Vesak Day is a celebration for Buddhists worldwide and an opportunity for all members of the international community to benefit from their rich traditions.

This year’s observance, falling at a time of widespread strife and misery, is an occasion to examine how Buddhist teachings can inform our response to prevailing challenges.

Confronting the troubling problems facing our world is consonant with Buddhism.  The Buddha himself, as a young prince, left the safety of his palace to discover the four sufferings of birth, sickness, old age and death.

While such painful realities cannot be avoided, Buddhism offers insights into how to cope with them.  Its history is replete with inspiring examples of the transformative power of Buddhist philosophy.

The legendary King Ashoka, a conqueror who presided over a brutal reign in India some three centuries after the Buddha’s passing, ultimately converted to Buddhism, renounced violence and embraced peace.

The values that King Ashoka espoused, including human rights, democratic governance and respect for the dignity of life, are common to all great religions.  The fact that he was able to embrace them after years of brutal war offers proof that the goodwill of individuals can end widespread suffering.

Now more than ever, we need the spirit of non-violence to help inspire peace and quell conflict.

I offer my best wishes to believers celebrating Vesak Day, and my sincerest hopes that we may all draw on spiritual ideals to strengthen our resolve to improve our world.

As the international community strives to accelerate its efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and define a post-2015 agenda, including a set of goals
for sustainable development, water and biodiversity are important streams in the discussion.

Although seemingly abundant, only a tiny amount of the water on our planet is easily available as freshwater.  We live in an increasingly water insecure world where demand often outstrips supply and where water quality often fails to meet minimum standards.  Under current trends, future demands for water will not be met.

Biodiversity and the ecosystem services it provides are central to achieving the vision of a water secure world.  Ecosystems influence the local, regional and global availability and quality of water.  Forests help regulate soil erosion and protect water quality and supply.  Wetlands can reduce flood risks.  Soil biodiversity helps maintain water for crops.  Integrating nature-based solutions into urban planning can also help us build better water futures for cities, where water stresses may be especially acute given
the rapid pace of urbanization.

Recognizing the importance of biodiversity, the United Nations General Assembly has encouraged the use of the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and its Aichi Targets in the elaboration of the post-2015 development agenda.  Last year’s Rio+20 Conference on Sustainable Development also recognized the role of ecosystems in maintaining water quantity and quality.  Where once the focus was on trade-offs between water use and biodiversity, today we are coming to understand how biodiversity and water security are mutually reinforcing.

This shift from conflict to synergy is particularly welcome in this, the International Year of Water Cooperation.  

On the International Day for Biological Diversity, I also call on all Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity who have not already done so, to ratify the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization, and therefore help us all to work toward the future we want.

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• Read the UN Development Programme in Viet Nam statement on the International Day for Biological Diversity, 22 May 2013
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A delegation from Viet Nam visited the drug quality control division of a Thai factory that manufactures antiretroviral medicineDong, a 37-year-old man from Hanoi, has been living with HIV for a number of years. He is ingood health thanks to the antiretroviral (ARV) treatment that is provided free of charge in Viet Nam.
 
But Dong is worried. He knows that the donors who pay for nearly all of Viet Nam’s HIV treatment programme will soon leave. Who will pay for his healthcare in the future?

“The first-line antiretrorival treatment I am currently on costs about US$ 98 per person per year. That is with imported generic ARVs and I can afford it for now if treatment is no longer free. But I dont know how long I can stay this healthy and keep my job when antiretrorival treatment is life-long. The treatment cost could become much higher if I have to shift to second-line treatment or buy non-generic ARVs,” he explained.

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“ADVANCING SOCIAL INTEGRATION AND INTERGENERATIONAL SOLIDARITY”

15 May 2013 - Families hold societies together, and intergenerational relationships extend this legacy over time.  This year’s International Day of Families is an occasion to celebrate connections among all members of the constellation that makes up a family.  It is also an opportunity to reflect on how they are affected by social and economic trends – and what we can do to strengthen families in response.

Unemployment is forcing many young people, often eager for independence, to rely on their parents longer than they would have hoped.  The lack of affordable and quality childcare is complicating efforts by parents in dual-earner families to combine their work and home obligations.  Inadequate pensions and care for older persons demands more attention as we succeed in our goal of extending lives.

These challenges make family support more important than ever – for the young person seeking a job while living with their parents, for the grandparent who relies on their children for shelter and care, and for the many members of extended families who take on childcare responsibilities.

Around the world, family members are doing their part.  They deserve support from policy-makers and decision-makers, from public institutions and private businesses.

There is a growing recognition around the world that we need to strengthen policies promoting intergenerational solidarity and support intergenerational programmes and initiatives.  Evidence shows that adequate pensions and caregiver support help not only older persons but whole families.  Intergenerational programmes promoting volunteering among the young and old benefit all generations.  Opportunities for people of all ages to bond revitalize whole communities.

Intergenerational initiatives also address global development priorities.  They counteract inequality and exclusion, encourage active citizenship and even improve public infrastructure through community-based projects.

On this International Day of Families, I call on governments, civil society, families and individuals to support initiatives that bring people together across generations toward building a healthier world for all.

Since world leaders adopted the Millennium Development Goals in 2000, a broad partnership of governments, United Nations entities, philanthropies and businesses has combined to protect hundreds of millions of people from malaria. Increased international funding, matched by growing political commitment in endemic countries, triggered a massive increase in preventive interventions and expanded access to diagnostic testing and life-saving medicines, averting more than a million deaths.

The MDG target of halting and reversing the incidence of malaria is now in sight, and 50 countries are on track to reduce their malaria burden by at least 75 per cent by 2015. However, major challenges remain. Malaria continues to inflict a major toll on least developed countries – primarily in Africa – and millions of people still lack access to life-saving interventions.

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