World Conjoined Twins Day
A/RES/78/313
A/RES/78/313
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
World Conjoined Twins Day is observed on 24 November. The United Nations General Assembly created the Day to raise awareness of conjoined twins and to promote their health, well-being, human rights and social inclusion.
The observance concerns a rare congenital condition and should be handled with respectful, person-centred language. Medical outcomes vary widely, so general awareness material should not be treated as individual clinical guidance.
Why it matters
Conjoined twins develop when a single early embryo does not fully separate. Their anatomy, shared organs and medical needs differ from case to case, which means treatment decisions require highly specialized multidisciplinary assessment.
The UN resolution places the observance within a broader health and inclusion framework: improving awareness, strengthening cooperation, supporting families and reducing stigma rather than treating affected people as medical curiosities.
History
Draft resolution A/78/L.72 was sponsored by Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Kuwait, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Turkmenistan, Uganda and Yemen, with Saudi Arabia introducing the text in the General Assembly.
On 1 July 2024, the General Assembly adopted the draft without a vote as A/RES/78/313 and proclaimed 24 November as World Conjoined Twins Day.
The resolution explicitly states that the Day is to be observed each year beginning in 2024. WHO marked the 24 November 2024 observance during the first-ever International Conference on Conjoined Twins in Riyadh.
How the observance developed
This timeline is assembled only from verified provenance fields. Missing stages are omitted rather than inferred.
Saudi Arabia with the co-sponsors of draft resolution A/78/L.72
UN meeting coverage records Saudi Arabia introducing A/78/L.72; the UN Digital Library preserves the multinational sponsor list on the draft.
United Nations General Assembly
A/RES/78/313
First documented observance
Operative paragraph 1 of the establishing text says the Day is to be observed each year beginning in 2024; WHO commemorated the Day on 24 November 2024.
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
Use WHO or specialist medical sources to explain conjoined twinning without sensational images or dehumanizing language.
Highlight the needs of families, including access to diagnosis, surgery where appropriate, rehabilitation, long-term care and psychosocial support.
Discuss disability inclusion and the right to health alongside medical advances, rather than framing successful separation surgery as the only meaningful outcome.
Support evidence collection and research while protecting privacy and avoiding unsupported incidence or survival claims.
Useful facts
World Conjoined Twins Day is observed on 24 November.
The General Assembly established it through A/RES/78/313 on 1 July 2024.
Saudi Arabia introduced the draft resolution on behalf of a broader sponsor group.
The establishing resolution says the Day is to be observed annually beginning in 2024.
The reviewed institutional sources do not establish a specific historical reason for choosing 24 November.
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.
- Health Information Not Medical Advice.
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/78/313 (opens in a new tab)
United Nations Digital Library — draft A/78/L.72 and sponsors (opens in a new tab)
United Nations — World Conjoined Twins Day (opens in a new tab)
World Health Organization — first-ever International Conference on Conjoined Twins, 24 November 2024 (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 World Conjoined Twins Day?
24 November The stored recurrence guidance is: 24 November.
Does World Conjoined Twins 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 World Conjoined Twins 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 World Conjoined Twins Day?
The reviewed provenance layer identifies United Nations General Assembly as the proclaiming or establishing body. The proposer or originator is recorded separately as Saudi Arabia with the co-sponsors of draft resolution A/78/L.72.
Is World Conjoined Twins 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 World Conjoined Twins Day?
It is observed every year on 24 November.
When was World Conjoined Twins Day established?
The UN General Assembly adopted A/RES/78/313 on 1 July 2024.
When was the first observance?
The establishing resolution specified annual observance beginning in 2024, and WHO commemorated the Day on 24 November 2024.
Other observances on November 24
These records also resolve to November 24, 2026 under the current authority data.
Dev Deepawali / Dev Diwali in Varanasi
Incredible India lists the 2026 Dev Deepawali celebration in Varanasi for 24 November 2026. The date is an edition-specific festival date rather than a fixed Gregorian annual date.
Guru Nanak’s Birthday / Guru Nanak Jayanti
The Controller of Defence Accounts, Guwahati lists Guru Nanak’s Birthday on Tuesday, 24 November 2026 in its Central Government office holiday calendar.