The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed annually on the day the police in Sharpeville, South Africa, opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration against apartheid "pass laws" in 1960.
The United Nations General Assembly in 1979 adopted a programme of activities to be undertaken to combat racism and racial discrimination. It was then decided that a week of solidarity with the people struggling against racism and racial discrimination, beginning on 21 March, would be organized annually in all States.
Ever since then, the apartheid system in South Africa has been dismantled, racist laws and practices have been abolished in many countries, an international framework for fighting racism has been developed, guided by the International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. This Convention is now nearing universal ratification. However, continuous struggle is still required in many societies against the injustice and stigma that racism brings.
The United Nations General Assembly declared 21 March as the International Day of Forests in the year 2012 to celebrate and raise awareness of the imp...
Down syndrome occurs when an individual has an extra partial (or whole) copy of chromosome 21. In December 2011, the General Assembly declared 21 Marc...