incitement and violence. However, acts of intolerance and violence in the name of religion or belief, against individuals, including against persons belonging to religious communities and religious minorities, continue around the world. The number and intensity of such incidents, often criminal in nature, are increasing. Through the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief (22 August), the United Nations condemns the violence.

Four ways to make your house of worship eco-friendly