ALT On Friday, October 16th, a high-level event will take place to focus on “Safe Homes for All,” bringing together people with lived experience of poverty, Member States, civil society and other stakeholders. It will highlight the experiences and expertise of people affected by poverty and housing insecurity and emphasize the importance of developing policies with people experiencing poverty, not simply for them.

ALT On Friday, October 16th, 2026, starting at 10:00 AM GMT; The World Food Day Ceremony will take place as part of the 2026 World Food Forum (WFF) organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. This year's ceremony highlights the global theme "Innovate today. Nourish tomorrow." It brings together international actions and initiatives focused on accelerating tech, data, and grassroots solutions to fight global hunger and build resilient agri-food systems. The event program features key addresses from the heads of Rome-based UN agencies, alongside special messages from UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Pope Leo XIV. Presenters and speakers emphasize leveraging artificial intelligence, data, and digital innovations to ensure secure and affordable access to nutritious food for the global population.The ceremony includes the official presentation of the FAO annual Achievement Award, celebrating outstanding contributions to global food security.

ALT On 7 and 8 October 2026 in Salamanca; On the occasion of the International Day of Rural Women, FADEMUR will organize an high-level event entitled ''Rural Women Leading Knowledge, Opportunities and the Future'' to highlight the role of rural women as key actors in the development of their territories. The event will take place at the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Salamanca and will include panel discussions and experience-sharing sessions addressing different perspectives on knowledge, opportunities and the future of rural women. The programme will also include a fair featuring rural women artisans and producers, taking place on 7 and 8 October at the Faculty of Social Sciences. The fair will showcase the work, products and initiatives led by women in rural areas. The event is part of the commemoration of the International Day of Rural Women, observed on 15 October, and the International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026.

ALT Clean hands are a fundamental defense against the spread of infections, illnesses, and harmful germs. Whether in hospitals, schools, or in everyday interactions, practicing handwashing with soap contributes to better health outcomes and a safer world for everyone. While we've made significant progress in promoting handwashing with soap, our journey is far from over and we need handwashing heroes as we move towards our vision that all people benefit from clean hands. We need leaders from every part of society and everyone can “Be a Handwashing Hero.“

ALT On October 13th, the high-level event to mark the 2026 IDDRR aims to raise global awareness of the centrality of the home in disaster risk reduction, to advocate for stronger governance and investment in resilient housing, to elevate the role of the private sector in reducing housing-related risk, and empower households, particularly those facing heightened vulnerability, to take risk-informed action to protect themselves and strengthen community resilience.

ALT Panel discussion on the theme "Investing in Girl Child – Transforming Our Future." to bring together voices from diverse regions to reflect on how far this journey has come and how much further it must go to truly empower girls.

ALT Join us for the inaugural celebration of International Coffee Day at FAO headquarters on Thursday, 1 October 2026, from 12.15 to 13.30 hours CEST. Inaugurated by FAO Director-General QU Dongyu, the ceremony brings together Members and partners to celebrate coffee’s economic, social and cultural significance and its contribution to livelihoods and sustainable agrifood systems. It places the people, cultures, traditions and partnerships that bring coffee from farm to cup at the heart of the celebration.

ALT Farmers that adopt the Better Cotton standards commit to: - minimize the harmful impact of crop protection practices; - use water efficiently and care for the availability of water; - care for the health of the soil; - conserve natural habitats; - care for and preserve the quality of the fiber; and promote decent work. Farmers that adopt these best management practices are growing healthier cotton, with less pesticide, fertilizer and water overruns.

ALT Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethicist. He famously pioneered and employed nonviolent resistance to lead India's successful campaign for independence from British rule, a feat that subsequently inspired civil rights and freedom movements worldwide.

ALT On 9 October the World Post Day 2026 will be observed. The event was declared by the 1969 Universal Postal Congress in Tokyo as a means to mark the anniversary of the Universal Postal Union's (UPU) creation in 1874. The purpose of World Post Day is to bring awareness to the Post's role in the everyday lives of people and businesses, as well as its contribution to global social and economic development. As a result, the UPU's member countries are encouraged to organize their own national activities to celebrate the event, including everything from the introduction or promotion of new postal products and services, to the organization of open days at post offices, mail centres and postal museums. For countries participating in the UPU International Letter-Writing Competition, national winners are often honoured on 9 October.

ALT World Habitat Day will highlight the importance of adequate housing for thriving communities and the actions needed to make it a reality. This requires targeted efforts for lower-income groups, people experiencing disasters, crisis and homelessness, and those most at risk of displacement. Success depends on how we plan and manage our cities, recognizing the social, economic and ecological functions of land, promoting secure land tenure, preventing urban sprawl, and ensuring housing is located within well-serviced, liveable neighbourhoods. Achieving adequate housing also requires diversifying how housing is produced and delivered, through social, public, rental, cooperative and community-led models alongside market-based solutions. Housing must be environmentally sustainable, climate resilient and culturally appropriate, while prioritizing the upgrading andtransformation of informal settlements to improve conditions for those most in need.

ALT The objectives of the World Habitat Day 2026 will: 1. Showcase innovative practices that advance adequate housing for all and recognise outstanding contributions through the UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour Award, one of the world’s most prestigious human settlements awards. 2. Reaffirm adequate housing as a human right and a cornerstone for achieving the SustainableDevelopment Goals and the New Urban Agenda. 3. Raise awareness of the drivers contributing to the global housing crisis, including unaffordability,informality, insecure tenure, climate impacts, displacement and inadequate conditions and highlight the ongoing gap between commitment and actual progress. 4. Promote dialogue on inclusive, integrated and holistic housing strategies that reach all households and all forms of tenure, with targeted efforts for those in the most vulnerable situations. 5. Highlight the central role of all levels of governments, effective multilevel governance, national urbanpolicies, housing law...

ALT The year 2026 will mark the 60th anniversary of the 1966 ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers. We will celebrate progress in recognizing teachers’ vital role, we will highlight the challenges the profession continues to face, and we will call on society and policymakers to protect, promote and elevate its status. Especially the case today, as the world needs 50 million more teachers to achieve SDG 4 by 2030. Sixty years after the adoption of the Recommendation, World Teachers’ Day 2026 provides an opportunity to ask how societies envision the purposes of education today, the role of teachers in achieving them, and the obstacles to realising these purposes and enabling teachers to fulfil their role. At a time when the Recommendation is being revised, World Teachers’ Day will examine how effective policies are in elevating the status of teachers; whether these policies are negotiated through social dialogue and collective bargaining with teachers and their represen

ALT Today, amidst staggering volatility, the search for peace feels overwhelming—but it has never been more urgent. Peace is more than the absence of war; it is the foundation necessary to collectively tackle humanity’s challenges. It is the lived experience of safety, dignity, opportunities and cooperation in our daily lives. This year’s International Day of Peace honours the 'everyday architects of peace'—people driving local action, laying the groundwork for stability, and building a lasting peace from the ground up. Remember, peace isn’t just built in conference rooms—it is shaped by everyone, everywhere, every day.

ALT Every day, more than 1 billion meals are wasted globally, while millions of people continue to face hunger and lack basic services. Food waste places enormous pressure on waste systems, contributes to climate change, wastes land and water resources, and represents a missed opportunity to build more resilient and equitable systems. On 20 September 2026, people around the world unite for World Cleanup Day. It is a global movement that goes beyond cleaning up waste and aims to address the systems that generate it. This year’s global observance focuses on food waste, one of the largest and most preventable waste streams affecting cities and communities worldwide