The International Day of Light is a global initiative that provides an annual focal point for the continued appreciation of light and the role it plays in science, culture and art, education, and sustainable development, and in fields as diverse as medicine, communications, and energy. The broad theme of light will allow many different sectors of society worldwide to participate in activities that demonstrates how science, technology, art and culture can help achieve the goals of UNESCO – education, equality, and peace.
The International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies 2015 (IYL 2015) was a United Nations observance that raised global awareness of the achievements of light science and its applications, and their importance to humankind. Under the leadership of UNESCO, more than 13,000 activities took place in 147 countries to reach an audience estimated at over 100 million. See the IYL 2015 Final Report for more information.
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.
Why May 16th?
The International Day of Light will be held on May 16th every year, the anniversary of the first successful operation of the laser in 1960 by physicist and engineer, Theodore Maiman. The laser is a perfect example of how a scientific discovery can yield revolutionary benefits to society in communications, healthcare and many other fields. For interest, you can find here some of the laser history, but note that the International Day of Light is not just about lasers and science. It also includes aspects of art, culture, entertainment – everywhere light is present in fact!
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PAST EVENTS
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF LIGHT 16 MAY 2020
LINKS:
CYPRUS INTERNATIONAL DAY OF LIGHT FB PAGE
https://www.facebook.com/idlcy/
UNESCO INTERNATIONAL DAY OF LIGHT
https://www.lightday.org/
INTERNATIONAL EVENTS FOR THE DAY OF LIGHT
https://www.lightday.org/events
UNESCO INTERNATIONAL DAY OF LIGHT FB PAGE
https://www.facebook.com/DayOfLight2023
UNESCO INTERNATIONAL DAY OF LIGHT INSTAGRAM PAGE
https://www.instagram.com/idl2023/
UNESCO INTERNATIONAL DAY OF LIGHT TWITTER PAGE
https://twitter.com/IDLOfficial
