International Day of the Snow Leopard
A/RES/79/143
A/RES/79/143
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 the Snow Leopard is observed on 23 October. The UN General Assembly proclaimed the day through resolution A/RES/79/143 on 12 December 2024.
The observance promotes conservation of snow leopards and their high-mountain ecosystems, emphasizing international and regional cooperation across the species’ range.
Why it matters
Snow leopard conservation is closely tied to the health and connectivity of mountain ecosystems. The UN resolution links the day with broader biodiversity, ecosystem-restoration and sustainable-mountain-development goals.
The day can support public awareness, scientific cooperation, community-based conservation and cross-border coordination, but it should not be used to disclose sensitive wildlife-location information that could increase poaching or disturbance risk.
History
At the 2013 Global Forum on the Conservation of the Snow Leopard in Bishkek, snow-leopard range countries adopted the Bishkek Declaration; the resulting range-country initiative began celebrating International Snow Leopard Day on 23 October in 2014.
On 12 December 2024, Kyrgyzstan introduced draft A/79/L.40 on behalf of a core group of snow-leopard range countries, and the General Assembly adopted A/RES/79/143 without a vote.
The UN resolution retained 23 October and explicitly invited the United Nations Environment Programme to facilitate the annual observance. UNEP documented the UN-designated day on 23 October 2025.
How the observance developed
This timeline is assembled only from verified provenance fields. Missing stages are omitted rather than inferred.
International Snow Leopard Day
Snow-leopard range countries began celebrating 23 October as International Snow Leopard Day after the 2013 Bishkek Declaration. The United Nations later proclaimed an International Day of the Snow Leopard on the same annual date in December 2024.
Kyrgyzstan, introducing the draft on behalf of a core group of snow-leopard range countries
The General Assembly meeting record states that Kyrgyzstan introduced A/79/L.40 on behalf of Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.
United Nations General Assembly
UN General Assembly resolution A/RES/79/143
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
The establishing resolution explicitly invites UNEP to facilitate observance of the International 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.
3 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
Learn which countries are part of the snow leopard’s range and compare the different habitat, livestock and conservation pressures across them.
Use public conservation reports to examine how protecting snow leopards can also protect connected mountain ecosystems and water sources.
Discuss community-based approaches to reducing livestock conflict without publishing exact locations of vulnerable animals or patrol routes.
Compare the 2013 Bishkek Declaration and the 2024 UN resolution to see how a range-country conservation initiative developed into a UN-recognized international day.
Useful facts
The UN observance falls on 23 October.
A/RES/79/143 was adopted on 12 December 2024.
Kyrgyzstan introduced the draft on behalf of a core group including Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
The 23 October date commemorates the adoption of the Bishkek Declaration at the 2013 Global Snow Leopard Conservation Forum.
The resolution explicitly invites UNEP to facilitate observance of the day.
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.40 (opens in a new tab)
United Nations Digital Library — A/RES/79/143 (opens in a new tab)
United Nations General Assembly — A/79/PV.52, Kyrgyzstan introduction and date rationale (opens in a new tab)
Global Snow Leopard & Ecosystem Protection Program — 2014 International Snow Leopard Day (opens in a new tab)
UNEP — International Day of the Snow Leopard 2025 (opens in a new tab)
United Nations — International Day of the Snow Leopard (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 of the Snow Leopard?
23 October The stored recurrence guidance is: 23 October.
Does International Day of the Snow Leopard 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 the Snow Leopard 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 the Snow Leopard?
The reviewed provenance layer identifies United Nations General Assembly as the proclaiming or establishing body. The proposer or originator is recorded separately as Kyrgyzstan, introducing the draft on behalf of a core group of snow-leopard range countries. Current facilitation or coordination is recorded as United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
Is International Day of the Snow Leopard 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.
Why is International Day of the Snow Leopard on 23 October?
In the General Assembly meeting that introduced the draft, Kyrgyzstan stated that 23 October commemorates adoption of the Bishkek Declaration at the 2013 Global Snow Leopard Conservation Forum.
Who facilitates the UN observance?
A/RES/79/143 explicitly invites the United Nations Environment Programme to facilitate the observance.
Was there a snow leopard day before the 2024 UN proclamation?
Yes. Snow-leopard range countries were already celebrating International Snow Leopard Day on 23 October from 2014, following the 2013 Bishkek Declaration. This guide records that as a precursor rather than pretending the UN observance existed before its proclamation.
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