International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict
A/RES/56/4
A/RES/56/4
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 Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict is observed on 6 November to highlight environmental damage caused by conflict and the importance of protecting natural resources and ecosystems in prevention, peacekeeping and peacebuilding.
The UN framing recognizes that wartime environmental harm can persist after fighting ends and can affect livelihoods, ecosystems and communities beyond the immediate conflict area.
Why it matters
Environmental damage in conflict can involve water, soil, forests, crops, wildlife and resource infrastructure. Its effects may continue long after a ceasefire, complicating recovery and increasing risks for communities.
This observance is educational. It should not be turned into advice for entering contaminated, mined or otherwise dangerous areas; assessment and remediation require competent authorities and specialists.
History
On 5 November 2001, the UN General Assembly adopted A/RES/56/4 declaring 6 November each year as the observance.
UN press records identify 6 November 2002 as the first observance. In 2016, the UN Environment Assembly separately adopted UNEP/EA.2/Res.15 on protection of the environment in areas affected by armed conflict; that later action is relevant context but is not the instrument that created the day.
How the observance developed
This timeline is assembled only from verified provenance fields. Missing stages are omitted rather than inferred.
United Nations General Assembly
UN General Assembly resolution A/RES/56/4
First documented observance
UN press material explicitly describes the 2002 commemoration as the first observance.
Strengthened the wider UN institutional framework on protecting the environment in areas affected by armed conflict without replacing the 2001 instrument that created the observance.
United Nations Environment Assembly · UNEP/EA.2/Res.15
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.
5 fields not established in reviewed sources
Later institutional actions
Later recognition, renaming, mergers or date changes are kept separate from original establishment.
Ways to observe
Learn how environmental protection is considered in humanitarian recovery and peacebuilding from UN or UNEP sources.
Study a documented case of post-conflict environmental restoration without relying on graphic or unverified material.
Support credible environmental or humanitarian organizations working within established safety and legal frameworks.
When discussing current conflicts, distinguish verified environmental evidence from allegations that have not been independently established.
Useful facts
The observance is held on 6 November.
The UN General Assembly established it through A/RES/56/4.
The resolution was adopted on 5 November 2001.
UN records describe 6 November 2002 as the first observance.
The day concerns environmental harm in war and armed conflict, including effects that can continue beyond the fighting 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.
United Nations Digital Library — A/RES/56/4 (opens in a new tab)
United Nations press briefing — first observance, 6 November 2002 (opens in a new tab)
United Nations — Environment in War and Armed Conflict observance (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 Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict?
6 November The stored recurrence guidance is: 6 November.
Does International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict 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 Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict 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 Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict?
The reviewed provenance layer identifies United Nations General Assembly as the proclaiming or establishing body.
Is International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict 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 this international day established?
The UN General Assembly adopted A/RES/56/4 on 5 November 2001, declaring 6 November as the annual observance.
When was it first observed?
UN press records identify 6 November 2002 as the first observance.
Does the day provide cleanup or conflict-zone safety instructions?
No. The page is educational. Environmental assessment, explosive hazards, contamination and conflict-zone operations require competent authorities and specialists.
Other observances on November 6
These records also resolve to November 6, 2026 under the current authority data.
Día de la Constitución
The Dominican Presidency’s 2026 holiday notice identifies 6 November as Constitution Day and states that, for 2026, the work holiday is moved to Monday 9 November.
Love Your Lawyer Day
The Florida Bar states that Love Your Lawyer Day is celebrated on the first Friday of every November and traces the initiative to ALPIA, with ABA Law Practice recognition.
National Basketball Day
National Today and Days Of The Year independently place National Basketball Day on November 6 each year.
National Report Home Health Care Fraud Day
National Day Archives records November 6 as the observance date and identifies The Hesch Firm, LLC as its 2017 creator.
National Team Manager Day
Observance references identify FlipGive and National Today as the creators of National Team Manager Day and place the recognition annually on November 6.