International Day for Digital Learning
Designated by UNESCO Member States in 2023
Designated by UNESCO Member States in 2023
This authority record treats the observance as a fixed annual date. The same month and day can be reused unless a stronger source changes the rule. Public-holiday or government status is never inferred from the observance name alone.
Overview
International Day for Digital Learning is observed on 19 March. UNESCO’s General Conference proclaimed the Day in 2023 through 42 C/Resolution 14, and the first observance was held in 2024.
The Day focuses on how digital learning can support inclusive, equitable and quality education. It also creates space to examine unequal connectivity, accessibility, teacher capacity, privacy, safety, misinformation and whether a technology actually improves learning in its specific context.
Why it matters
Digital learning can expand access to educational content, communication and flexible learning opportunities, but access to devices or software alone does not guarantee good learning outcomes.
A human-centred approach asks whether technology is accessible, pedagogically useful, safe, privacy-respecting and workable for learners with limited connectivity or support. Offline and low-bandwidth options can be as important as advanced tools.
History
The United Arab Emirates proposed the International Day for Digital Learning through UNESCO’s Executive Board process, and the proposal advanced to the 42nd session of UNESCO’s General Conference.
On 20 November 2023, the UNESCO General Conference adopted 42 C/Resolution 14, proclaiming 19 March of every year as the International Day for Digital Learning.
UNESCO material identifies 19 March 2024 as the first International Day for Digital Learning.
How the observance developed
This timeline is assembled only from verified provenance fields. Missing stages are omitted rather than inferred.
United Arab Emirates
UNESCO states that the United Arab Emirates proposed the International Day for Digital Learning before its endorsement by the General Conference in 2023.
UNESCO General Conference
UNESCO 42 C/Resolution 14
First documented observance
UNESCO material describes 19 March 2024 as the first International Day for Digital Learning.
What the evidence establishes
Verified institutional roles and milestones are shown first. Fields that the reviewed sources do not establish remain fail-closed and are available below without competing with the confirmed record.
4 fields not established in reviewed sources
Ways to observe
Audit one digital learning activity for accessibility, connectivity requirements, language support, privacy and the amount of teacher or learner support it assumes.
Compare a technology-based lesson with a non-digital or low-bandwidth alternative and ask which learners each option includes or excludes.
Review how a school or programme handles student data, account security, platform permissions and age-appropriate safeguards before adopting a new tool.
Use a teacher or student workshop to separate the learning objective from the technology: define what should be learned first, then decide whether a digital tool meaningfully helps.
Useful facts
International Day for Digital Learning is observed on 19 March each year.
UNESCO’s General Conference proclaimed the Day through 42 C/Resolution 14 on 20 November 2023.
The United Arab Emirates proposed the observance through UNESCO’s governance process.
The first International Day for Digital Learning was observed on 19 March 2024.
UNESCO’s framing emphasizes accessible, inclusive and quality digital learning rather than technology use as an end in itself.
Topic and context
What this page does not assume
- Keep the source-defined country, community, organizer or institutional scope; do not silently broaden it.
- Do not treat the title alone as proof of government recognition or public-holiday status.
- Do not add a creator, founding story or origin claim unless the supporting evidence establishes it.
Evidence & sources
Repeated links from the authority record, institutional provenance and editorial guide research are consolidated here. Badges show how each source is used; a contextual source is never treated as proof of establishment on its own.
UNESCO General Conference — 42 C/Resolution 14 (opens in a new tab)
UNESCO — International Day for Digital Learning (opens in a new tab)
Dedicated Authoritative Page
UNESCO — United Arab Emirates proposal history (opens in a new tab)
UNESCO — first International Day for Digital Learning context (opens in a new tab)
Understand it, compare it, then explore further
Start with the most common factual questions, then use reviewed distinctions and related authority records to understand where this observance fits.
Frequently asked questions
When is International Day for Digital Learning?
19 March The stored recurrence guidance is: 19 March.
Does International Day for Digital Learning fall on the same date every year?
The authority record classifies it as fixed annual, so its month and day are reusable unless stronger evidence changes the rule.
Is International Day for Digital Learning an official public holiday?
The authority record verifies it within this scope: UNESCO international day. That recognition does not by itself make it a statutory public holiday; the site only makes public-holiday claims when the supporting authority record explicitly does so.
Who established or recognizes International Day for Digital Learning?
The reviewed provenance layer identifies UNESCO General Conference as the proclaiming or establishing body. The proposer or originator is recorded separately as United Arab Emirates.
Is International Day for Digital Learning international or country-specific?
The record has international or global institutional scope: UNESCO international day. That does not mean every country treats the date as a public holiday or observes it in the same way.
How is this page verified?
The factual layer is source-backed and keeps its date rule, scope, provenance and editorial guardrails attached to the authority record. This record was checked on 2026-09-05.
Who established International Day for Digital Learning?
UNESCO’s General Conference proclaimed the Day through 42 C/Resolution 14, adopted on 20 November 2023.
Who proposed International Day for Digital Learning?
UNESCO states that the United Arab Emirates proposed the International Day for Digital Learning, which was endorsed by UNESCO’s General Conference in 2023.
Why is International Day for Digital Learning on 19 March?
UNESCO’s resolution establishes 19 March, but the reviewed first-party sources do not provide a sufficiently explicit historical rationale for choosing that exact date. The guide therefore does not invent one.
Other observances on March 19
These records also resolve to March 19, 2027 under the current authority data.
Certified Nurses Day
The American Nurses Credentialing Center states that Certified Nurses Day is celebrated every 19 March to recognize nurses who earn and maintain specialty certifications.
International Read to Me! Day
The campaign’s official site identifies International Read to Me! Day as 19 March and describes the date as a focal day within a broader ongoing reading effort.
National Automatic Door Day
AAADM announced the first National Automatic Door Day for March 19, 2021 and stated that it would be celebrated each year on that date; AAADM continues annual March 19 campaigns.
National Chocolate Caramel Day
ANFP Wyoming and Wisconsin chapter calendars list National Chocolate Caramel Day on March 19.
National Preschool Teachers Appreciation Day
Virginia Department of Education identifies March 20 as National Preschool Teachers Appreciation Day in 2026; its 2025 bulletin used March 21, supporting the recurring third-Friday-in-March…
Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Vatican sources identify 19 March as the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary and patron of the universal Church.