International Day in Memory of the Victims of Earthquakes
A/RES/79/285
A/RES/79/285
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 in Memory of the Victims of Earthquakes is observed on 29 April. It combines remembrance of people killed and affected by earthquakes with a practical focus on reducing seismic risk and preventing avoidable disaster losses.
The observance is closely aligned with disaster-risk reduction: safer buildings, risk-informed urban planning, preparedness, public awareness and resilient infrastructure can reduce the human consequences of earthquakes.
Why it matters
Earthquakes cannot be prevented, but the scale of disaster they produce is strongly shaped by exposure, structural safety, planning, preparedness and social vulnerability. The Day therefore links commemoration with prevention.
Remembering victims also creates a public reason to preserve lessons from past disasters, support survivors and invest in measures that protect people before the next earthquake occurs.
History
Chile, the Philippines and Uzbekistan introduced the resolution establishing the Day, with Uzbekistan championing the initiative.
On 29 April 2025, the United Nations General Assembly adopted A/RES/79/285 and designated 29 April as the annual observance date. The proposing statement explicitly tied the date to the date of adoption.
The resolution tasked the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) with facilitating observance.
The first International Day in Memory of the Victims of Earthquakes was observed on 29 April 2026.
How the observance developed
This timeline is assembled only from verified provenance fields. Missing stages are omitted rather than inferred.
Chile, the Philippines and Uzbekistan
UNDRR states that Chile, the Philippines and Uzbekistan introduced the resolution; Uzbekistan championed the establishment of the Day.
United Nations General Assembly
A/RES/79/285
First documented observance
United Nations and UNDRR first-observance material explicitly identifies 29 April 2026 as the first International Day.
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)
The United Nations and UNDRR state that UNDRR is tasked with facilitating observance of the Day.
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.
2 fields not established in reviewed sources
Ways to observe
Hold remembrance activities in ways that respect affected communities and avoid sensational images or unsupported casualty figures.
Practice earthquake safety through locally appropriate drills and preparedness guidance from official emergency-management or disaster-risk authorities.
Use building-safety and urban-planning information to explain why resilient construction, enforcement and retrofitting can save lives.
Document local lessons from past earthquakes and identify concrete preparedness actions for homes, schools, workplaces and public institutions.
Useful facts
The Day is observed on 29 April.
The General Assembly established it through A/RES/79/285 on 29 April 2025.
Chile, the Philippines and Uzbekistan introduced the resolution.
29 April was selected as the date of the resolution’s adoption.
UNDRR facilitates the observance, and the first commemoration took place on 29 April 2026.
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.
- Remembrance Civic Context Care.
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/79/285 (opens in a new tab)
UNDRR — A new international day to protect against earthquakes (opens in a new tab)
UNDRR — First International Day to be observed on 29 April 2026 (opens in a new tab)
United Nations — International Day in Memory of the Victims of Earthquakes (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 in Memory of the Victims of Earthquakes?
29 April The stored recurrence guidance is: 29 April.
Does International Day in Memory of the Victims of Earthquakes 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 in Memory of the Victims of Earthquakes 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 in Memory of the Victims of Earthquakes?
The reviewed provenance layer identifies United Nations General Assembly as the proclaiming or establishing body. The proposer or originator is recorded separately as Chile, the Philippines and Uzbekistan. Current facilitation or coordination is recorded as United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR).
Is International Day in Memory of the Victims of Earthquakes 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 is the International Day in Memory of the Victims of Earthquakes?
It is observed every year on 29 April.
Why was 29 April chosen?
The proposing statement explicitly identified 29 April as the date of adoption of the establishing resolution.
Who facilitates the observance?
The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) was tasked to facilitate the Day.
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