Learning about UN World Days
A Guide to Using Earth for Cool Earthlings

Selected for the 2019 Excellent Publication Content Production Support Project.
This book describes the 17 'Sustainable Development Goals' that the entire world must achieve together by 2030, starting with international commemorations designated by the UN, such as International Women's Day (March 8), Oceans Day (June 8), Cities Day (October 31), Migrants and Refugees Day (December 18), and Human Solidarity Day (December 20).
By posing questions that connect me, society, and the world, such as, "The more I use the Internet, the more refugees I create?" and "The more I eat ramen, the more tropical rainforests disappear?" and explaining these through various examples, it allows readers to easily and interestingly understand hot-button issues facing the world today, such as women, the environment, labor, discrimination, and hatred.
By suggesting a 'Global Citizen To Do List' at the end of each chapter, we hope to convey the message that change can be seen when each and every person fulfills their role as a global citizen, however small.
Authors Gong Yun-hee and Yoon Ye-rim founded the non-profit organization 'BoniTa, Global Citizenship Education', which aims to create a good globalization in everyday life.

There is a topic that follows gender equality issues like a related search term in our country.
Military and childcare.
For men who have not yet served in the military, the thought of military service, which they will have to perform someday, is etched in their minds like a burden.
For women who want to have children, the career break that comes with pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare is a major concern.
However, a crack has recently appeared in the social atmosphere where military and childcare were fixed as gender roles for men and women, respectively, and ran parallel.
As the low birth rate problem becomes more serious, voices are being raised that women should also serve in the military.
In addition, with Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands implementing gender-based conscription systems, the view on women's military service is gradually changing to a more positive one.
However, in Korea, there are also loud voices of concern that it is premature.
Why are we struggling and they are able? …
The concerns that the low birth rate will lead to a decrease in the number of soldiers in the future are not simply groundless.
Everyone should defend their country if necessary, but there are some things to think about before doing so.
The current Korean military must reflect on whether it provides equal opportunities to both men and women and protects soldiers from sexual crimes and violence.
The solution to the low birth rate problem lies not in placing a heavy burden on women and men, but in creating a country where people want to have children and join the military.
--- p.25~26, 28, from “0308 International Women’s Day: Are Women Still the Socially Weak?”

In December 2013, images of Egypt covered in snow surfaced online.
A pure white landscape in Egypt, where it is impossible for it to snow, makes you wonder if it is a photoshopped image.
But it was proven that it wasn't a prank as photos of camels sitting quietly on snow and snow-covered pyramids began to appear one after another.
It actually snowed in Egypt for the first time in 112 years.
…IT technology is rapidly emerging as a solution to save the Earth.
A variety of technologies are being introduced, including navigation apps that help you reach your destination with less fuel, video conferencing programs that allow you to meet without having to travel, and smart water grids that monitor temperature and humidity to conserve water. Research has also shown that utilizing IT can reduce greenhouse gases by as much as 16.5%.
But before using the technology, there are questions to ask:
'Is the energy used in the technology environmentally friendly?'
It is self-evident that if the Earth's average temperature rises more than 2 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels, irreversible damage will occur to the ecosystem.
Now we are one degree away from the limit.
If you don't cut ties with coal, your white Christmas might turn into a nightmare.
--- p.128, from “0605 World Environment Day: The Nightmare of a White Christmas”

On average, tenants in our country stay in one house for 3 to 4 years.
In a reality where we move every three years, making neighbors is a difficult task.
Given the circumstances, owning a home is essential for a stable life in Korea.
But if Germans heard about this situation in Korea, they might be a little puzzled.
More than half of the population lives in other people's homes, but the average period of time they have lived in one home is more than 10 years.
There is a saying, 'The building owner is above the creator.'
This saying perfectly illustrates the heartbreaking situation of tenants in our country, who must vacate their homes when asked to do so and comply without complaint when asked to raise the rent.
But in Germany, even landlords cannot raise rents at will or evict tenants over these issues.
Both countries have clear limits on how much rents can be raised, but how they enforce them differs.
…a house is more than just a ‘building with a roof’.
After a hard day's work, just coming into the room and lighting a candle and a light makes me feel at ease, and just looking at the newly changed wallpaper brightens my mood. It's a treasure trove.
The numbers written on one side of the wallpaper remind me of my mother's hands measuring my height when I was a child, and the old curtains remind me of playing hide-and-seek behind them.
In other words, a home is also a space that records an individual's life.
Protecting space from being reduced to a means of making money is the way to create a stable city.

--- p.247~248, from “1031 World Cities Day: People Driven Out of Their Nests”


There used to be a comedy show called "Blanca."
It satirized Korean bosses who mistreat immigrant workers, and even popularized the phrase, "Boss, you're bad."
Although there were some exaggerated aspects due to the nature of the comedy genre, it became a hot topic because it dealt with the discriminatory views towards foreigners.
More than a decade after the program ended, has attitudes toward migrant workers changed? Unfortunately, countless people still struggle with discrimination.
Several people live and work long hours in small rooms without locks.
They do the work that Koreans are reluctant to do, but in return they are treated less than human.
Not only in Korea but also around the world, unfounded prejudice and hatred against immigrants still exist.
During his presidential campaign, President Trump said, "The Mexican government is sending a lot of troublesome people to the United States.
They are sexual offenders, and they are the main culprits who bring drugs and commit crimes into the United States.'
Additionally, one of the Harvard students caused controversy by writing an email saying, "Black people are genetically inferior to white people."
In England, there was even an incident where a Korean student was thrown a bottle of alcohol because he was Asian.
As director Neill Blomkamp said, the world seems to be moving more and more towards Johannesburg.

--- p.275~276, from “1218 World Migrants’ Day: Would You Live with Aliens?”