International Day of Forests
A/RES/67/200
A/RES/67/200
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 of Forests is a United Nations observance on 21 March that celebrates and raises awareness of the importance of all types of forests. FAO supports the global observance and campaign resources.
The day can cover conservation, restoration, sustainable management, livelihoods, biodiversity, water and climate. Because forest needs vary by ecosystem and community, responsible activities should follow local ecological guidance rather than assume the same intervention is beneficial everywhere.
Why it matters
Forests are ecological systems as well as sources of livelihoods and cultural value. The observance creates space to consider those connected roles instead of reducing forests to a single issue such as carbon storage or tree planting.
The UN framing encourages local, national and international activities involving forests and trees, while the annual theme can highlight a different dimension of forest stewardship.
History
The UN General Assembly proclaimed 21 March as the International Day of Forests in 2012.
FAO records an inaugural International Day of Forests observance in 2013 and continues to coordinate resources with the Collaborative Partnership on Forests, which selects the annual theme.
How the observance developed
This timeline is assembled only from verified provenance fields. Missing stages are omitted rather than inferred.
Algeria
FAO’s institutional account of the establishment process states that Algeria initiated the draft resolution at the sixty-seventh session of the General Assembly after earlier FAO/UNFF recommendations had not produced an actionable General Assembly draft.
United Nations General Assembly
UN General Assembly resolution A/RES/67/200
First documented observance
A/RES/67/200 specified observance beginning in 2013, and FAO/UN institutional material identifies 21 March 2013 as the first International Day of Forests celebration.
Secretariat of the United Nations Forum on Forests, in collaboration with FAO
A/RES/67/200 explicitly requests the Secretariat of the United Nations Forum on Forests, in collaboration with FAO, to facilitate implementation of the Day, working with Governments, the Collaborative Partnership on Forests and other relevant organizations and groups.
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.
3 fields not established in reviewed sources
Also known as
World Forestry Day
Ways to observe
Learn which native forest types occur in your region and what pressures they currently face.
Join a restoration or tree-planting effort only when species choice, site selection and long-term care are guided by local ecological expertise.
Visit a forest, reserve or community-managed landscape and learn about its ecology, management and cultural significance.
Support credible forest conservation, Indigenous stewardship or sustainable-land-management work relevant to your region.
Use the current FAO campaign resources if your event needs the target year’s theme.
Useful facts
International Day of Forests is observed on 21 March.
The UN General Assembly proclaimed the day in 2012.
The first International Day of Forests was marked in 2013.
FAO supports the global observance and resources.
The Collaborative Partnership on Forests selects the annual theme.
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.
FAO / Collaborative Partnership on Forests — International Day of Forests (opens in a new tab)
FAO — establishment history: Algeria initiated the General Assembly draft; first International Day of Forests in 2013 (opens in a new tab)
fao.org — authoritative source (opens in a new tab)
UN DESA — UNFF Secretariat designated to facilitate International Day of Forests with FAO (opens in a new tab)
United Nations Digital Library — A/RES/67/200 action note 21 December 2012 (opens in a new tab)
United Nations — A/RES/67/200 facilitator mandate for UNFF Secretariat with FAO (opens in a new tab)
United Nations Forum on Forests — International Day of Forests (opens in a new tab)
Un Observance
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 of Forests?
21 March The stored recurrence guidance is: 21 March.
Does International Day of Forests 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 of Forests an official public holiday?
The authority record verifies it within this scope: United Nations / FAO 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 of Forests?
The reviewed provenance layer identifies United Nations General Assembly as the proclaiming or establishing body. The proposer or originator is recorded separately as Algeria. Current facilitation or coordination is recorded as Secretariat of the United Nations Forum on Forests, in collaboration with FAO.
Is International Day of Forests international or country-specific?
The record has international or global institutional scope: United Nations / FAO 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 International Day of Forests created?
The UN General Assembly proclaimed 21 March as International Day of Forests in 2012, with the inaugural observance held in 2013.
Is World Forestry Day a separate official UN day?
This authority record treats World Forestry Day as an alias associated with the modern International Day of Forests rather than publishing a competing duplicate entity.
Is tree planting always the best activity?
Not necessarily. Planting should fit local ecology, species, land use and long-term care. Conservation or restoration activities may be more appropriate in some places.
Other observances on March 21
These records also resolve to March 21, 2027 under the current authority data.
California Strawberry Day
Two Association of Nutrition & Foodservice Professionals chapter calendars from different publication years list California Strawberry Day on 21 March.
Harmony Day
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Australian Government
Human Rights Day
The South African Government’s public-holidays page lists Human Rights Day on 21 March.
Independence Day
Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade current National Days protocol register lists Namibia — Independence Day on 21 March. The source verifies the diplomatic national-day ide…
International Colour Day
International Colour Association (AIC)
International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
A/RES/2142 (XXI)