United Nations Day
A/RES/168 (II)
A/RES/168 (II)
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
United Nations Day is observed on 24 October. It marks the anniversary of the entry into force of the United Nations Charter in 1945, when the United Nations officially came into existence.
The day is useful for explaining the Organization’s founding, Charter purposes and international cooperation without treating every activity of the modern UN system as part of one simple narrative.
Why it matters
The United Nations is an international organization created by its Member States under the Charter. Its work spans peace and security, human rights, development, humanitarian action and other areas through different organs, agencies and programmes.
United Nations Day can support civic and historical learning, but institutional claims should still be tied to the relevant UN body or source.
History
The UN Charter was signed on 26 June 1945 and entered into force on 24 October 1945. United Nations Day therefore marks the Organization’s official founding anniversary.
In 1947 the General Assembly declared 24 October United Nations Day. A later General Assembly recommendation encouraged Member States to observe the day as a public holiday, but that recommendation does not itself establish statutory holiday status in every jurisdiction.
How the observance developed
This timeline is assembled only from verified provenance fields. Missing stages are omitted rather than inferred.
United Nations General Assembly
UN General Assembly resolution 168 (II)
First documented observance
United Nations institutional history states that 24 October has been celebrated as United Nations Day since 1948.
Declared 24 October, United Nations Day, an international holiday and recommended that all Member States observe it as a public holiday.
United Nations General Assembly · A/RES/2782(XXVI)
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
Later institutional actions
Later recognition, renaming, mergers or date changes are kept separate from original establishment.
Ways to observe
Read the purposes and principles in the UN Charter and compare them with the roles of the main UN organs.
Use the UN Treaty Collection or official history pages to distinguish signing, ratification and entry into force.
Explore how a UN specialized agency differs from a principal organ or programme.
Discuss one current global issue using sources from the UN body actually responsible for that subject.
Check national law separately before describing United Nations Day as a public holiday in a particular country.
Useful facts
United Nations Day is observed on 24 October.
24 October marks the 1945 entry into force of the UN Charter.
The General Assembly declared United Nations Day in 1947.
The UN officially came into existence when the Charter entered into force.
A UN recommendation about holiday observance does not automatically create a statutory public holiday in every country.
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.
- Remembrance Civic Context Care.
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/RES/2782(XXVI) (opens in a new tab)
United Nations Digital Library — resolution 168 (II) (opens in a new tab)
United Nations Treaty Collection — Charter of the United Nations, entry into force 24 October 1945 (opens in a new tab)
United Nations — Celebrating UN Day on 24 October (opens in a new tab)
United Nations — United Nations Day (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 United Nations Day?
24 October The stored recurrence guidance is: 24 October.
Does United Nations 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 United Nations 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 United Nations Day?
The reviewed provenance layer identifies United Nations General Assembly as the proclaiming or establishing body.
Is United Nations 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.
Why is United Nations Day on 24 October?
24 October marks the date in 1945 when the United Nations Charter entered into force and the United Nations officially came into existence.
When was United Nations Day formally declared?
The General Assembly declared 24 October United Nations Day in 1947 through resolution 168 (II).
Is United Nations Day automatically a public holiday everywhere?
No. The General Assembly later recommended public-holiday observance by Member States, but statutory holiday status depends on each jurisdiction’s own law and practice.
How this differs from closely related observances
These distinctions are separately reviewed and source-backed. They clarify scope; they do not change either authority record.
Is United Nations Day the same as International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace?
United Nations Day on 24 October marks the anniversary of the UN Charter entering into force and the founding of the Organization. The International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace on 24 April focuses on multilateral cooperation and diplomacy as methods for addressing shared problems and supporting peace.
Open International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace →Distinction sources
Other observances on October 24
These records also resolve to October 24, 2026 under the current authority data.
Food Day
CSPI’s 2011 annual report documents the relaunch of national Food Day and its October 24 date, modeled as a public education and food-system campaign.
Independence Day
Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade current National Days protocol register lists Zambia — Independence Day on 24 October. The source verifies the diplomatic national-day id…
Make A Difference Day
Points of Light documents Make A Difference Day as beginning in 1992 and taking place annually on the fourth Saturday in October.
National Kangaroo Awareness Day
National Today places National Kangaroo Awareness Day on October 24 annually, and Awareness Days independently uses October 24 for the Australian wildlife observance.
National One United Race Day
National Day Archives identifies One United Race as the 2019 founder and gives the fourth Saturday in October; current calendars preserve the same recurrence.
World Development Information Day
A/RES/3038 (XXVII)