If you have ever wondered what all the internationally celebrated days are, we have the 2023 list to add to your diary; the United Nations assigns these days.
Global (18 January 2023) – We often share stories related to internationally celebrated days, like International Yoga Day (21 June), International Mother Language Day (21 February) and World Malaria Day (25 April), to name a few. These are just a few of hundreds of celebrated days.
The United Nations is the major organisation behind assigning which international humanitarian days are celebrated globally. They have a complete list of all their officially registered days, and we thought we would list them here so you can add them to your diary.
New days are added each year as more causes become a concern. On the 20th of December 2022, the UN adopted the 12th of February as International Day for the Prevention of Violent Extremism as and when Conducive to Terrorism. We have highlighted all the new days for 2023 in bold so you know which have been added recently.
There are thousands of official days celebrated globally, but these are the ones that focus on humanitarian causes. You can take a look below at the complete list of days worth celebrating in 2022. They are not public holidays, so don’t get too excited.
Let us know in the comment section which United Nations days you find most helpful.
January
- 04 Jan – World Braille Day
- 24 Jan – International Day of Education
- 27 Jan – International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust
February
- 01 – 7 Feb – World Interfaith Harmony Week
- 02 Feb – World Wetlands Day
- 04 Feb – International Day of Human Fraternity
- 06 Feb – International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation
- 10 Feb – World Pulses Day
- 11 Feb – International Day of Women and Girls in Science
- 12 Feb – International Day for the Prevention of Violent Extremism as and when Conducive to Terrorism
- 13 Feb – World Radio Day
- 20 Feb – World Day of Social Justice
- 21 Feb – International Mother Language Day
March
- 01 Mar – Zero Discrimination Day
- 01 Mar – World Seagrass Day
- 03 Mar – World Wildlife Day
- 05 Mar – International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness
- 08 Mar – International Women’s Day
- 10 Mar – International Day of Women Judges
- 20 Mar – International Day of Happiness
- 20 Mar – French Language Day
- 21 Mar – World Down Syndrome Day
- 21 Mar – International Day of Forests
- 21 Mar – International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
- 21 Mar – Week of Solidarity with the Peoples Struggling against Racism and Racial Discrimination
- 21 Mar – World Poetry Day
- 21 Mar – International Day of Nowruz
- 22 Mar – World Water Day
- 23 Mar – World Meteorological Day
- 24 Mar – World Tuberculosis Day
- 24 Mar – International Day for the Right to the Truth concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims
- 25 Mar – International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade
- 25 Mar – International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members
April
- 02 Apr – World Autism Awareness Day
- 04 Apr – International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action
- 05 Apr – International Day of Conscience
- 06 Apr – International Day of Sport for Development and Peace
- 07 Apr – International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda
- 07 Apr – World Health Day
- 12 Apr – International Day of Human Space Flight
- 14 Apr – World Chagas Disease Day
- 20 Apr – Chinese Language Day
- 21 Apr – World Creativity and Innovation Day
- 22 Apr – International Girls in ICT Day
- 22 Apr – International Mother Earth Day
- 23 Apr – English Language Day
- 23 Apr – Spanish Language Day
- 23 Apr – World Book and Copyright Day
- 24 Apr – International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace
- 24 Apr – World Immunization Week [WHO]
- 25 Apr – World Malaria Day
- 25 Apr – International Delegate’s Day
- 26 Apr – International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day
- 26 Apr – World Intellectual Property Day
- 28 Apr – World Day for Safety and Health at Work
- 30 Apr – International Jazz Day
May
- 02 May – World Tuna Day
- 03 May – World Press Freedom Day
- 05 May – World Portuguese Language Day
- 05 May – Vesak, the Day of the Full Moon
- 08 May – Time of Remembrance and Reconciliation for Those Who Lost Their Lives During the Second World War
- 10 May – International Day of Argania
- 12 May – International Day of Plant Health
- 14 May – World Migratory Bird Day
- 15 May – International Day of Families
- 16 May – International Day of Living Together in Peace
- 16 May – International Day of Light
- 17 May – World Telecommunication and Information Society Day
- 20 May – World Bee Day
- 21 May – International Tea Day
- 21 May – World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development
- 22 May – International Day for Biological Diversity
- 23 May – International Day to End Obstetric Fistula
- 25 May – Week of Solidarity with the Peoples of Non-Self-Governing Territories
- 29 May – International Day of UN Peacekeepers
- 31 May – World No-Tobacco Day
June
- 01 Jun – Global Day of Parents
- 03 Jun – World Bicycle Day
- 04 Jun – International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression
- 05 Jun – World Environment Day
- 05 Jun – International Day for the Fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing
- 06 Jun – Russian Language Day
- 07 Jun – World Food Safety Day
- 08 Jun – World Oceans Day
- 12 Jun – World Day Against Child Labour
- 13 Jun – International Albinism Awareness Day
- 14 Jun – World Blood Donor Day
- 15 Jun – World Elder Abuse Awareness Day
- 16 Jun – International Day of Family Remittances
