Words in Ideas is taking a little break for the Christmas season. We take this opportunity to show you what was published in October, so you don’t miss out on anything.
- THE INTREPID BOOK SOCIETY: A book about translation – “Babel”, by R. F. Kuang
- WORD CHRONICLES: Recognition vs Anonymity
- FOREIGN LANDS: World Globalization
- Words in Ideas Book 1: “Articles 2024-2025”
- Best of “Foreign Lands”
- Best of “Word Chronicles”
- Best of “The Intrepid Book Society”
WEEK 44 | from 27 October to 2 November
02.11.2025
Journalism should be the face of democracy and freedom. If journalists get killed, it means those values are in peril. Especially if the perpetrators are not punished. November 2nd is the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists. Because journalists should be protected and killers should be brought to justice.
Also:
UNESCO: Observatory of Killed Journalists.
UNESCO: Safety of Journalists – What is being done?
01.11.2025
The Peace Ark is a medical ship (or, better yet, a Healing Ship) that crosses the sea around the world providing medical help for those in need. After 15 years of missions, we get to know how it works and what it has been doing. Watch the report here.
Also:
Mosul was destroyed by IS in 2017. It was rebuilt by its communities, with the help of UNESCO.
31.10.2025
How to combine technology (including AI) and city planning in addressing the challenges people face? That’s the discussion of this year’s World Cities Day. Follow the conference online, which will take place in Bogotá, Colombia.
Also:
Read how it is to be a war photographer.
30.10.2025
Polio is a crippling disease, affecting children and without a cure. Fortunately, there are vaccines. In 1988, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative was established to eradicate it all over the world. Today, there is only 0.1% left to go.
Also:
Good news! But still a long way to go…
29.10.2025
Esteban Chaves is a professional cyclist from Colombia. Coming from a difficult economic background himself, he co-founded the Fundación Esteban Chaves, FUN, to help kids with the same background become professional cyclists. The foundation provides all equipment, training, and support they need; the kids give all they have to fulfil their dream.
Also:
Is there a way to reduce pollution in a big city, improving the health of its population? Yes, says the Mayor of Bogotá, Colombia.
28.10.2025
Taiwan was a Japanese colony from 1895 to 1945. As part of his research about the Chinese resistance against Japanese rule, the Taiwan author Lan Bozhou traces the path of one of its heroes in a video produced by CGTN. Following his journey, we have a glimpse of how life back then was for Taiwanese people.
Also:
Is there a way to invest in protecting the forest and get a return of that investment? Yes, it is called the Tropical Forest Forever Facility.
Is there a way to renew old technology and eliminate waste? Yes, says ATRenew, the Chinese company making it happen.
27.10.2025
Join UNESCO and the Coordinating Council of Audiovisual Archives Association (CCAAA) celebrating the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage! Audiovisual products are not just entertainment, they are a way to get to know other cultures, other parts of the world, other stories. Check the events taking place around the world here.
Also:
Is there a way to rebuilt the borrow and investment international framework to address climate change? Yes, said Barbados’ Prime Minister.
See how preserving audiovisual material is protecting cultural heritage.
WEEK 43 | from 20 to 26 October
26.10.2025
The International Geoscience and Geoparks Programme is the UNESCO research programme in Earth Sciences. It includes the 229 Global Geoparks, places of unique geographical heritage. The Programme’s themes are: Earth resources; global change and the evolution of life; geohazards; hydrogeology; and geodynamics.
Also:
Why UN is important? Watch the video “The UN at 80: What Has It Achieved? | United Nations”.
25.10.2025
Photo competitions are traditionally about people or landscapes. Nikon Small World is about what is visible only through a microscope. Be amazed with the beauty of this small world and check the winners in photos and videos.
Also:
Watch the UN Trade & Development Conference closing remarks: “And because it matters, we did not give up. You did not give up. (…) This is what multilateralism looks like – not perfect, not easy, but possible. Always possible.”
24.10.2025
The Global Media and Information Literacy Week starts today. You can attend the online conference, take the MOOC, or simply get more information about Media and Information Literacy (MIL). Knowing how to navigate information from reliable and fake sources and access to scientifically proven facts can be a matter of life or death.
Also:
Watch how AI and humans are uncovering the secrets of Antarctica.
Watch the vide: “World’s largest seed bank marks 25 years safeguarding wild seeds”, by Reuters.
23.10.2025
Deconstructing prejudices is the goal of the Canadian documentary series “Face cachée”. In each of the 13 episodes, Karina Marceau brilliantly shows the viewer an uncharted and surprising side of a country.
Also:
What does UNESCO do? Watch the video “How UNESCO contributes to society by supporting Earth Sciences”, by UNESCO.
Reuters coverage of the Middle East: video and discussion at the Reuters NEXT Gulf summit [from 5:25:37 to 5:59:48].
