International Mother Earth Day
A/RES/63/278
A/RES/63/278
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 Mother Earth Day is the United Nations observance held on 22 April to promote awareness of the relationship between people, other living species and the planet we share.
The UN framing uses “Mother Earth” as a common expression found in a number of countries and regions and links the day to harmony with nature and sustainable development.
Why it matters
The observance is useful for discussing environmental interdependence rather than a single environmental problem. Climate, biodiversity, land, water, production and consumption all affect the systems that support human and non-human life.
The UN designation should not be used to erase the different cultural, Indigenous or spiritual meanings attached to Earth and nature. A responsible page keeps the institutional wording separate from claims about any community’s beliefs.
History
On 22 April 2009, the UN General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/63/278 designating 22 April as International Mother Earth Day.
UN records describe Bolivia as initiating the observance. A 2010 General Assembly meeting stated that International Mother Earth Day had first been celebrated on 22 April 2009.
How the observance developed
This timeline is assembled only from verified provenance fields. Missing stages are omitted rather than inferred.
Plurinational State of Bolivia
UN General Assembly meeting coverage credits Bolivia with initiating the observance.
United Nations General Assembly
UN General Assembly resolution A/RES/63/278
First documented observance
UN General Assembly meeting coverage in 2010 states that International Mother Earth Day was first celebrated on 22 April 2009.
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 how a local watershed, habitat or food system connects human activity with wider ecosystems.
Use a credible environmental or scientific source to examine one measurable local issue rather than repeating unsourced global claims.
Join a restoration, waste-reduction or community stewardship activity that follows local environmental guidance.
Pair awareness with practical choices while avoiding claims that individual action alone can solve system-level environmental problems.
Useful facts
International Mother Earth Day is observed on 22 April.
The UN General Assembly designated the day through A/RES/63/278 in 2009.
The resolution was adopted on 22 April 2009.
UN records identify Bolivia as the country that initiated the observance.
The UN framing emphasizes interdependence among humans, other living species and the planet.
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.org — authoritative source (opens in a new tab)
United Nations Digital Library — A/RES/63/278 (opens in a new tab)
United Nations Meetings Coverage — International Mother Earth Day, 22 April 2010 (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 Mother Earth Day?
22 April The stored recurrence guidance is: 22 April.
Does International Mother Earth 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 Mother Earth Day an official public holiday?
The authority record verifies it within this scope: United Nations international environmental 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 Mother Earth Day?
The reviewed provenance layer identifies United Nations General Assembly as the proclaiming or establishing body. The proposer or originator is recorded separately as Plurinational State of Bolivia.
Is International Mother Earth Day international or country-specific?
The record has international or global institutional scope: United Nations international environmental 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.
Is International Mother Earth Day the same as Earth Day?
They share the 22 April date and overlapping environmental themes, but this guide treats the UN-designated International Mother Earth Day as its own institutional observance rather than collapsing it into every event commonly called Earth Day.
When did the UN designate International Mother Earth Day?
The UN General Assembly adopted A/RES/63/278 on 22 April 2009, designating 22 April as International Mother Earth Day.
Why is it on 22 April?
The UN resolution designates 22 April, but the reviewed institutional sources do not establish a separate historical reason for choosing that exact date.
Other observances on April 22
These records also resolve to April 22, 2027 under the current authority data.
Earth Day
EARTHDAY.ORG’s current 2026 page identifies Earth Day 2026 as Wednesday, 22 April.
International Girls In ICT Day
National Girl Scout Leader’s Day
Official Girl Scout council volunteer guidance identifies National Girl Scout Leader’s Day on 22 April; Girl Scouts also maintains current Volunteer Appreciation Month resources.
National Jelly Bean Day
Jelly Belly Candy Company repeatedly identifies April 22 as National Jelly Bean Day in first-party releases across multiple years.
Stephen Lawrence Day
UK public-sector commemoration; Stephen Lawrence Day is marked annually
Take Our Daughters And Sons To Work Day
The organizing foundation’s materials identify the event and the fourth-Thursday-in-April recurrence