International Days – August

2nd August – National Tree Day

National Tree Day was co-founded by Planet Ark and Olivia Newton-John in 1996. While public events for National Tree Day 2020 have been cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Planet Ark recognises some communities and organisations may still acknowledge the Day and encourages individuals to plant trees in their own backyards, vegetable patches and farms.

9th August – International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples

The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples was launched by the United Nations via a resolution in 1994. There is an estimated 370 Indigenous people in the world, living across 90 countries. This group makes up less than 5 per cent of the world’s population but accounts for 15 per cent of the poorest.

14 TH August – Red Nose Day

The inaugural national Red Nose Day was held in 1988, 11 years after the first Red Nose state offices were formed in 1977. The organisation grew quickly, creating multiple services for families, such as an after-hours telephone support service and first emergency responders’ manual. Today it is one of Australia’s leading organisations dedicated to saving the lives of babies during pregnancy, infancy and childhood, and supporting families who have lost a child due to stillbirth, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and fatal sleeping accidents. 7 th August – Jeans for Genes Day

Jeans for Genes Day was established to raise awareness and funding for children with birth defects or genetic diseases. Founded in 1994 by the Children’s Medical Research Institute, the day involves fundraising for more than 6,000 different types of genetic diseases, many of which lead to serious conditions. Today, one in 20 children have a birth defect or genetic disease, with 30 per cent of paediatric admissions being due to genetic disorders.

12 th August – International Youth Day

International Youth Day, first held in 1999, was created as an annual celebration of the role of young people in being partners in change, and to assist in addressing challenges and problems facing the world’s youth. There are now 1.8 billion young people - the largest youth population ever - yet more than half of those aged between 6 and 14 years lack basic skills in reading and mathematics.

19 th August – World Humanitarian Day

World Humanitarian Day is celebrated every year to pay tribute to aid workers who risk their lives in humanitarian service and to give support to people affected by crises around the world. Since the 19 August 2003 bomb attack on the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, Iraq, which killed 22 people, including humanitarian Sergio Vieira de Mello, more than 4,000 humanitarian workers have been killed in the line of duty. With the global pandemic severely challenging humanitarian operations globally, restrictions placed by governments around the world has resulted in communities, civil society and local not-for-profits being the frontline of the response. The 2020 campaign is thus focused on the personal stories of humanitarians who are treating and preventing COVID-19, providing food to vulnerable people, providing safe spaces for women and girls in lockdown, delivering babies, fighting locusts and running refugee camps.

National Tree Day

International Youth Day

August – Barbara Funder