The 2020 International Year of Sound is a global initiative to highlight the importance of sound and related sciences and technologies. It consists of coordinated activities on regional, national and international levels to stimulate the understanding throughout the world of the important role that sound plays in all aspects of our society.
Sound is an essential part of communication between humans – in the form of speech, as a sound of warning, and also in music and creative sounds. However there is a concern about too much sound, which then becomes noise and needs to be controlled to ensure acceptable and safe living and working environments.
See UNESCO Resolution 39 C/49 25 September 2017: The Importance of Sound in Today’s World