Disability Pride Month
Every year in July, Disability Pride Month celebrates persons who experience disability, their identities and culture, and their positive contributions to society. The event aims to change the way people think about disability. It promotes all types of disability as a natural part of human diversity.
Disability Pride Month has been celebrated in the United States since July 1990 when the Americans with Disabilities Act came into law. Today, it is celebrated around the world, including in Canada, where 22 per cent or 6.2 million Canadians live with a disability.
“Disability is not only an identity, but also a community with a diverse culture all their own to be proud of and celebrated. Disability culture is about visibility and self-value. Disability Pride Month is a time for recognizing these facts and listening to people with disabilities.”
From Ontario’s Bill 128 – “Disability Pride Month Act, 2023”
Tibetan Heritage Month
Ontario is the first jurisdiction in the world to celebrate Tibetan Heritage Month, something that’s cause for celebration in Toronto, which has the largest Tibetan community outside of India. Not only is July significant to Tibetans here because the provincial legislature passed the Tibetan Heritage Month Act, but July 6 marks the birthday of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso. He became an honorary Canadian citizen in 2006.
1 Canada Day
July 1, 1867: The British North America Act (today known as the Constitution Act, 1867)
October 27, 1982: July 1, “Dominion Day” officially becomes Canada Day.creates Canada.
Canada Day is a day to reflect on what it means to be Canadian, to share what makes us proud and to celebrate in our own way. This pride is reflected in as many ways as there are Canadians. Canada Day highlights the richness of our land, our diversity, our culture, our contributions, but above all, our people. Since 1868, July 1 is an opportunity for Canadians from all communities to come together.
9 Nunavut Day
Nunavut Day, which is annually celebrated on July 9, commemorates passing of two Nunavut acts. The Canadian Parliament passed the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act and the Nunavut Act on July 9, 1993. Nunavut officially split from the Northwest Territories and became a Canadian territory on April 1, 1999.
11 World Population Day
World Population Day, which seeks to focus attention on the urgency and importance of population issues, was established by the then-Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme in 1989, an outgrowth of the interest generated by the Day of Five Billion, which was observed on 11 July 1987.
The Day was first marked on 11 July 1990 in more than 90 countries. Since then, a number of a number of UNFPA country offices and other organizations and institutions commemorate World Population Day, in partnership with governments and civil society.
14 International Non-Binary People’s Day
International Non-Binary People’s Day takes place annually on 14 July each year and celebrates and raises awareness of non-binary people, who do not identify within the traditional gender binary.
Why 14 of July?
The date, celebrated since 2012, was chosen as it falls between International Women’s Day on 8 March and International Men’s Day on 19 November.
15 World Youth Skills Day
In 2014, the United Nations General Assembly declared 15 July as World Youth Skills Day, to celebrate the strategic importance of equipping young people with skills for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship.
The world faces a multitude of challenges today, many of which affect the youth. Violent conflicts disrupting education and stability, a polarized online environment fostering negativity, and persistent economic inequality limits opportunities. These issues threaten not only individual futures but also the overall stability of societies. It is crucial to equip youth with the necessary skills for fostering a culture of peace, nurturing responsible global citizens, and promoting sustainable development to build a more just, inclusive, and sustainable future for all.
On World Youth Skills Day, let us unite in recognizing the potential of young people as agents of peace and commit to providing them with the skills and opportunities to address challenges and contribute to a peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable future.
18 Nelson Mandela Day
18 July is Nelson Mandela International Day, established by the United Nations. It marks the birthday of the globally acclaimed Nobel Peace Prize winner, the South African icon of peace, justice, democracy, reconciliation and healing.
On Mandela Day people of goodwill are encouraged to spend 67 minutes of their time in service to others in need, in appreciation of the 67 years that Nelson Mandela spent fighting for equality and human rights for all.
24 International Self-Care Day
Self-care is a lifelong habit and culture. It is the practice of individuals looking after their own health based on the knowledge and information available to them. It is a decision-making process that empowers individuals to look after their own health efficiently and conveniently, in collaboration with health and social care professionals as needed.
– Global Self-Care Federation
July 24 is International Self-Care Day—an opportunity to raise awareness about self-care and the important role it plays in leading a healthy lifestyle.
Self-care is about taking care of yourself, and making choices that help your physical and mental health, like eating healthy, getting enough sleep and exercising. The date chosen for International Self-Care Day (7/24) is a reminder that self-care is important to lifelong health, and its benefits are experienced 7 days a week, and 24 hours a day.
Canadians also use self-care products every day to maintain their health, treat minor ailments or for their appearance. Self-care products are available without a prescription and fall into three broad categories: cosmetics, natural health products, and non-prescription drugs. Products include vitamins, pain relievers, and sunscreen.
25 Islamic New Year
The Islamic New Year, also referred to as the Hijra, indicates the beginning of the Islamic calendar.
28 World Hepatitis Day
World Hepatitis Day, 28 July, is an opportunity to step up national and international efforts on hepatitis, encourage actions and engagement by individuals, partners and the public and highlight the need for a greater global response as outlined in the WHO’s Global hepatitis report of 2017.
The date of 28 July was chosen because it is the birthday of Nobel-prize winning scientist Dr Baruch Blumberg, who discovered hepatitis B virus (HBV) and developed a diagnostic test and vaccine for the virus.
Low coverage of testing and treatment is the most important gap to be addressed in order to achieve the global elimination goals by 2030.
30 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons
Globally, one in three victims of human trafficking is a child, and the majority of these trafficked children are girls. The reasons for child trafficking are also numerous. Some of the most prominent are: poverty, insufficient support for unaccompanied minors in the face of increasing migration and refugee flows, armed conflicts, dysfunctional families, and lack of parental care.
To date, the fight against child trafficking has not been effective. There is an urgent need to take comprehensive measures to protect vulnerable groups and help child victims. This requires joint efforts at national and international level. Preventive measures should focus on addressing root causes such as poverty and inequality. Particular attention should be paid to the trafficking of unaccompanied refugee minors. It is important to strengthen child protection networks and adapt criminal law to better meet the needs of children.
#EndHumanTrafficking.
30 International Day of Friendship
Our world faces many challenges, crises and forces of division — such as poverty, violence, and human rights abuses — among many others — that undermine peace, security, development and social harmony among the world’s peoples.
To confront those crises and challenges, their root causes must be addressed by promoting and defending a shared spirit of human solidarity that takes many forms — the simplest of which is friendship.
Through friendship — by accumulating bonds of camaraderie and developing strong ties of trust — we can contribute to the fundamental shifts that are urgently needed to achieve lasting stability, weave a safety net that will protect us all, and generate passion for a better world where all are united for the greater good.
The International Day of Friendship was proclaimed in 2011 by the UN General Assembly with the idea that friendship between peoples, countries, cultures and individuals can inspire peace efforts and build bridges between communities.
