Observed on the 20th of December, International Human Solidarity Day is an annual unity day that was established in 2005. The main purpose of this day is to remind governments of their commitments to international agreements on human solidarity and as an initiative in the fight against poverty. It’s also a day to celebrate diversity and raise awareness about the importance of solidarity.

The History of International Human Solidarity Day

This unity day was originally introduced by the United Nations General Assembly during the 2005 World Summit. On December 22, 2005, it was officially established through UN Resolution 60/209. Ever since it has been observed yearly.

Facts About Global Poverty

Since one of the pillars of this unity day is to raise the public profile of poverty so that it can be adequately dealt with, we thought we would list some of the facts about global poverty that we think everyone should know about.

• Almost 700 million people live in poverty so extreme they survive on less than $2 a day.
• Approximately 70% of people 15 and older who live in extreme poverty have either no schooling or only the most basic education.
• About 40% of people who live in sub-Saharan Africa live on $1.90 or less a day.
• Approximately two-thirds of the world’s poor are women and children.
• Approximately 22% of the world’s population lives in multidimensional poverty.
• Over 22,000 children die every day while living in poverty.
• Half of the world’s children live in poverty.
• Approximately 1.6 billion people live without electricity.
• Approximately 2.7 billion people rely on animal dung, crop waste, or wood chips for heating their homes or for cooking.
• About 30% of the world’s poor live in India.
• Approximately one out of seven Americans have annual family resources below the poverty line.
• In 2014, approximately 300,000 maternal deaths occurred worldwide. About 62% of them were in sub-Saharan Africa.
• More people around the world have access to a mobile phone than a toilet.
• Phantom firms and corporate greed rob developing countries of more than a trillion dollars—money that could be used to fight disease, hunger, and poverty.
• A child born to a mother who can read is more than 50% more likely to live past the age of 5.
• Three million children die from malnutrition each year.
• Approximately 1.8 million children die as a result of diarrhea.

Observing International Human Solidarity Day

On this day, the United Nations encourages all member nations to release new initiatives dedicated to poverty eradication. All around the world, events are held to promote the importance of solidarity.

These events can include everything from seminars and discussions to conferences and presentations. Of course, average citizens can also participate in this day by organizing fundraisers for the poor in their community, donating to poverty relief programs, or finding other ways to help people in need.

Even though it might not seem like it, global poverty is on the decrease, and the reason for that is that people are increasingly coming together to solve it. It just takes all of us to do our part.