Showing posts with label humanity. Show all posts

Friday, October 2, 2026

Friday's International Day of Non-Violence [October 2, 2026] marks the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, a leader who remained committed to the principle of non-violence, even in the most difficult circumstances

https://x.com/UN/status/2105870639475429640/photo/1

[AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES (or quotes) IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine, or at least fair and just laws and policies here, there- and everywhere]

https://www.un.org/en/observances/non-violence-day

The “Non-Violence” (or “Knotted Gun”) sculpture by Swedish artist Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd on display at the UN Visitors’ Plaza. The Knotted Gun is the symbol of the Non-Violence Project Foundation. Photo:UN Photo/Fan Xiao

In these highly charged times, let’s summon the courage, empathy, dignity and shared humanity that Gandhi exemplified throughout his life.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres

Say No to Violence

The International Day of Non-Violence is observed on 2 October, the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, leader of the Indian independence movement and pioneer of the philosophy and strategy of non-violence.

According to General Assembly resolution A/RES/61/271 of 15 June 2007, which established the commemoration, the International Day is an occasion to "disseminate the message of non-violence, including through education and public awareness". The resolution reaffirms "the universal relevance of the principle of non-violence" and the desire "to secure a culture of peace, tolerance, understanding and non-violence".

Introducing the resolution in the General Assembly on behalf of 140 co-sponsors, India’s Minister of State for External Affairs, Mr. Anand Sharma, said that the wide and diverse sponsorship of the resolution was a reflection of the universal respect for Mahatma Gandhi and of the enduring relevance of his philosophy. Quoting the late leader’s own words, he said: "Non-violence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man".

International Day of Non-Violence: UN Stamp

Gandhi and the struggle for non-violence

The name of Mahatma Gandhi transcends the bounds of race, religion and nation-states, and has emerged as the prophetic voice of the twenty-first century. The world remembers Gandhi not just for his passionate adherence to the practice of non-violence and supreme humanism, but as the benchmark against which we test men and women in public life, political ideas and government policies, and the hopes and wishes of our shared planet.

https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/ahmisa-non-violence-gandhi-and-global-citizenship-education-gced

Wednesday, September 23, 2026

What happened to America’s compassion | Joyce M. Davis in The Patriot News, Pennsylvania

Detail of one of "25 Million Stitches" panels on display at ArtRage GalleryArtRage Gallery- Each individual embroidered panel represents a portion of the millions of displaced people worldwide, with every stitch symbolizing a single refugee life. https://www.25millionstitches.com/

What happened to America’s compassion

By Joyce M. Davis Outreach & Opinion Editor. The Patriot News, Harrisburg Pennsylvania

Sometimes the simplest questions can provoke the deepest thought.

When American leaders talk of helping people in need around the world, why do they focus on how it will benefit the United States instead of how it will benefit humanity?

That was the essence of Holly Leggett’s question that came at the end of the International Peace Forum at Gettysburg College this weekend.

Why do members of Congress and President Trump’s hand-picked department secretaries think Americans voters want an ROI for every smidgen of humanitarian assistance they send around the world?

Why can’t Americans look at humanity and see that alone as reason enough to help relieve suffering?

These are profound questions that get at the very heart of America’s current moral dilemma.

What happened to the compassion that once sent food to starving Germans after World War II? What happened to the American values that once treated even former enemies with kindness because they were human beings?

What happened to that shining city on a hill... READ MORE https://www.pennlive.com/opinion/2026/09/what-happened-to-americas-compassion-joyce-m-davis.html?gift=9475d54a-e92a-486d-9b65-aaf900034170

Tuesday, August 18, 2026

4 principles guide the United Nation's humanitarian work: Humanity + Neutrality + Impartiality + Independence

United Nations

@UN

Humanity

Neutrality

Impartiality

Independence

These 4 principles guide the UN's humanitarian work. Learn more ahead of Wednesday's #WorldHumanitarianDay: un.org/en/observances

[AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES (or quotes or watch videos) IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine]

https://x.com/UN/status/2089683981998395798

Let’s make protecting each other our greatest achievement

On 19 August, we mark World Humanitarian Day: a time to honour humanitarian workers and to stand with people affected by crises around the world.

When lives are at risk, the people who come to help should never be targets. Yet humanitarian workers continue to be killed, injured, abducted, detained and obstructed while carrying out their work. Most are national staff serving their own communities.

Under international humanitarian law, civilians — including humanitarian and medical personnel — must be respected and protected. Parties to armed conflict must allow and facilitate humanitarian relief for people in need, in accordance with international humanitarian law.

Attacks on humanitarian personnel have consequences far beyond the individuals directly affected. They interrupt food deliveries, health care, protection and other life-saving services, leaving communities with even fewer ways to survive and recover.

