17 October marks the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, World Organ Donation and Transplantation Day, International Credit Union Day and Conflict Resolution Day.
On 17 October 1939, Konstantin Bromberg, a film director known for his children’s films and programmes such as The Adventures of Elektronik and Yeralash, was born in Kharkiv.
On 17 October 2018, the Kerch Polytechnic College tragedy occurred – 21 students and staff members were killed in an explosion and shooting.
International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1992. This day is designed to draw attention to the problem of poverty and inequality in the world, which remains one of the biggest global threats to sustainable development.
The initiative to create this day originated in France, where a protest against poverty and social injustice took place in Paris on 17 October 1987. More than 100,000 people gathered in Trocadero Square to honour the memory of those who died from poverty, violence and hunger and to declare the need to join forces to overcome this problem. This event became a symbol of solidarity and an impetus for global change.
Interesting facts
Poverty eradication is the first and most important goal among the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, which aim to make the world a better place by 2030.
According to the World Bank, the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly deepened poverty. As a result of the economic crisis caused by the pandemic, about 100 million more people have been forced to live on the edge of poverty.
According to UN statistics, about 1.3 billion people in the world live in multidimensional poverty. This means that they face a simultaneous lack of access to education, healthcare and basic services.
Women and girls are more likely to experience poverty due to gender inequality. For example, 60% of people living in extreme poverty are women.
Today, in the era of digital transformation, access to the internet and technology is becoming critical. However, more than 3 billion people in the world still do not have access to the Internet, which only deepens economic inequality and hinders development.
Many countries are actively pursuing measures to support the most vulnerable segments of the population. For example, in Ukraine, there are a number of charitable organisations that provide humanitarian aid to internally displaced persons affected by the war.
World Organ Donation and Transplantation Day
This day is an important event aimed at raising awareness of the need for organ donation and transplantation. This day emphasises the importance of organ donation, which can save other people’s lives, and draws attention to the importance of developing the transplantation system in the world.
Donation is an important act of mercy and selfless help. This day is an opportunity to express gratitude to those who have already become a donor or supported the transplantation of their loved ones. Thousands of people worldwide need organ transplants every year, but the number of donors is often insufficient, which increases mortality among those waiting for surgery. World Transplant Day also serves as a platform to raise awareness of transplantation in countries where such programmes may be limited.
Interesting facts
One donor can save up to eight lives. Donation can give a chance for life to those suffering from critical organ diseases such as heart or kidney failure.
A successful kidney transplant between two identical twins was performed in 1954 in the United States, marking the beginning of the modern era of organ transplantation.
In most cases, organs for transplantation are obtained from people who have died as a result of accidents but have kept their organs viable.
The US, Spain and France are among the leaders in terms of the number of transplants performed. For example, Spain has been the world leader in the number of donors per million people for many years.
In recent years, Ukraine has made significant strides in developing its organ transplantation system. According to the Ministry of Health, the number of successful operations has increased following the introduction of new legislative changes that simplify the process of obtaining donor organs.
International Day of Credit Unions
This day is celebrated annually on the third Thursday of October and is an important event for the financial community. This holiday was established in 1948 to highlight the importance of credit unions as cooperative financial institutions that help people access financial services and save money.
Credit unions operate on the basis of mutual assistance, democratic governance and equality, which makes them distinct from traditional commercial banks. Members of credit unions are both their owners and clients, which allows them to receive favourable lending terms, lower interest rates and better conditions for savings.
Interesting facts
The first credit union was founded in Germany in the mid-nineteenth century by Friedrich Wilhelm Raiffeisen, who was looking for ways to help rural communities overcome financial difficulties.
Today, credit unions operate in more than 100 countries, serving more than 375 million members. They provide services for a wide range of financial needs, from consumer loans to support for small businesses.
Credit unions operate on the basis of cooperative principles, including voluntary membership, democratic governance (one member, one vote), and equality in decision-making.
Credit unions are often important financial partners for small businesses and rural communities, contributing to local economic development. They also actively support financial literacy initiatives and contribute to the financial stability of their members.
Day of Conflict Resolution
This day was established in 2005 by the Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR) to raise awareness of effective methods of peaceful dispute resolution, including mediation, arbitration, conciliation and other non-violent approaches.
In today’s world, conflicts can arise in various spheres of life – from personal disputes to global international conflicts. Conflict Resolution Day highlights the importance of using peaceful methods to resolve these disputes. The day emphasises the importance of communication and mutual respect in conflict resolution, which is the basis for achieving sustainable peace.
Interesting facts
Mediation is one of the most effective ways to resolve disputes, as it aims to reach a mutually acceptable solution for all parties through a neutral mediator. In many countries, mediation is actively used in family, labour and business conflicts.
