06 February 2015 - Over a thousand participants attended the Launch of the International Year of Light and Light-Based Technologies (IYL 2015) from January 19 to 20 at UNESCO Headquarters.

One of the speakers, Mr. Illac Diaz, Executive Director and Founder of Philippine non-governmental organization (NGO) My Shelter Foundation, talked about an open source energy program using the shared strength of partnerships around the world to harness available technologies and community skills building called A Liter of Light. A Liter of Light recently won the seventh edition of the Zayed Future Energy Prize in the Non-Profit Organization (NPO/NGO) category in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

IYL 2015 is a global initiative adopted by the United Nations to raise awareness of how optical technologies promote sustainable development and provide solutions to worldwide challenges in areas such as energy, education, communications, health and sustainability. It promotes improved public and political understanding of the central role of light in the modern world while also celebrating noteworthy anniversaries in 2015—from the first studies of optics 1,000 years ago to discoveries in optical communications that power the Internet today. END