Concern is not protection. Condemnation is not accountability.

International law and humanitarian principles must be upheld in practice. Preventing attacks, protecting humanitarian access and ensuring accountability are essential to preserving life and human dignity.

This World Humanitarian Day, we call on States and parties to armed conflict to:

Respect and protect civilians, humanitarian personnel and medical personnel.
Allow and facilitate safe, rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access, in accordance with international humanitarian law.
Prevent arbitrary arrest and detention, and release humanitarian workers who are unlawfully detained.
Conduct prompt, impartial and effective investigations into alleged violations and ensure accountability in accordance with international law.
Support survivors and the families of humanitarian workers who have been killed or injured.
Strengthen practical measures that help keep humanitarian personnel safe, including appropriate equipment and technology, security training, and mental health and psychosocial support.

bright red background showing a map of earth inside a white heart stating 'World Humanitarian Day'

Join the #ActForHumanity campaign

Protecting humanitarian workers protects the people who depend on them for food, health care, shelter, protection and hope. Let’s make protecting each other our greatest achievement.

Use your voice: Share verified campaign information and call for the protection of civilians and humanitarian personnel using #ActForHumanity.
Support humanitarian action: Support organizations delivering life-saving assistance, particularly local and national responders working in their own communities.
Stand for accountability: Call for respect for international humanitarian law and for credible investigations and accountability when violations occur.
Remember the people behind the numbers: Honour humanitarian workers who have been killed and stand with their families, colleagues and communities.

Protecting those who help others

Every life is more than a number

Every humanitarian worker killed leaves behind family members, friends, colleagues and communities whose lives are forever changed. World Humanitarian Day honours their lives, service and legacy, while renewing the call to protect those who continue this work.

Local humanitarian workers face the greatest risks

Most humanitarian personnel affected by violence are national staff working in the places where they live. Protection efforts must reflect the risks they face and ensure that local and national responders have the resources, training and support they need.

Drones and other emerging war technologies

From armed drones to artificial intelligence, the technology of war is changing. Our humanity cannot. Whatever weapons or technologies are used, parties to armed conflict remain bound by international humanitarian law.

All feasible precautions must be taken to avoid, and in any event minimize, civilian harm.
Human judgment and accountability must remain central to decisions involving the use of lethal force.
Humanitarian and medical personnel, their facilities, vehicles and work must be respected and protected.
Technology used to identify or track humanitarian operations must never be misused to target them.

Background

On 19 August 2003, a bomb attack on the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, Iraq, killed 22 humanitarian workers, including the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello. Five years later, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution 63/139, designating 19 August as World Humanitarian Day.

Each year, World Humanitarian Day brings together partners from across the humanitarian system to advocate for the survival, well-being and dignity of people affected by crises, and for the safety and security of humanitarian workers.

World Humanitarian Day is a campaign by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

2026 Campaign Message

The time for concern is over. The time for consequence is now.

Join the campaign! #ACTFORHUMANITY now!

Facts & Figures

By the end of May 2026, more than 252 million people were in urgent need of humanitarian assistance and protection — 13 million more than when the 2026 Global Humanitarian Overview was launched. (source)
At mid-year, humanitarian partners were planning to assist 143.2 million people, with nearly 89 million people facing the most severe needs prioritized for life-saving support. (source)
By the end of April 2026, humanitarian partners had provided an estimated 45.2 million people with at least one form of assistance or protection — about one in six of all people in need. (source)
As of 31 May 2026, humanitarian plans required US$33.66 billion and had received US$8.21 billion — 24.4 per cent of the amount required. (source)
OCHA reported that at least 326 humanitarian workers were killed across 21 countries in 2025, bringing the number killed over the three-year period to more than 1,000. (source)
The United Nations recorded more than 37,000 civilian deaths across 20 armed conflicts in 2025 — approximately one recorded civilian death every 14 minutes. The figure is a documented minimum and does not represent the full toll. (source)

Figures reflect the reporting dates indicated in the cited sources and may be revised as additional information becomes available.

Documents

Related websites

Sunday, August 16, 2026

The first anti-AI protester to be jailed has a message for OpenAI, Anthropic and Meta: ‘Regain your humanity’: “It’s absolutely frightening and appalling that these CEOs and AI experts know the dangers and they are pursuing it anyway,” Kaufmyn said before she was imprisoned. “That to me is unconscionable and reprehensible.”

A protest against AI outside OpenAI headquarters in San Francisco, California, on 11 July. Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

Kaufmyn in front of her home in Berkeley, California. Photograph: Winni Wintermeyer/The Guardian

Wynd Kaufman, 69, chained and locked the front doors of OpenAI’s headquarters last year with members of StopAI

Robert Booth

Sun 16 Aug 2026 04.00 EDT

An activist who blocked the entrance to one of the world’s biggest AI companies is believed to have become the first person jailed for protesting against artificial intelligence as supporters dub her the “Rosa Parks of AI risk”.

