International Migrants Day
A/RES/55/93
A/RES/55/93
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 Migrants Day is observed on 18 December to recognize migrants’ contributions and focus attention on their rights, safety, dignity and the conditions under which migration takes place.
Migration includes many different situations—work, study, family, displacement, opportunity and return. The term “migrant” does not by itself describe a person’s legal status, reason for moving or protection needs.
Why it matters
Responsible migration coverage avoids treating migrants as a single group and avoids using nationality or migration status as a shortcut for assumptions about crime, work, culture or eligibility for services.
Legal categories such as refugee, asylum seeker, temporary worker, permanent resident and irregular migrant have distinct meanings that vary by legal framework. General observance content should not substitute for individualized immigration advice.
History
Before the General Assembly proclamation, Commission on Human Rights resolution 2000/48 initiated an 18 December international-day proposal and ECOSOC decision 2000/288 recommended that the Assembly consider proclaiming it.
The UN General Assembly proclaimed 18 December International Migrants Day through resolution 55/93 in 2000.
The date also marks the anniversary of the General Assembly’s 1990 adoption of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families.
How the observance developed
This timeline is assembled only from verified provenance fields. Missing stages are omitted rather than inferred.
United Nations Commission on Human Rights, through the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
Commission on Human Rights resolution 2000/48 requested ECOSOC to consider recommending an 18 December International Migrant’s Day; ECOSOC decision 2000/288 then recommended that the General Assembly consider proclaiming 18 December International Migrants Day.
United Nations General Assembly
UN General Assembly resolution 55/93
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
Learn about a local migrant-led organization and the services or policy priorities it identifies as important.
Check the language used in a news story or social post and avoid assuming that “migrant,” “refugee” and “asylum seeker” are interchangeable.
Support credible legal-aid, language-access, employment, education or community-integration services where relevant.
Use official and current sources before sharing claims about migration numbers, visa rules, benefits or crime.
Create opportunities for migrants to speak for themselves rather than relying only on institutions to describe their experiences.
Useful facts
International Migrants Day is observed on 18 December.
The UN General Assembly proclaimed the day in 2000 through resolution 55/93.
The date is linked to the 1990 adoption of the Migrant Workers Convention.
“Migrant” is a broad term and does not by itself determine a person’s legal category or protection status.
Immigration rules and migration statistics change and require current jurisdiction-specific sources.
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.
UN Commission on Human Rights — resolution 2000/48 / official report (opens in a new tab)
UN Economic and Social Council decision 2000/288 (opens in a new tab)
United Nations Digital Library — A/RES/55/93 (opens in a new tab)
United Nations — International Migrants Day background (opens in a new tab)
United Nations — International Migrants Day (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 Migrants Day?
18 December The stored recurrence guidance is: 18 December.
Does International Migrants Day 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 Migrants Day 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 Migrants Day?
The reviewed provenance layer identifies United Nations General Assembly as the proclaiming or establishing body. The proposer or originator is recorded separately as United Nations Commission on Human Rights, through the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
Is International Migrants Day 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 International Migrants Day?
It is observed every year on 18 December.
Why is 18 December significant?
On 18 December 1990, the UN General Assembly adopted the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families; the international day was proclaimed in 2000.
Are “migrant” and “refugee” the same legal status?
No. Migration terminology and legal categories have distinct meanings. A general observance page should not be used to determine an individual person’s immigration or protection status.
Other observances on December 18
These records also resolve to December 18, 2026 under the current authority data.
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