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24 April: what is celebrated today
Some days the calendar resembles a negotiating table: politics and compassion, science and ethics, urgency and patience sit face to face. 24 April brings together three reminders of how fragile shared life is and how difficult—but possible—it is to protect it. Today the question is not what world we want to describe, but what world we are willing to build together.
International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace
Since 2019, 24 April has been dedicated to an idea that seems abstract until it becomes essential: multilateralism. Proclaimed by the United Nations, this day underlines the importance of cooperation between countries in facing challenges that recognise no borders.
Diplomacy for peace is not merely the absence of armed conflict. It is the art of negotiating, listening to opposing positions and finding common solutions in an interdependent world. Humanitarian crises, economic tensions, mass migration or climate emergencies show that no country can act in isolation without consequences. This observance defends a simple and demanding conviction: dialogue is always preferable to imposition.
International Day of the Laboratory Animal
The same day opens a space for uncomfortable but necessary reflection: one dedicated to animals used in scientific research. Since 1979, this day has drawn attention to the conditions of animal experimentation and to the suffering that, for decades, has accompanied certain medical and technological advances.
Far from denying scientific progress, the International Day of the Laboratory Animal raises a fundamental ethical question: how to advance without causing unnecessary harm. The search for alternative methods, reducing the use of animals and improving regulations are part of a more conscious science, one that measures not only results but also moral consequences.
World Immunisation Week
From 24 to 30 April, World Immunisation Week takes place, promoted by the World Health Organization since 2012. This campaign recalls one of public health’s greatest achievements: vaccines have saved millions of lives and changed the history of diseases that were once fatal.
Immunisation is not only an individual act, but a gesture of collective responsibility. Achieving broad coverage requires social trust, robust health systems and international cooperation. In a world marked by inequalities and conflicts, this week insists on a key idea: protecting global health requires coordination, information and shared commitment.