22.10.2025
In 1964, UNESCO launched a very ambitious project: to write the history of Africa by African historians and experts. Thirty-five years later, eight volumes were published in 12 languages. Recently, three new volumes were added. Read more about the General History of Africa here.
21.10.2025
The winners of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025 have been announced and the exhibition with the 100 best photos submitted to competition is already open. See the best ones here. You can also see here the best photos of the World Nature Photography Awards, which were announced in February. They are currently accepting entries for the 2026 competition (until October 30).
Also:
See the “Sumo wrestling at the Royal Albert Hall – picture essay”, by Tom Jenkins for The Guardian.
20.10.2025
Today is World Statistics Day. Demographics, clinical trials, political pools, financial reports, strategic planning… Statistics are everywhere and are essential for making decisions. To commemorate it, a 24-hour webinar will be live today. A continuous discussion about quality and access to everyone will travel around the world.
WEEK 42 | from 13 to 19 October
19.10.2025
Artists are fighting back AI! Watch how a photographer is beating it in its own game (with cats).
18.10.2025
Children in Bangladesh had a problem: how to go to school when facing major floods? The architect Mohammed Rezwan had the idea of transforming boats into schools that go and pick up students. It worked so well that his project won a UNESCO Confucius Prize for Literacy and used the same model for libraries, and clinics. Read more about it and watch the report from Reuters.
Also:
Check the organization helping Indigenous Peoples legally fighting for their rights: “Tenure Facility works alongside Indigenous Peoples and local communities to advance their community land rights while sharing the knowledge, innovations and tools that emerge.”
Get to know a new architectural trend: “But rather than simply demolish and rebuild, a visionary coalition of architects, engineers, building contractors, and developers chose a radical alternative for the building: deciding instead to upcycle and retrofit the iconic skyscraper.”
17.10.2025
Poverty is not just about lack of money. It is related to “dangerous work conditions, unsafe housing, lack of nutritious food, unequal access to justice, lack of political power, limited access to health care”. Read more about it here and attend the main event of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.
Also:
Check these activity books for children: learning and having fun.
Read the statement: “UNGA 2025 – Global cooperation in a fragmented world: proposals for action”, by The Elders – “… the Elders set out a series of recommendations to make global institutions more effective and representative, focusing on global security, public goods, solidarity, respect for international law and greater inclusion of women, youth and marginalised groups”.
16.10.2025
Food is a world. From farming to haute cuisine, there is knowledge, technology, innovation, passion, and dedication. Celebrate today the World Food Day by getting to know successful stories, attending one or more events taking place all over the world, or taking a look at the brand-new Food and Agriculture Museum and Network (which is opening today to commemorate FAO’s 80 years).
Also:
Watch the video: “World Food Day 2025”, by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award “is given annually to a person or organisation for their outstanding contribution to children’s and young adult literature”. Check the nominated candidates for 2026.
15.10.2025
W. Eugene Smith was the photographer who initiated what is now known as photo essay. His best photo stories include “The Pacific War: 1942-1945” and “Country Doctor”. After passing away on October 15, 1978, W. Eugene Smith Fund was founded to carry on his legacy.
14.10.2025
How to monitor if the Paris Agreement is being achieved? Through the Global Stocktake. On its website, everyone can check the documentation that is being submitted and read the reports that are being published. Things are not going that great…
13.10.2025
This year, the theme for the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction is “Fund resilience, not disasters”. It is a fact that disasters cost more to deal with than to prevent and prevention is increasingly more important due to climate change. Thus, risk reduction is an investment, not an expense.
WEEK 41 | from 6 to 12 October
12.10.2025
The World Health Organization (WHO) provides a service based on Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for countries to make decisions that improve health services by reaching their population more efficiently. Check here some of the successful stories.
11.10.2025
UNESCO has announced 26 new Biosphere Reserves. These Reserves are chosen due to the way nature and humans live in harmony. They are spaces of learning and examples on how to preserve the planet. Learn more about them here.
10.10.2025
Catarina de Albuquerque was a fierce and tireless advocate for water as a human right. The first UN Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation, she was currently the CEO of the Sanitation and Water for All (SWA). She passed away last Wednesday, but her legacy will remain.
09.10.2025
Post Offices are both local (because it is rooted in the community in which it is located) and global (because it connects the local community with the world). Even in a world with a strong digital component, post offices are still relevant for the services they provide besides sending letters. Therefore, Happy World Post Day! To celebrate it, read the letters who won the International Letter-Writing Competition, whose theme this year was “Imagine you are the ocean”.
08.10.2025
The finalists of the Earthshot Prize 2025 have been announced. Founded in 2020, the Earthshot Prize aims to finance every year the best initiatives that effectively help tackle climate change and environment issues. It’s truly remarkable how many people are working to make the planet a better place for all of us to live in.
