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2008 is the year of…

The logo for the UN's International Year of Sanitation 2008. UN

There are only three months to the end of the year but while we still have time, Connect-World the Irish development organisation reminds you that 2008 is the International Year of…

Planet Earth: Aiming to capture people’s imagination with the exciting knowledge we possess about our planet, and to see that knowledge used to make the Earth a safer, healthier and wealthier place for our children and grandchildren.

Sanitation: At least 2.6 billion people – some 41 percent of the global population - do not have access to latrines or any sort of basic sanitation facilities.

The Potato: Aiming to raise awareness of the importance of the potato - and of agriculture in general - in addressing issues of global concern, including hunger, poverty and threats to the environment.

Languages: Close to half the 6,000 languages spoken in the world are doomed or likely to disappear in the foreseeable future.

European Year of Intercultural Dialogue
: Aiming to recognise that Europe is becoming more culturally diverse.

This is also the International Decade of …

Roll Back Malaria in Developing Countries, Particularly in Africa (2001-2010)  
The Eradication of Colonialism (2001-2010)
A Culture of Peace and Non-violence for the Children of the World  (2001-2010)  
United Nations Literacy Decade (2003-2012)
United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014)
The World’s Indigenous People (2005-2014)
Decade for Action: Water for Life (2005-2015)
Recovery and Sustainable Development of the Affected Regions - relating to the Chernobyl disaster (2006-2016)
United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty  (2008-2017)

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This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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