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17 May: what is celebrated today
Some dates act like a mirror: they show how connected we are… and how fragile that connection remains. 17 May brings together technology and rights, health and the environment, invisible work and very concrete gestures. A day to consider what networks we sustain—digital, human and community—and whom they leave out when they fail.
World Telecommunication and Information Society Day
This day, promoted by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and on the calendar since 1968, reminds us that communication is not just about speed: it is infrastructure, rules, cooperation and, above all, access. It was created to look at the long journey from the telegraph to the cloud, and to ask ourselves what it means to be “inside” the information society.
At a time when digital innovation promises to solve everything, the challenge remains less dazzling and more fundamental: reducing the digital divide. Getting connected should not depend on postcode, income or age; yet millions of people remain disconnected. Celebrating the day means recognising that technology without equity amplifies inequalities instead of correcting them.
World Recycling Day
Recycling is the visible part of a larger question: what do we do with what is left over? Since 2005, this date has reminded us that waste is not an inevitable endpoint, but a decision point. The rule of the “three Rs” — reduce, reuse, recycle — is, at heart, an ethic of moderation.
Reducing means buying with less fuss; reusing means giving a second life to what already exists; recycling means putting the world in order so that it does not end up as a landfill. It may seem small, but every habit adds up when pollution is global.
World Hypertension Day
This observance, promoted by organisations such as the WHO and PAHO, insists on a simple and urgent message: hypertension is often silent. That is why, year after year, the invitation to know your numbers and measure accurately is repeated: prevention begins before the scare.
Blood pressure is not an abstract figure: it is the pulse of an everyday life made up of stress, hidden salt, a sedentary lifestyle and lack of rest. Talking about hypertension means talking about public health, access to checks and treatments, and a culture of care that does not depend solely on individual discipline.
International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia
17 May became a date for speaking out and remembering: a reminder that discrimination is not “opinion”, but violence that limits lives. This day, promoted by the IDAHO movement, focuses on rights, safety and dignity for LGBTIQ+ people around the world.
Tolerance is not enough: it is about ensuring real equality, including at school, in the doctor’s surgery, at work and in the street. The day invites us to examine language, “harmless” jokes, laws and silences, because many forms of exclusion begin precisely there: where no one is looking.
World Internet Day
Promoted since 2005 by organisations connected with users and digital culture, this day celebrates the internet as a tool for knowledge, exchange and opportunities. The internet changed how we study, work, find information and ask for help; it brought the distant closer and accelerated what was possible.
But it also left an uncomfortable question: who pays the price of being left out? The divide is not only about connection, but about quality, speed, skills and safety. If internet access is linked to rights such as education or expression, then connectivity and citizenship become almost the same word.
World Horticulturist Day
Amid so many screens, this date reminds us of the work of those who grow what is essential. Horticulturists sustain a practical science: soil, water, seasons, patience. Tradition and technique coexist in their trade, from improving yields to making crops resistant to pests and environmental changes.
Celebrating it means recognising knowledge that rarely makes the headlines, but feeds entire cities. And it is also an invitation to return to the tangible: a small vegetable garden, a plant on the balcony, respect for the slow pace of living things.
World Salt Awareness Week
Although it is a week (12–18 May), its theme runs through the day: the salt we do not see. Much of the sodium is hidden in processed foods, which is why awareness begins with a humble action: reading labels, cooking more, choosing calmly.
Cutting back does not have to be a culinary punishment. It can be a lesson in flavour: herbs, spices, fresh foods. Less excess, a more grateful body.
United Nations Global Road Safety Week
Also running from 12 to 18 May, this week focuses on a frequent and normalised tragedy: deaths and injuries on the road. Road safety is not just about individual behaviour; it is urban design, reasonable limits, public transport, enforcement and education.
The ultimate goal is simple: for getting around not to be a risk. And for the city, instead of rewarding haste, to protect the most vulnerable — pedestrians, cyclists, children, older people — as a real measure of civilisation.