International Day for People of African Descent
A/RES/75/170
A/RES/75/170
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
The International Day for People of African Descent is observed on 31 August. The United Nations established it to promote recognition of the contributions of people of African descent and to strengthen action against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.
The day sits within a longer UN history that includes the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, the 2011 International Year for People of African Descent and the International Decade for People of African Descent.
Why it matters
Recognition and anti-discrimination are linked. Celebrating cultural, social, scientific, political and economic contributions has greater value when it is paired with attention to unequal treatment, historical injustice and barriers that still affect people of African descent.
The observance can therefore be used for education, historical research, institutional review and concrete work on equality rather than treating heritage as separate from rights.
History
A revised Third Committee draft was submitted by Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Peru and Suriname, with many additional sponsors.
On 16 December 2020, the General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/75/170 without a vote and proclaimed 31 August as the International Day for People of African Descent.
The United Nations explicitly described 31 August 2021 as the first-ever observance. The proclamation followed earlier UN initiatives focused on recognition, justice, development and the elimination of racial discrimination.
How the observance developed
This timeline is assembled only from verified provenance fields. Missing stages are omitted rather than inferred.
International Year for People of African Descent
The General Assembly had earlier proclaimed 2011 the International Year for People of African Descent; A/RES/75/170 expressly recalls that initiative before establishing the annual day.
International Decade for People of African Descent
The annual day was established during the International Decade and its resolution expressly situates the observance within that longer recognition, justice and development framework.
Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Peru and Suriname
The UN Digital Library lists these 13 states as authors of revised draft A/C.3/75/L.51/Rev.1, which became A/RES/75/170, and records many additional sponsors.
United Nations General Assembly
UN General Assembly resolution A/RES/75/170
First documented observance
The UN Secretary-General called 31 August 2021 the first-ever International Day for People of African Descent.
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
Predecessor and precursor observances
Earlier or merged observances are kept separate from former names and later institutional actions.
Ways to observe
Study the history and contributions of African-descended communities in your own country or region using museums, archives and scholarship produced with community involvement.
Read the Durban Declaration and related UN materials alongside local evidence about discrimination, representation and access to opportunity.
Support cultural institutions, researchers and community organizations documenting African diaspora histories that have been neglected or fragmented.
Use the day to review an institution’s policies or data for unequal outcomes and identify a specific, measurable improvement rather than stopping at awareness.
Useful facts
The observance is held annually on 31 August.
The General Assembly adopted A/RES/75/170 on 16 December 2020 without a vote.
Thirteen states are listed as authors of the revised Third Committee draft that led to the resolution.
The first International Day for People of African Descent was observed on 31 August 2021.
The observance builds on earlier UN initiatives including the International Year and International Decade for People of African Descent.
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.
United Nations Digital Library — A/RES/75/170 (opens in a new tab)
United Nations Digital Library — revised draft A/C.3/75/L.51/Rev.1 (opens in a new tab)
United Nations Secretary-General — first-ever observance, 31 August 2021 (opens in a new tab)
United Nations — first commemoration event material (opens in a new tab)
United Nations — List of International Days and Weeks (opens in a new tab)
United Nations — Observances: who chooses them and how (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 People of African Descent?
31 August The stored recurrence guidance is: 31 August.
Does International Day for People of African Descent 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 People of African Descent an official public holiday?
The authority record verifies it within this scope: United Nations / international observance. 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 People of African Descent?
The reviewed provenance layer identifies United Nations General Assembly as the proclaiming or establishing body. The proposer or originator is recorded separately as Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Peru and Suriname.
Is International Day for People of African Descent international or country-specific?
The record has international or global institutional scope: United Nations / international observance. 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.
When was the International Day for People of African Descent established?
The UN General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/75/170 on 16 December 2020 and proclaimed 31 August as the annual observance.
When was it first observed?
The United Nations identifies 31 August 2021 as the first-ever International Day for People of African Descent.
What is the purpose of the day?
It recognizes the contributions of people of African descent while supporting action against racism, racial discrimination and related intolerance.
Other observances on August 31
These records also resolve to August 31, 2027 under the current authority data.
Birth Anniversary of President Ramon Magsaysay
Republic Act No. 7792 declares 31 August each year a special nonworking public holiday in the Province of Zambales to commemorate former President Ramon Magsaysay’s birth anniversary; curre…
Eat Outside Day
Two Association of Nutrition & Foodservice Professionals chapter calendars from different publication years list Eat Outside Day on 31 August.
Independence Day
The current agency news register records “Happy Independence Day of the Kyrgyz Republic!” on 31 August 2026.
International Overdose Awareness Day
Malaysia Independence Day / Hari Kemerdekaan
Tourism Malaysia identifies 31 August as Malaysia Independence Day, locally Hari Kemerdekaan.
National Diatomaceous Earth Day
EP Minerals states that it founded National Diatomaceous Earth Day, that National Day Calendar approved the day in 2016, and that the observance is on August 31.