List of United Nations observances

This is a list of the United Nations (UN) observances. The list includes all types of observances (such as celebratory, commemorative, and awareness days or weeks).

The majority of observances have been established by resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly, although some have been designated by UN specialized agencies.[1] These observances include many kinds of topic, all related to the UN main works, including peace, tobacco, discrimination, diseases, illegal drugs.[1]

Introduction

Reason for establishing observances

As the UN explained,[1]

The existence of international days predates the establishment of the United Nations, but the UN has embraced them as a powerful advocacy tool. The United Nations observes designated days, weeks, years, and decades, each with a theme, or topic. By creating special observances, the United Nations promotes international awareness and action on these issues. Each international day offers many actors the opportunity to organize activities related to the theme of the day. Organizations and offices of the United Nations system, and most importantly, governments, civil society, the public and private sectors, schools, universities and, more generally, citizens, make an international day a springboard for awareness-raising actions.

International Days and Weeks

International Days and Weeks[2]
Date Name Description
January 4 World Braille Day Giving attention on braille and people with visual impairment.
January 24 International Day of Education
January 26 International Day of Clean Energy
January 27 International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust
January 28 International Day of Peaceful Coexistence
February 1 World Interfaith Harmony Week, 1-7 February
February 2 World Wetlands Day
February 4 International Day of Human Fraternity
February 6 International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation
February 10 World Pulses Day
February 11 International Day of Women and Girls in Science
February 12 International Day for the Prevention of Violent Extremism as and when Conducive to Terrorism
February 13 World Radio Day
February 17 Global Tourism Resilience Day
February 20 World Day of Social Justice
March 1 Zero Discrimination Day
March 1 World Seagrass Day
March 3 World Wildlife Day
March 5 International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness
March 8 International Women's Day
March 10 International Day of Women Judges
March 10 International Day to Combat Islamophobia
March 20 International Day of Happiness
March 22 World Water Day
April 2 World Autism Awareness Day
April 4 International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action
April 5 International Day of Conscience
April 25 World Malaria Day 2021[1]
April 28 World Day for Safety and Health at Work
April 29 International Day in Memory of the Victims of Earthquakes
April 30 International Jazz Day
May 2 World Tuna Day
May 3 World Press Freedom Day
May 8 Time of Remembrance and Reconciliation for Those Who Lost Their Lives During the Second World War
May 10 International Day of Argania
May 10 World Migratory Bird Day[Footnote 1]
May 12 International Day of Plant Health[Footnote 2]
May 12 Vesak, the Day of Full Moon
May 19 World Fair Play Day
May 20 World Bee Day
May 21 World Tea Day
May 25 World Football Day
May 30 International Day of Potato
May 31 World No Tobacco Day
June 1 Global Day of Parents
June 3 World Bicycle Day
June 4 International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression
June 5 World Environment Day
June 5 International Day for the Fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing
June 7 World Food Safety Day
June 8 World Oceans Day
June 10 International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations
June 11 International Day of Play
June 12 World Day Against Child Labour
August 6 International Day of Awareness of the Special Development Needs and Challenges of Landlocked Developing Countries
September 15 International Day of Democracy
September 17 World Patient Safety Day[Footnote 2]
October 2 International Day of Non-Violence Birthday of Mahatma Ghandi[3]
October 7 World Cotton Day
October 23 International Day of the Snow Leopard
October 24 United Nations Day
November 2 International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists
November 5 World Tsunami Awareness Day
November 6 International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict
November 20 World Children's Day
November 21 World Television Day
November 30 Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare
December 1 World AIDS Day
December 4 International Day of Banks
December 5 World Soil Day

Six Language Days

These six languages are the official languages of the UN.[1]

Date Language Rationale Ref.
March 20 French day when OIF (was named l'Agence de coopération culturelle et technique (ACCT)) established [4]
April 20 Chinese Chinese jieqi Guyu [5]
April 23 English birth of William Shakespeare
April 23 Spanish death of Miguel de Cervantes [6]
June 6 Russian birth of Pushkin (Russian: А. С. Пушкин) [7]
December 18 Arabic the day when Arabic became an official language in UN
Date Name Rationale Ref.
February 21 International Mother Language Day
September 30 International Translation Day The feast of St. Jerome, the Bible translator, who is considered the patron saint of translators. [8]

International Years

International Years[9]
Year Name Ref.
2008 International Year of Languages [10]
2019 International Year of Indigenous Languages [11]
2022 International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development
2023 International Year of Dialogue as a Guarantee of Peace
International Year of Millets
2024 International Year of Camelids
2025 International Year of Quantum Science and Technology
International Year of Cooperatives
International Year of Glaciers' Preservation
International Year of Peace and Trust
2026 International Year of the Woman Farmer
International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development
International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists
2027 International Year of Sustainable and Resilient Tourism
2029 International Year of Asteroid Awareness and Planetary Defence

International Decades

UN Anniversaries

See also

Footnotes

These are the labels for the observances in specific subdivisions of the UN including World Health Organisation.

  1. ^ UNEP
  2. ^ a b WHO

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "United Nations Observances". United Nations. Retrieved 2025-10-10.
  2. ^ "International Days and Weeks". United Nations. Retrieved 2025-10-12.
  3. ^ Mbithi, Peter. "International Day of Non-Violence". United Nations Office at Nairobi. That is why the UN General Assembly decided, 12 years ago, to recognize 2 October, the birthday of Mahatma Ghandi, as the International Day of Non-Violence.
  4. ^ "Journée de la langue française | Nations Unies". United Nations (in French). Retrieved 2025-10-10.
  5. ^ "联合国中文日 | 联合国". United Nations (in Simplified Chinese). Retrieved 2025-10-10.
  6. ^ "Día del Idioma Español en las Naciones Unidas | Naciones Unidas". United Nations (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-10-10.
  7. ^ "Russian Language Day". United Nations. Retrieved 2025-10-10.
  8. ^ "International Translation Day". United Nations. Retrieved 2025-10-10.
  9. ^ "International Years". United Nations. Retrieved 2025-10-10.
  10. ^ "International Year of Languages - 2008". United Nations (in Russian). Retrieved 2025-10-10.
  11. ^ "About IYIL 2019". 2019 - International Year of Indigenous Language. Retrieved 2025-10-10.
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