What International Day of Peace is

A United Nations observance on 21 September, established in 1981 and fixed to that date in 2001, when the General Assembly also declared it a day of global ceasefire and non-violence.

The UN marks it by ringing the Peace Bell at headquarters. The ceasefire is a call rather than an enforceable instrument.

Why this date does not move

The countdown at the top of this page is live, and the date beneath it is the next occurrence. This is a fixed date: it falls on the same day of the month every year, so only the weekday changes.

The date follows a fixed calendar rule, so it can be computed years ahead. Where a country observes this as a public holiday, the official government calendar remains the authority for whether the day off is moved when it falls on a weekend.

What is coming up next

Once this date passes, the countdown moves on according to the recurrence rule described above. Calculated lunar dates remain estimates until the relevant calendar or local authority confirms them. See the full list of upcoming events, or use the countdown timer for a duration of your own.