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Augustinians Support United Nations Day

Theme is ‘Environmental Sustainability: an Essential Tool for Poverty Alleviation’

October 24, 2008

Augustinians of the Midwest are encouraged to mark United Nations Day, October 24, 2008, in their communities and ministries. The Augustinians invite and encourage all who identify with Augustinian spirituality and traditions to do likewise.

U. N. Day Theme for 2008

The theme for the 2008 observance is Environmental Sustainability: an Essential Tool for Poverty Alleviation. This theme speaks to Millennium Development Goal No. 7 (Opens new window): To Ensure Environmental Sustainability.

The U. N. has set four targets to facilitate attaining environmental stability. They are

• Target 1: Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programs and reverse the loss of environmental resources. The U. N. has identified several problem areas needing attention: Deforestation, especially in biologically diverse regions; An increase in single-species tree “plantations” and a loss of old-growth forest ecosystems; Declining biodiversity; Growing greenhouse gas emissions which continue to outpace advances in sustainable energy techniques, and damage to the ozone layer.

• Target 2: Reduce biodiversity loss, achieving, by 2010, a significant reduction in the rate of loss.

• Target 3: Cut in half the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. Half the developing world is currently without basic sanitation.

• Target 4: Improve the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers by 2020. The rapid expansion of cities complicates reaching this target.

This year's theme encourages us to learn, discuss and act to support policies and initiatives to attain these targets and thus to ensure long-term environmental stability.

A degraded environment contributes to poverty. A healthy environment helps alleviate poverty. A healthy environment leads to better nutrition, less disease and fewer violent conflicts over scarce resources. A healthy environment makes sustainable development possible. It is the poor of the world who stand to benefit most from environmental sustainability.

History of U. N. Day

October 24, 2008 is the 63nd birthday of the United Nations. Delegates from 50 of the world's countries, large and small, strong and weak, and in different stages of political and social development, worked together to develop the U. N. Charter. They envisioned an organization which would preserve peace, advance justice and be a permanent structure for international cooperation.

Most of those 50 countries had ratified the Charter by October 24, 1945. In a ceremony on that date, the new organization offically came into being. Two years later the U. N. General Assembly designated each October 24 as United Nations Day. The General Assembly asked that this observance be “devoted to making known to the people of the world the aims and achievements of the United Nations, and to gaining their support for the work of the United Nations.”

Although not all of the hopes and dreams of the organization's founders have been fully realized, the U. N. has done much to bring together the peoples of the world to work for the elimination of disease, for access to education for children and an improved rate of literacy for adults, for human rights, and for a more just society.

Augustinian N.G.O.

The Augustinian Order is an accredited Non-Governmental Organziation (N.G.O.) at the U. N. The Augustinian presence at the U. N. is an instrument for implementing in the international forum the values of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the traditional social teaching of the Catholic Church.

The U. N., the planet's only universal organization, provides a forum for addressing global issues that require global responses: public health, climate change and biodiversity, terrorism, traffic in drugs and arms, human rights, strengthening the family, etc.

In September, 2000, every country belonging to the U.N. (189 in 2000, 191 in 2004) pledged to work towards attaining eight goals focusing on various aspects of global development. Known as the Millennium Development Goals (Opens new window), they are a guide to all nations in moving toward bettering the lives of every citizen of the world by 2015.

The Augustinians of the Midwest encourage you to observe United Nations Day by learning more about the Millennium Development Goals (Opens new window) and by supporting policies and actions that will help our world to attain them.

United Nations Day Prayer

       » United Nations Day Prayer Service
             Suggested Augustinian prayers from International Justice and Peace Secretariate, Rome

Additional Information

       » United Nations Day 2008 (Opens new window)
             Information from the United Nations Association of the U.S.A.

       » United Nations Environment Program (Opens new window)
             Environment for Development

       » Millennium Development Goals (Opens new window)
             Goals the world community is committed to attain by 2015

Other UN Days Reflect Christian Values

      » Augustinians Support International Days
             Seven U.N. Days reflect Catholic Christian values

U. N. photo courtesy of the United Nations (Opens new window)