International Day Of Light: History, Significance, Celebration, Theme

4to40.com May 15, 2024 Public Awareness 332 Views

International Day Of Light is celebrated by UNESCO every year on May 16. This global initiative aims to honour the invention of science and technology.

Every year on May 16, people around the world observe the International Day of Light. The day honours the date of physicist and engineer Theodore Maiman‘s first productive laser operation in 1960. UNESCO’s International Basic Science Programme (I.B.S.P.) coordinates the day’s celebration on behalf of the United Nations.

International Day Of Light (IDL): Date

The worldwide celebration of light happens on May 16 every year. UNESCO, parent organisation gives a theme for the celebration of IDL. The theme for the celebration of IDL 2024 is “Light in Our Lives, to let the light guide us the way forward“.

2024: 16 May, 2024 [Thursday]
2025: 16 May, 2025 [Friday]
2026: 16 May, 2026 [Saturday]

History:

In 2015, the International Year of Light was followed by the International Day of Light. The day was proposed by the Russian Federation, Ghana, Mexico, New Zealand, and the Executive Board of UNESCO. In November 2017, the proposal received approval from the UNESCO General Conference. The International Day of Light was declared by the Executive Board of UNESCO during its 200th session (200 EX/Decision 27). In Document 39 C/40, the 39th General Conference endorsed this choice.

Later on May 16, 2018, the anniversary of the day in 1960 when physicist and engineer Theodore Maiman successfully shot the first laser, UNESCO organised the first International Day of Light event.

International Day of Light: Significance

The International Day of Light is an international project that offers a forum for the ongoing appreciation of light and the role it plays in science, culture, the arts, education, sustainable development, and industries as diverse as medicine, communications, and energy. The broad theme of light will enable participation in activities that highlight how science, technology, art, and culture can contribute to the realisation of UNESCO’s aims of education, equality, and peace.

According to UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, “Without light, our planet would be but a cold and barren place. Indeed, where there is light, there is often an abundance of life. Yet light represents even more for humanity. Light goes hand in hand with knowledge; it is a lens through which to see and understand the world.”

International Day of Light: Celebration

Worldwide celebrations of the International Day of Light take the form of gatherings and seminars planned by individuals both inside and outside the scientific community. The International Day of Light is a yearly event that gives people a chance to continue appreciating the crucial part that light science and technology play in people’s lives all around the world. By increasing the profile of science and technology globally and emphasising its applications for enhancing education, enhancing the quality of life all over the world, and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals set forth in the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, it will also provide a lasting follow-up to the accomplishments of the International Year of Light.

Also, International Day of Light helps to create new links between scientific fields, education, and the arts, addressing the urgent need for interdisciplinary science and fostering better communication between citizens, scientists, decision-makers, business titans, and non-governmental organisations.

Goals:

The major goals of the International Day of Light are:

Improve the public understanding of how light and light-based technologies touch the daily lives of everybody, and are central to the future development of the global society.
Build worldwide educational capacity through activities targeted on science for young people, addressing issues of gender balance, and focusing especially on developing countries and emerging economies.
Highlight and explain the intimate link between light and art and culture, enhancing the role of optical technology to preserve cultural heritage.
Enhance international cooperation by acting as a central information resource for activities coordinated by learned societies, NGOs, government agencies, educational establishments, industry, and other partners.
Emphasise the importance of basic research in the fundamental science of light, the need for investment in light-based technology to develop new applications, and the global necessity to promote careers in science and engineering in these fields.
Promote the importance of lighting technology and the need for access to light and energy infrastructure in sustainable development, and for improving quality of life in the developing world.
Raise awareness that technologies and design can play an important role in the achievement of greater energy efficiency, in particular by limiting energy waste, and in the reduction of light pollution, which is key to the preservation of dark skies.