Unite the communities around universal aspirations
These are the international commemorations observed by UNESCO. The United Nations designates specific days, weeks, years and decades as occasions to mark particular events or topics in order to promote, through awareness and action, the objectives of the Organization. Usually, it is the Member States that propose these observances and the General Conference establishes them with a resolution.
In 1950, the General Assembly approved the first international day — Human Rights Day — to be observed on 10 December in remembrance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaimed on 10 December 1948.
Every year numerous celebrations are organized worldwide to remind and unite the communities around universal aspirations in the objective to advocate peace and security in the world as well as exert increasing efforts in dialogue among cultures, education for all, respect for human dignity, freedom of expression, gender equality for sustainable development.
Anniversaries
Additionally, UNESCO commemorates historic events and anniversaries of eminent personalities, who helped shape the civilization we share by contributing to the mutual enrichment of cultures for universal understanding and peace.
The anniversary must concern personalities of genuinely universal stature, nominated posthumously only and events of universal scope or of regional significance, indisputably known outside the borders of their own country, in order to reflect the ideals, values, cultural diversity and universality of the Organization.