World Tuna Day
A/RES/71/124
A/RES/71/124
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 Tuna Day is observed on 2 May. The United Nations General Assembly established the annual observance through resolution A/RES/71/124, adopted on 7 December 2016.
The day highlights tuna’s importance to food security, livelihoods and economies while emphasizing the need for long-term conservation and sustainable management of tuna stocks and marine ecosystems.
Why it matters
Tuna fisheries cross national boundaries and involve coastal States, distant-water fleets, regional fisheries bodies, markets and consumers. Sustainable management therefore depends on science, international rules, enforcement and cooperation rather than awareness alone.
The observance is also especially relevant to small island developing States whose economies, food systems and cultures can be closely tied to tuna resources.
History
Pacific Small Island Developing States advanced the proposal for World Tuna Day. During the General Assembly consideration, Palau introduced the draft on behalf of the Pacific SIDS group.
On 7 December 2016, the General Assembly adopted A/RES/71/124 and designated 2 May as World Tuna Day.
The United Nations celebrated World Tuna Day for the first time on 2 May 2017. The reviewed establishing sources designate the date but do not provide a source-explicit historical reason for choosing 2 May.
How the observance developed
This timeline is assembled only from verified provenance fields. Missing stages are omitted rather than inferred.
Pacific Small Island Developing States; Palau introduced the draft on their behalf
General Assembly meeting coverage states that the World Tuna Day text was introduced by Palau on behalf of the Pacific Small Island Developing States.
United Nations General Assembly
UN General Assembly resolution A/RES/71/124
First documented observance
The President of the General Assembly explicitly described 2 May 2017 as the first United Nations celebration of World Tuna 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.
4 fields not established in reviewed sources
Ways to observe
Learn which regional fisheries management organizations cover major tuna stocks and how scientific assessments are translated into catch or conservation measures.
Compare seafood labels or sourcing claims with information from fisheries authorities and avoid assuming that one certification answers every sustainability question.
Explore why highly migratory fish require cooperation across exclusive economic zones and the high seas.
Use an official stock-status source to distinguish the condition of a specific tuna stock from broad claims about tuna worldwide.
Useful facts
World Tuna Day is observed every year on 2 May.
The General Assembly established the day through resolution A/RES/71/124 on 7 December 2016.
Palau introduced the establishing draft on behalf of Pacific Small Island Developing States.
The first United Nations observance took place on 2 May 2017.
The reviewed first-party sources do not designate one continuing central facilitator or explain why 2 May was selected.
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/71/124 (opens in a new tab)
United Nations — General Assembly meeting coverage, 7 December 2016 (opens in a new tab)
President of the United Nations General Assembly — first-ever World Tuna Day (opens in a new tab)
United Nations Sustainable Development — inaugural World Tuna Day (opens in a new tab)
United Nations — World Tuna 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 Tuna Day?
2 May The stored recurrence guidance is: 2 May.
Does World Tuna 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 Tuna 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 Tuna Day?
The reviewed provenance layer identifies United Nations General Assembly as the proclaiming or establishing body. The proposer or originator is recorded separately as Pacific Small Island Developing States; Palau introduced the draft on their behalf.
Is World Tuna 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 was World Tuna Day established?
The UN General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/71/124 on 7 December 2016 and designated 2 May as World Tuna Day.
Who proposed World Tuna Day?
United Nations meeting coverage identifies Pacific Small Island Developing States as the initiative’s sponsors, with Palau introducing the draft on their behalf.
When was the first World Tuna Day?
The United Nations explicitly describes 2 May 2017 as the first UN celebration of World Tuna Day.
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