UNESCO International Days commemorations...

The United Nations General Assembly designates a number of "International Days" to mark important aspects of human life and history (the comprehensive list of all days celebrated by the United Nations and its Specialized Agencies is available here: International Days(link is external)).

United Nations Specialized Agencies, including UNESCO, can also proclaim World Days. In this case, the proclamation of international days depends on their governing bodies and internal regulations only.

UNESCO thus celebrates UN International Days related to its fields of competence, in addition to the other World Days, proclaimed by the Organization's governing bodies or other institutions.

The list of official messages by the Director-General of UNESCO on the occasion of International Days with which UNESCO is associated is available here.

International Days observed at UNESCO

January February March April May June July August September October November December

JANUARY

27 January
International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust ( 34 C/Resolution 61; A/RES/60/7)
UN website(link is external)

FEBRUARY

11 February
International Day of Women and Girls in Science (A/70/474/Add.2)
UN website(link is external)

13 February
World Radio Day ( 36 C/Resolution 63; A/67/62)

21 February
International Mother Language Day ( 30 C/62; A/RES/56/262)
UN website(link is external)

MARCH

8 March
International Women’s Day ( 20 C/Resolution 13.2)
UN website(link is external)

20 March
International Francophonie Day (in French) (Message from the Director-General)

21 March
World Poetry Day ( 30 C/Resolution 29)
UN website(link is external)

21 March
International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination ( 14 C/Resolution 11; A/RES/2142 (XXI))
UN website(link is external)

21 March
International Day of Nowruz ( 184 EX/SR.1-9; A/RES/64/253)
UN website(link is external)

22 March
World Day for Water ( 141 EX/22; A/RES/47/193)
UN website(link is external)

APRIL

6 April
International Day of Sport for Development and Peace ( 37 C/60; A/RES/67/296)

23 April
World Book and Copyright Day ( 28 C/Resolution 3.18)
UN website(link is external)

30 April
International Jazz Day ( 36 C/Resolution 39)

MAY

3 May
World Press Freedom Day ( 26 C/Resolution 4.3)
UN website(link is external)

5 May
African World Heritage Day ( 38 C/68)

16 May
International Day of Light ( 39 C/40)

21 May
World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development ( 166 EX/37; A/RES/57/249)
UN website(link is external)

22 May
International Day for Biological Diversity ( 146 EX/32; A/RES/49/119)
UN website(link is external)

25 May
Africa Day / Africa Week (from 22 to 24 May)

JUNE

5 June
World Environment Day ( 112 EX/15; A/RES/2994 (XXVII) )
UN website(link is external)

8 June
World Oceans Day(link is external) ( 181 EX/4; A/RES/63/111 )
UN website(link is external)

17 June
World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought (A/RES/49/115)
UN website(link is external)

JULY

18 July
Nelson Mandela International Day ( A/RES/64/13)
UN website(link is external)

26 July
International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem ( 38 C/66)

AUGUST

9 August
International Day of the World's Indigenous People (146 EX/32; A/RES/49/214)
UN website(link is external)

12 August
International Youth Day ( 159 EX/28; A/RES/54/120)
UN website(link is external)

23 August
International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition ( 29 C/Resolution 40)

SEPTEMBER

8 September
International Literacy Day ( 14 C/Resolution 1.441)

15 September
International Day of Democracy ( A/RES/62/7)
UN website(link is external)

20 September
International Day of University Sport ( 38 C/Resolution 44)

21 September
International Day of Peace ( 114 EX/24; A/RES/36/67; A/RES/55/282)
UN website(link is external)

28 September
International Day for the Universal Access to Information ( 38 C/70)

OCTOBER

5 October
World Teachers' Day ( 27 C/INF.7)

13 October
International Day for Disaster Reduction ( 134 EX/15; A/RES/44/236; A/RES/64/200)
UN website(link is external)

17 October
International Day for the Eradication of Poverty ( 28 C/Resolution 2.1; A/RES/47/196)
UN website(link is external)

20 October
World Statistics Day ( A/RES/64/267)
UN website(link is external)

27 October
World Day for Audiovisual Heritage ( 33 C/Resolution 53)
UN website(link is external)

NOVEMBER

2 November
International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists ( A/RES/68/163)

5 November
World Day of Romani Language ( 38 C/65)

World Tsunami Awareness Day (A/RES/70/203(link is external))
UN Website(link is external)

10 November
World Science Day for Peace and Development ( 31 C/Resolution 20)
UN website(link is external)

Third Thursday in November
World Philosophy Day ( 33 C/Resolution 37)
UN website(link is external)

16 November
International Day for Tolerance ( 28 C/Resolution 5.61; A/RES/51/95)
UN website(link is external)

25 November
International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women ( 159 EX/28; A/RES/54/134)
Event organized at UNESCO Headquarters on 24 November 2017 (details)
UN website(link is external)