World Lake Day
A/RES/79/142
A/RES/79/142
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 Lake Day is observed on 27 August. The United Nations observance focuses attention on the ecological, social and economic importance of lakes and on the need to protect, restore and sustainably manage lake ecosystems.
Its institutional history connects a 2024 General Assembly proclamation with a much older lake-governance milestone: the first World Lake Conference, convened on 27 August 1984.
Why it matters
Lakes store freshwater, support biodiversity, moderate local and regional conditions, sustain livelihoods and recreation, and connect to wider river-basin and groundwater systems. Their condition therefore affects both ecosystems and human communities.
The Day is designed to turn awareness into stewardship by encouraging integrated management, pollution prevention, restoration and cooperation across the sectors and jurisdictions that affect lakes.
History
Indonesia introduced the proposal for World Lake Day in the United Nations General Assembly.
On 12 December 2024, the General Assembly adopted A/RES/79/142 and designated 27 August as World Lake Day.
The selected date corresponds to the first World Lake Conference, held on 27 August 1984, creating a documented historical anchor for the annual date.
The first World Lake Day was observed on 27 August 2025, with the resolution inviting the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to facilitate observance.
How the observance developed
This timeline is assembled only from verified provenance fields. Missing stages are omitted rather than inferred.
First World Lake Conference
The conference predates the UN observance and supplies the historical date anchor later used for World Lake Day.
Indonesia
The General Assembly meeting record states that Indonesia proposed and introduced the draft resolution establishing World Lake Day.
United Nations General Assembly
A/RES/79/142
First documented observance
UNEP and the United Nations identify 2025 as the first observance of World Lake Day.
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
A/RES/79/142 invites UNEP to facilitate observance of World Lake 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.
2 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
Use local or national lake-monitoring data to explain pressures such as nutrient pollution, invasive species, over-extraction, shoreline degradation or climate-related change.
Organize a lake or watershed clean-up only where local authorities or conservation groups can manage waste safely and avoid disturbing sensitive habitat.
Highlight restoration, sustainable fisheries, water-quality monitoring or community stewardship projects with links to the organizations responsible for them.
Connect lake protection to the wider catchment: actions upstream can materially change water quality and ecosystem health downstream.
Useful facts
World Lake Day is observed on 27 August.
The General Assembly established it through A/RES/79/142 on 12 December 2024.
Indonesia introduced the proposal.
The date is linked to the first World Lake Conference on 27 August 1984.
UNEP was invited to facilitate observance, and 2025 was the first observance.
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/RES/79/142 (opens in a new tab)
United Nations General Assembly meeting record A/79/PV.52 (opens in a new tab)
UNEP — World Lake Day 2025 (opens in a new tab)
United Nations — Today is the first World Lake 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 World Lake Day?
27 August The stored recurrence guidance is: 27 August.
Does World Lake 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 Lake 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 Lake Day?
The reviewed provenance layer identifies United Nations General Assembly as the proclaiming or establishing body. The proposer or originator is recorded separately as Indonesia. Current facilitation or coordination is recorded as United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
Is World Lake 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 Lake Day?
It is observed every year on 27 August.
Why is World Lake Day on 27 August?
The date corresponds to the first World Lake Conference, held on 27 August 1984.
Who established World Lake Day?
The United Nations General Assembly established it through Resolution A/RES/79/142 in December 2024, following a proposal introduced by Indonesia.
Other observances on August 27
These records also resolve to August 27, 2027 under the current authority data.
Independence Day of the Republic of Moldova
The Government of Moldova states that the Republic marks Independence Day on 27 August and that Moldova proclaimed independence on 27 August 1991; the 2026 programme marked the 35th anniver…
Lyndon Baines Johnson Day
Texas Government Code §662.003 lists 27 August, Lyndon Baines Johnson Day, among state holidays.
National Just Because Day
Independent observance calendars identify August 27 as the annual date of National Just Because Day.