December 20 is International Human Solidarity Day, established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2005 as one of five special initiatives in the fight against poverty. The commemoration of this Day in 2009 falls at the end of the second year in the Second United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty, a year in which it is estimated that the ranks of the impoverished have swelled by upwards of 100 million people. This makes it an even more important time to celebrate unity in diversity.

Two of the basic teachings of Bahá’u’lláh, Founder of the Bahá’í Faith, are unity in diversity and economic justice. From a Bahá’í perspective, these and other principles promoted by the Faith are essential to the realization of the goal of the unification of the human race. Read about unity in diversity as practised in the global Bahá’í community and know that local Bahá’í communities, including the one in Comox, uphold this teaching.

The Bahá’í International Community statement "A New Framework for Global Prosperity" and paper "Religious Values and the Measurement of Poverty and Prosperity" point out the significance of incorporating principles such as unity in diversity and the abolishment of the extremes of wealth and poverty to building a peaceful, global society.