On 22 November 2004, the UN General Assembly declared 8–9 May as a Time of Remembrance and Reconciliation for Those Who Lost Their Lives During the Second World War.
This Day is a two-day observance and from May 08, 2022, to May 09, 2022, is the date of this event for the current year 2022.
This day is not a public holiday.
Background of the Day
On the occasion of the sixtieth anniversary of the end of the Second World War (WWII), The United Nations declared May 8 and 9 as a time of remembrance and reconciliation for the martyrs of the Second World War.
The duration of the Second World War was from 1939 to 1945. On May 8, 1945, the forces of Nazi Germany unconditionally surrendered, so the date of 8 May is assigned for this observance.
Purpose of the Day called “Time of Remembrance and Reconciliation for Those Who Lost Their Lives During the Second World War”
Second World War was the worst of conflict of nations in human history in which more than 13 million causalities occurred. It was fought in Europe, Russia, North Africa, and Asia. Nearly every country in the world participated in world war II, only a few countries remained neutral. A mass of people fought in the war even they did not understand what the dispute was.
Most of the deaths occurred immediately from the explosion of the atomic bomb in Japan and the remaining occurred from the unbearable heat from falling debris. The radiation from the bomb had long-lasting effects, many people died months after the explosion, even today doctors encounter medical cases of radiation on people of Nagasaki and Hiroshima.
The loud voice of Japan against nuclear power plants in the world explains the reason for the Remembrance and Reconciliation of the Second World War.
Events and Activities on the Day of Remembrance and Reconciliation of the Second World War
Programs and events are organized in different countries officially or by human rights organizations on the “Remembrance and Reconciliation Day of the Second World War” to pay a tribute to the martyrs and victims of the Second World War.
Newspapers and magazines publish articles to remember the atrocities of the war. Some gatherings of relatives who lost their lives during the war are also conducted at some places.
Speech of the Day
The types of events that society remembers are always those where the human rights of certain groups have been comprehensively ignored.
In the Nazi Holocaust Jews, Roma, people of Slavic Nationality and people of particular political beliefs experienced the violation of all human rights.
Human rights violations, genocide, ethnic cleansing and atrocities such as the Holocaust are unforgettable or unforgivable by the affected.
When terrible events get official status, the survivors feel a sense of comfort that the society has acknowledged that the action was wrong.
The relation between remembrance and human rights ought to extend both backward and forward in time. The past actions of destruction should be remembered to pay a tribute to the victims or the suffered. Yet the forward-looking aspect of remembrance is about recognizing our own role as an individual or a nation in causing terrible events.
We must be aware of the official policies of our country to keep it away from human rights violations inside and outside the country.