07.10.2025
Desmond Tutu was born on 7th October 1931 in a country where apartheid was implemented when he was a teenager. He did not accept it and fought it non-violently, but firmly. When apartheid was over in South Africa, and after receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, he kept going, advocating peace all over the world.
06.10.2025
Today is World Habitat Day. Besides sessions about the 2025 Theme: Urban crisis response, the winners of the UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour Award will also be known. It awards the best initiatives around the world that improve in some way human settlements.
WEEK 40 | from 29 September to 5 October
05.10.2025
Gone are the days when an apprentice would have to find a master to be trained in a certain profession. Nowadays there are teachers providing essential education for children to thrive in life. In such a complex world, collaboration between professionals is essential, not only within the national system, but also digitally with the entire world. This is precisely the theme of this years’ World Teachers’ Day. Check the events taking place around the world and participate.
04.10.2025
Ah, Space. The final frontier. What if it was possible to live there? That is the theme of this year’s World Space Week, which includes events around the world taking place from 4th to 10th October. Check what experts have to say and get to know how advanced technology really is.
03.10.2025
Dr. Jane Goodall was supposed to speak at an event in Los Angeles, USA, today. Unfortunately, she died of natural causes on 1st October. She was 91 years old. She started studying chimpanzees in 1960 and for the next 65 years she fought for protecting them. She was a world reference and her legacy will live on.
02.10.2025
Mahatma Gandhi was born on 2nd October 1869. He was the leader of the successful fight for India’s independence using non-violent means. As a way of honouring him, and as a way to promote his way of fighting, the General Assembly of the United Nations established 2nd October, the day of his birth, as the International Day of Non-Violence. Watch the commemorative event, which will be held in New York, USA, at 15:00.
01.10.2025
Happy International Coffee Day for all coffee lovers! The International Coffee Organization decided that the theme for this year is “collaboration”. There will be events around the word and a chance for everyone to share their love with the drink through posters on social media. Be involved!
30.09.2025
The 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly ended yesterday. Besides numerous meetings and events, every country had the opportunity to make a speech to the world. And there were many translators and interpreters making communication possible between people speaking different languages. Their work is paramount for diplomacy. Happy International Translation Day!
29.09.2025
CERN was officially born on 29th September 1954. In collaboration with many countries, it aims to make discoveries about the universe. Besides many great achievements, CERN was crucial for the research of François Englert and Peter W. Higgs that led to the discovery of the Higgs boson, which was awarded the Nobel Prize.
WEEK 39 | from 23 to 28 September
28.09.2025
Access to reliable information can be a matter of life and death, especially regarding environmental issues. For this reason, the International Day for Universal Access to Information (on 28th September) this year is focused on “ensuring access to environmental information in the digital age”, so people can have a say in their future.
27.09.2025
Today is World Tourism Day! Travelling the world to get to know other countries is great, but mass tourism is destroying places and communities. Therefore, this year’s theme is “Tourism and Sustainable Transformation”. Check the events and be part of the change!
26.09.2025
Interpol has launched the Operation Identify Me aiming to ask the public to send any information that may help identify murder women, whose identification has eluded police officers for decades. From the 47 cases presented to the public, 3 have already been solved.
25.09.2025
How do you balance maritime economic activities and the protection of the ocean? That’s the theme of this year’s World Maritime Day (25th September).
24.09.2025
Last Monday (22nd September), United Nations marked the 80 years of its establishment, followed by a high-level meeting to mark the 30 years of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, aiming to advance women’s rights (read here the document).
23.09.2025
23rd September marks the International Day of Sign Languages. While learning whale language is fascinating, allowing deaf people to communicate between each other and with people who can hear is a crucial step to integrate deaf people in society. And it’s easy: it’s like learning a foreign language.
BOOK 1: “The Ice Star”
BOOK 2: “In the Shadow of the Mountain”
BOOK 3: “The Shaman’s House”
BOOK 1: “In Strange Hands and The Frenchman”
BOOK 2: “At All Costs”
BOOK 3: “We Shall Be Monsters”
BOOK 4: “Inside the Bear’s Cage”
BOOK 1: “The Boy with the Narwhal Tooth”
BOOK 2: “The Girl with the Raven Tongue”
BOOK 3: “The Shiver in the Arctic”
BOOK 1: “The Tapestry Bag”
BOOK 1: “Lost Property”
BOOK 3: “The Invisible Case”
Words in Ideas website was launched on March 3rd, 2024 with a single purpose: to understand the world through the meaning of words. Human societies are based on language and language is based on the cultural background and the geographical region where it was born and/or evolved. The same word can have different meaning due to the different evolutionary path it has taken in a different geographical region. For example, English was born in England, but it has taken different evolutionary paths in Australia, in the USA, and in all other countries which were under the United Kingdom administration at some point in history. Likewise, Latin evolved differently in Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, and Romania, but it also influenced other languages, like English.
WORDS IN IDEAS 