Important Days and Dates

World Ocean Day is celebrated on June 8. The Government of Canada proposed the concept of World Ocean Day in 1992 at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro and the day has been celebrated internationally ever since.

The World Elephant Day is observed every year on August 12 to create awareness of the urgent plight of African and Asian elephants, and to share knowledge and positive solutions for the better care and management of captive and wild elephants.

The International Day for the Abolition of Slavery is observed on December 2 every year with an objective to raise awareness about slavery and its impact on the society. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO) presently there are an estimated 21 million forced labour victims worldwide, who creates US$ 150 billion in illegal profits in the private economy each year. On 2 December 1949, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly approved the resolution ‘Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others’.

The United Nations’ World Day against Trafficking in Persons is observed every year on July 30 to raise awareness and encourage the international community to take action against human trafficking.