- 17 Jun – World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought
- 18 Jun – Sustainable Gastronomy Day
- 18 Jun – International Day for Countering Hate Speech
- 19 Jun – International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict
- 20 Jun – World Refugee Day
- 21 Jun – International Day of the Celebration of the Solstice
- 21 Jun – International Day of Yoga
- 23 Jun – United Nations Public Service Day
- 23 Jun – International Widows’ Day
- 24 Jun – International Day of Women in Diplomacy
- 25 Jun – Day of the Seafarer
- 26 Jun – International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking
- 26 Jun – United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture
- 27 Jun – Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day
- 29 Jun – International Day of the Tropics
- 30 Jun – International Asteroid Day
- 30 Jun – International Day of Parliamentarism
July
- 03 Jul – International Day of Cooperatives
- 07 Jul – World Kiswahili Language Day
- 11 Jul – World Population Day
- 15 Jul – World Youth Skills Day
- 18 Jul – Nelson Mandela International Day
- 20 Jul – World Chess Day
- 20 Jul – International Moon Day
- 25 Jul – World Drowning Prevention Day
- 28 Jul – World Hepatitis Day
- 30 Jul – International Day of Friendship
- 30 Jul – World Day against Trafficking in Persons
August
- 01 Aug – World Breastfeeding Week [WHO]
- 09 Aug – International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples
- 12 Aug – International Youth Day
- 19 Aug – World Humanitarian Day
- 21 Aug – International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism
- 22 Aug – International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Beliefs
- 23 Aug – International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Its Abolition
- 29 Aug – International Day against Nuclear Tests
- 30 Aug – International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances
- 31 Aug – International Day for People of African Descent
September
- 05 Sep – International Day of Charity
- 07 Sep – International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies
- 07 Sep – International Day of Police Cooperation
- 08 Sep – International Literacy Day
- 09 Sep – International Day to Protect Education from Attack
- 12 Sep – United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation
- 15 Sep – International Day of Democracy
- 16 Sep – International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer
- 16 Sep – International Day for Interventional Cardiology
- 17 Sep – World Patient Safety Day
- 18 Sep – International Equal Pay Day
- 21 Sep – International Day of Peace
- 23 Sep – International Day of Sign Languages
- 26 Sep – International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons
- 27 Sep – World Tourism Day
- 28 Sep – International Day for Universal Access to Information
- 29 Sep – International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste
- 30 Sep – World Maritime Day
- 30 Sep – International Translation Day
October
- 01 Oct – International Day of Older Persons
- 02 Oct – World Statistics Day
- 02 Oct – International Day of Non-Violence
- 04 Oct – World Habitat Day
- 04 Oct – World Space Week 4th to 10th October
- 05 Oct – World Teachers’ Day
- 07 Oct – World Cotton Day
- 09 Oct – World Post Day
- 10 Oct – World Mental Health Day
- 11 Oct – International Day of the Girl Child
- 13 Oct – International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction
- 15 Oct – International Day of Rural Women
- 16 Oct – World Food Day
- 17 Oct – International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
- 24 Oct – Global Media and Information Literacy Week 24th to 31st October
- 24 Oct – United Nations Day
- 24 Oct – Disarmament Week 24th to 30th October
- 24 Oct – World Development Information Day
- 27 Oct – World Day for Audiovisual Heritage
- 31 Oct – World Cities Day
November
- 02 Nov – International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists
- 05 Nov – World Tsunami Awareness Day
- 06 Nov – International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict
- 09 Nov – International Week of Science and Peace
- 10 Nov – World Science Day for Peace and Development
- 13 Nov – World Antibiotic Awareness Week, 13-19 November [WHO]
- 14 Nov – World Diabetes Day
- 16 Nov – International Day for Tolerance
- 18 Nov – World Philosophy Day
- 18 Nov – World Day for the Prevention of and Healing from Child Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Violence
- 19 Nov – World Toilet Day
- 20 Nov – Africa Industrialization Day
- 20 Nov – World Children’s Day
- 21 Nov – World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims
- 21 Nov – World Television Day
- 25 Nov – International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women
- 29 Nov – International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People
- 30 Nov – Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare
December
- 01 Dec – World AIDS Day
- 02 Dec – International Day for the Abolition of Slavery
- 03 Dec – International Day of Persons with Disabilities
- 04 Dec – International Day of Banks
- 05 Dec – International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development
- 05 Dec – World Soil Day
- 07 Dec – International Civil Aviation Day
- 09 Dec – International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime
- 09 Dec – International Anti-Corruption Day
- 10 Dec – Human Rights Day
- 11 Dec – International Mountain Day
- 12 Dec – International Day of Neutrality
- 12 Dec – International Universal Health Coverage Day
- 18 Dec – International Migrants Day
- 18 Dec – Arabic Language Day
- 20 Dec – International Human Solidarity Day
- 27 Dec – International Day of Epidemic Preparedness
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