International Day of Peaceful Coexistence
A/RES/79/269
A/RES/79/269
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 Peaceful Coexistence is observed on 28 January. The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the day through resolution A/RES/79/269, adopted on 4 March 2025.
The observance emphasizes tolerance, respect for religious and cultural diversity, human rights, dialogue and the practical work of living together peacefully across differences.
Why it matters
Peaceful coexistence does not require communities to erase disagreement or difference. It depends on rights, non-discrimination, safety, dialogue and institutions capable of addressing conflict without dehumanization or violence.
Activities around the day should therefore avoid reducing coexistence to symbolic harmony. They can examine whether people from different communities have equal access, voice and protection in everyday institutions.
History
United Nations sources credit Bahrain’s leadership and advocacy with playing an instrumental role in establishing the observance. Draft resolution A/79/L.53 was submitted by a broader original sponsor group that included Bahrain and 13 other states, with additional sponsors later joining.
On 4 March 2025, the General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/79/269 and proclaimed 28 January as the International Day of Peaceful Coexistence.
The first International Day of Peaceful Coexistence was marked on 28 January 2026, as confirmed by United Nations statements and commemorative coverage.
How the observance developed
This timeline is assembled only from verified provenance fields. Missing stages are omitted rather than inferred.
Bahrain-led advocacy within a broader multi-state sponsor group
United Nations in Bahrain states that Bahrain’s leadership and advocacy played an instrumental role in establishing the observance; A/79/L.53 documents the broader original sponsor group.
United Nations General Assembly
UN General Assembly resolution A/RES/79/269
First documented observance
United Nations in Bahrain and the UN Chronicle explicitly describe 28 January 2026 as the first International Day of Peaceful Coexistence.
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
Hold a facilitated dialogue on a real local issue with clear ground rules against harassment and dehumanization, rather than a generic celebration of diversity.
Review whether a school, workplace or community service is accessible and welcoming across religious, linguistic, ethnic or cultural differences.
Study a conflict-prevention or mediation programme and distinguish evidence of reduced harm from purely symbolic activities.
Create a shared-community project around a practical need—such as public space, emergency readiness or youth activity—where cooperation itself is the outcome.
Useful facts
International Day of Peaceful Coexistence is observed on 28 January.
The General Assembly established the day through resolution A/RES/79/269 on 4 March 2025.
United Nations sources describe Bahrain’s leadership and advocacy as instrumental in establishing the observance.
The first observance took place on 28 January 2026.
The reviewed sources do not designate one continuing central facilitator or explain the exact historical reason for selecting 28 January.
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/79/L.53 (opens in a new tab)
United Nations Digital Library — A/RES/79/269 (opens in a new tab)
United Nations Chronicle — first International Day of Peaceful Coexistence (opens in a new tab)
United Nations in Bahrain — first observance statement (opens in a new tab)
United Nations — International Day of Peaceful Coexistence (opens in a new tab)
Dedicated Authoritative Page
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 Peaceful Coexistence?
28 January The stored recurrence guidance is: 28 January.
Does International Day of Peaceful Coexistence 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 Peaceful Coexistence 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 of Peaceful Coexistence?
The reviewed provenance layer identifies United Nations General Assembly as the proclaiming or establishing body. The proposer or originator is recorded separately as Bahrain-led advocacy within a broader multi-state sponsor group.
Is International Day of Peaceful Coexistence 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 2026-09-07.
When was International Day of Peaceful Coexistence established?
The UN General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/79/269 on 4 March 2025 and proclaimed 28 January as the annual observance.
When was the first International Day of Peaceful Coexistence?
United Nations sources explicitly identify 28 January 2026 as the first observance.
Who proposed the observance?
United Nations in Bahrain credits Bahrain’s leadership and advocacy as instrumental, while the formal draft resolution was submitted by a broader multi-state sponsor group.
Other observances on January 28
These records also resolve to January 28, 2027 under the current authority data.
Data Protection Day
Council of Europe
Data Protection Day / International Data Protection Day / Privacy Day
The Council of Europe states that its Committee of Ministers designated 28 January as Data Protection Day in 2006 and that the day is now celebrated worldwide under names including Internat…
Global Community Engagement Day
The Consultation Institute identifies January 28 as Global Community Engagement Day and describes Engage 2 Act as the creator of the observance.
José Martí birth anniversary
Granma identifies January 28 as the birth anniversary of Cuba’s National Hero José Martí and documents recurring commemorations around that date.
National Blueberry Pancake Day
The U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council repeatedly identifies January 28 as National Blueberry Pancake Day and publishes promotional assets for the date.
Thank a Plugin Developer Day
WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg declared January 28 Thank a Plugin Developer Day in a 2009 WordPress News post; JetBrains independently references the same January 28 initiative.