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).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.
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
24 January
International Day of Education (
A/RES/73/25)
27 January
International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust ( 34 C/Resolution 61; A/RES/60/7)
UN website
FEBRUARY
11 February
International Day of Women and Girls in Science ( A/70/474/Add.2)
UN website
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
MARCH
8 March
International Women’s Day ( 20 C/Resolution 13.2)
UN website
20 March
International Francophonie Day (Message from the Director-General)
21 March
World Poetry Day ( 30 C/Resolution 29)
UN website
21 March
International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination ( 14 C/Resolution 11; A/RES/2142 (XXI))
UN website
21 March
International Day of Nowruz ( 184 EX/SR.1-9; A/RES/64/253)
UN website
22 March
World Day for Water ( 141 EX/22; A/RES/47/193)
UN website
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
30 April
International Jazz Day ( 36 C/Resolution 39)
MAY
3 May
World Press Freedom Day ( 26 C/Resolution 4.3)
UN website
5 May
African World Heritage Day ( 38 C/68)
16 May
International Day of Light ( 39 C/40)
International Day of Living Together in Peace ( A/RES/72/130)
21 May
World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development ( 166 EX/37; A/RES/57/249)
UN website
22 May
International Day for Biological Diversity ( 146 EX/32; A/RES/49/119)
UN website
JUNE
5 June
World Environment Day ( 112 EX/15; A/RES/2994 (XXVII) )
UN website
8 June
World Oceans Day ( 181 EX/4; A/RES/63/111 )
UN website
17 June
World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought ( A/RES/49/115)
UN website
JULY
18 July
Nelson Mandela International Day ( A/RES/64/13)
UN website
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
12 August
International Youth Day ( 159 EX/28; A/RES/54/120)
UN website
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
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
28 September
International Day for the Universal Access to Information ( 38 C/70)
OCTOBER
5 October
World Teachers' Day ( 27 C/INF.7)
11 October
International Day of the Girl Child ( A/RES/66/170)
13 October
International Day for Disaster Reduction ( 134 EX/15; A/RES/44/236; A/RES/64/200)
UN website
17 October
International Day for the Eradication of Poverty ( A/RES/47/196)
UN website
24 October
United Nations Day ( A/RES/168 (II); A/RES/2782 (XXVI)
UN website
27 October
World Day for Audiovisual Heritage ( 33 C/Resolution 53)
UN website
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)
UN Website
10 November
World Science Day for Peace and Development ( 31 C/Resolution 20)
UN website
Third Thursday in November
World Philosophy Day ( 33 C/Resolution 37)
UN website
16 November
International Day for Tolerance ( 28 C/Resolution 5.61; A/RES/51/95)
UN website
25 November
International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women ( 159 EX/28; A/RES/54/134)
UN website
29 November
International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People ( 114 EX/24; A/RES/32/40B)
UN website
DECEMBER
1 December
World AIDS Day ( 130 EX/INF.3)
UN website
3 December
International Day of Persons with Disabilities ( A/RES/47/3)
UN website
10 December
Human Rights Day ( 3 C/Resolution 14.8; A/RES/423 (V))
UN website
18 December
International Migrants Day ( 161 EX/37; A/RES/55/93)
UN website
18 December
World Arabic Language Day ( 190 EX/Decision 48)