Wynd Kaufman, 69, surrendered herself on Friday to authorities in San Francisco. She was found guilty by a jury for her role in an action last year that saw members of the group StopAI chain and lock the front doors of OpenAI’s headquarters in protest against the pursuit of artificial superintelligence.

The retired teacher from Berkeley, California, refused to move from a sit-in protest in February 2025 and pleaded not guilty to multiple misdemeanor charges. She was convicted in June of interfering with a business, trespassing with intent to interfere with a business, unlawful assembly and refusal to disburse a riot. On Friday, sheriff’s officers handcuffed her as fellow campaigners sang to the tune of the Battle Hymn of the Republic (Glory, Glory Hallelujah): “Rise up, rise up and join us/Do not let the tech bros destroy us.”

“It’s absolutely frightening and appalling that these CEOs and AI experts know the dangers and they are pursuing it anyway,” Kaufmyn said before she was imprisoned. “That to me is unconscionable and reprehensible.”

She said she was willing to go to jail not because she was a martyr but because it was an “issue of sounding the alarm, challenging the system and hopefully trying to get the message out”... READ MORE https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/16/california-openai-protester-wynd-kaufman

AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES (or quotes or watch videos) IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine]

*Meanwhile, more than a thousand researchers at frontier AI labs this summer signed a letter warning of “a real risk that capability development rapidly accelerates beyond our ability to understand or control the resulting systems”.

Thursday, August 13, 2026

A global initiative for humanitarian law: The Global IHL Initiative exists to restore respect for the rules of war and ensure that the Geneva Conventions remain a living lifeline for the vulnerable. In an age of rising conflict and fading restraint, we stand for the sanctity of life, for accountability and for a future where the laws of war are not forgotten relics but the foundation of our shared humanity.

https://youtu.be/xliM7atAwD0?si=ORBSx1V0J9qcHBUP

Born from the ashes of World War II, the Geneva Conventions are a powerful promise that even in war, humanity must prevail. Created to put limits on the way wars are conducted and to protect those not taking part in the fighting – like civilians, prisoners and wounded soldiers – they have since been complemented with a series of treaties and customary law. This legal framework, known as international humanitarian law - or the laws of war - sets clear rules to follow amid the chaos of conflict.

There are now around 130 active armed conflicts worldwide.

They are not abstract legal concepts. They are the line between life and death, between dignity and despair, for millions caught in the crossfire. Yet despite a global consensus supporting the Geneva Conventions, adherence to even the most basic humanitarian norms remains shockingly insufficient in today’s war zones. Current conflicts reveal, in appalling and devastating ways, the immense challenges facing international humanitarian law in providing real and effective protection.

The suffering witnessed in war zones across the world is not inevitable. With strong political will, we can close the gap between the law and the reality on the ground.

https://www.upholdhumanityinwar.org/en

How does international humanitarian law (IHL) protect in war?

Civilians must be protected.

It is illegal to target civilians and civilian objects, such as homes, schools and hospitals. Civilians must also be protected against the effects of military operations.

The sick and wounded must be cared for regardless of whose side they're on.

Wounded, sick and shipwrecked civilians, soldiers and fighters, as well as medical staff, are all protected under IHL.

Detainees must be treated humanely and with dignity.

IHL protects those deprived of their liberty from ill treatment, acts of violence and intimidation.

The dead must be treated with dignity.

Warrying parties must take all possible measures to search for, collect and evacuate the dead.

Parties to a conflict must facilitate humanitarian access.

People must be able to receive humanitarian aid, like food, water and medicine.

IHL places limits on the fighting

IHL treaties and customary law regulate weapon use and ban some, such as biological and chemical weapons, landmines, and cluster munitions.

War crimes must be punished.

States have the responsibility to investigate, prosecute and punish serious violations of IHL.

Why this matters

To uphold and reaffirm the promise that, even in war, humanity must prevail.

The Global IHL Initiative exists to restore respect for the rules of war and ensure that the Geneva Conventions remain a living lifeline for the vulnerable. In an age of rising conflict and fading restraint, we stand for the sanctity of life, for accountability and for a future where the laws of war are not forgotten relics but the foundation of our shared humanity.

Despite the universal ratification of the Geneva Conventions, violations of fundamental humanitarian norms are widespread. Ongoing conflicts around the globe, whether in urban centres, rural villages or at sea, are causing devastating human suffering, destruction and displacement. Attacks on civilian infrastructure, hospitals and humanitarian workers are all too frequent. The human, social, economic and environmental costs of these violations are unsustainable.