Today, mediation, arbitration and conciliation are used as alternatives to litigation, which reduces the burden on the judicial system and speeds up the conflict resolution process.
Many international organisations, including the UN, are actively promoting peaceful conflict resolution, using diplomacy and mediation tools to prevent the escalation of military conflicts.
The peaceful resolution of conflicts is studied by the science of conflictology, which covers a wide range of approaches and methods aimed at studying the causes of conflicts and their resolution. It is applied both in interpersonal relations and in international disputes.
Historical events on this day
1346 – The Battle of Neville’s Cross took place, in which English troops under the command of Archbishop of Durham William de la Zouch defeated the Scottish army. As a result of the battle, King David II of Scotland was taken prisoner, which greatly weakened Scotland’s position in the war with England.
1604 – The German astronomer Johannes Kepler began observing a supernova, later named after him – SN 1604. It was the last supernova to be seen with the naked eye in the Milky Way, and its appearance helped to develop astronomical knowledge at the time.
1660 – The Treaty of Slobodyshche is signed between Hetman Yuriy Khmelnytsky and Poland. This treaty returned Ukrainian lands to the control of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth after the short-lived independence declared during the Khmelnytsky era, which had caused considerable resistance among the Cossacks.
1855 – English engineer Henry Bessemer patented his steelmaking process, known as the Bessemer process. This innovation made it possible to significantly reduce the cost of steel production and paved the way for the mass production of steel for the Industrial Revolution.
1905 – The member states of the Balkan League declared war on the Ottoman Empire, which led to the outbreak of the Balkan Wars. The war ended with the defeat of the Ottoman Empire and significant territorial losses for it.
1967 – The Abortion Act was published in the United Kingdom, which marked the beginning of the legalisation of artificial termination of pregnancy in Western Europe. This was an important step towards recognising women’s rights to their own bodies and health.
1990 – The IMDb (Internet Movie Database) was officially launched, which is now the world’s largest film database. It was originally called rec.arts.movies movie database and was created for film enthusiasts.
1990 – In October, a hunger strike by Ukrainian students ended on the future Independence Square in Kyiv. They succeeded in getting the Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian SSR to adopt a resolution that included the fulfilment of their political demands, including the release of political prisoners and the cancellation of conscription for students.
1996 – Aslan Maskhadov became Prime Minister of the coalition government of Chechnya. His political career was marked by his desire for Chechnya’s independence from Russia, which led to a further escalation of the conflict between the two countries.
2016 – A team of scientists from the University of New South Wales in Australia created a new quantum bit or qubit that remained in a stable superposition for 10 times longer than before. This is an important achievement in the field of quantum computing, as the qubit is the basic element for storing information in quantum computers.
2017 – Qualcomm, based in San Diego, California, announces the world’s first 5G mobile connection. The data transfer rate of the new standard reached 1 Gbps, which was a revolutionary breakthrough in the development of wireless technologies.
The tragedy at the Kerch Polytechnic College
On 17 October 2018, the Kerch Polytechnic College was hit by a tragedy: an explosion and shooting killed 21 students and staff members, including the alleged attacker. A total of 67 people were injured. This was the largest massacre at an educational institution in the modern history of Europe.
Criminal cases were opened in connection with this event in both Ukraine and Russia. At the same time, the Russian side classifies the attack as the murder of two or more people in a generally dangerous manner, while Ukraine considers the incident to be a terrorist act.
According to the Russian investigation, student Vladislav Roslyakov, imitating the American teenagers who committed the Columbine High School shooting in 1999, came to the college with weapons and explosives. As a result of his actions, people died from the shooting and explosions. The official version is that Roslyakov shot himself in the college library.
Birthday of Konstantin Bromberg
On 17 October 1939, Konstantin Leonidovich Bromberg, a film director known for his children’s and music films, such as The Adventures of Elektronik, was born in Kharkiv. Bromberg was also the director of the film magazine Yeralash.
One of the interesting stories related to Bromberg concerns the Strugatsky brothers. After they watched The Adventures of Elektronik, the writers wrote a praising article called ‘They Play Like They’re Acting’. This impressed Bromberg so much that he offered the Strugatsky brothers to take on the film adaptation of their work. The writers set a condition: the film had to be released on New Year’s Eve, be New Year’s and musical. This is how The Magicians was born and became a classic of Soviet cinema.
In 2010, Bromberg had an idea to continue the famous series ‘The Adventures of Elektronik’ in the format of a 30-episode television project called ‘The Adventures of Elektronik of the XXI Century’, but this ambitious project was never realised.
The quotes from the film The Adventures of Elektronik have become popular not only among the people. The well-known phrase ‘Everyone makes mistakes to the best of their ability’ has even been used by officials at party meetings due to its versatility and accuracy.
