Zero Discrimination Day 2020 Date: Theme & Significance of Day to Raise Awareness, Promote Equality For All
March 1, 2014, was the first time this day was celebrated and it was launched by UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé on 27 February of that year, followed by a big event in Beijing. Organisations like UNAIDS celebrate this day to also combat discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS.
Zero Discrimination Day is celebrated on March 1 every year to celebrate the right of everyone to live a productive life filled with dignity. On the occasion of Zero Discrimination Day, 2020, UNAIDS is challenging the discrimination faced by women and girls. The objective behind celebrating Zero Discrimination Day this year is to raise awareness and promote equality and empowerment for women and girls.
March 1, 2014, was the first time this day was celebrated and it was launched by UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé on 27 February of that year, followed by a big event in Beijing. Organisations like UNAIDS celebrate this day to also combat discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS. People in India have used this day to speak about laws that make discrimination against the LGBTI community more likely.
According to the UNAIDS website, Zero Discrimination Day highlights how people can become informed about and promote inclusion, compassion, peace and, above all, a movement for change. The day, therefore, is helping to create a global movement of solidarity to end all forms of discrimination that exists in society.
Even though we are in the 21st century, but discrimination against women is deep-rooted in several cultures and societies. While several countries have made laudable progress in this sphere, but in many countries till today, laws that discriminate against women and girls remain intact, and laws that uphold women’s basic rights and protect them against harm and unequal treatment are far from the norm. Therefore discrimination and any form of gender inequality affect everyone's health and wellbeing.
Check Out UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima's message on Zero Discrimination Day 2020:
As per the UNAIDs website, Byanyima' message on this occasion read: "As the Executive Director of UNAIDS, I lead the work of the United Nations to tackle AIDS. I’m also someone who has lost family members to AIDS. This is personal. Both my own family experience and our collective experience at the United Nations have highlighted the same key lesson: the struggle to beat AIDS is inseparable from the struggle for women’s rights and from the struggle against all forms of discrimination."
The day, therefore, is celebrated worldwide to promote diversity and recognize that everyone counts.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 01, 2020 07:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).