International Day of Friendship - 30 July

Sharing the human spirit through friendship

Our world faces many challenges, crises and forces of division — such as poverty, violence, and human rights abuses — among many others — that undermine peace, security, development and social harmony among the world's peoples.

To confront those crises and challenges, their root causes must be addressed by promoting and defending a shared spirit of human solidarity that takes many forms — the simplest of which is friendship.

Through friendship — by accumulating bonds of camaraderie and developing strong ties of trust — we can contribute to the fundamental shifts that are urgently needed to achieve lasting stability, weave a safety net that will protect us all, and generate passion for a better world where all are united for the greater good.

Background

The International Day of Friendship was proclaimed in 2011 by the UN General Assembly with the idea that friendship between peoples, countries, cultures and individuals can inspire peace efforts and build bridges between communities.

The resolution places emphasis on involving young people, as future leaders, in community activities that include different cultures and promote international understanding and respect for diversity.

To mark the International Day of Friendship the UN encourages governments, international organizations and civil society groups to hold events, activities and initiatives that contribute to the efforts of the international community towards promoting a dialogue among civilizations, solidarity, mutual understanding and reconciliation.

The International Day of Friendship is an initiative that follows on the proposal made by UNESCO defining the Culture of Peace as a set of values, attitudes and behaviours that reject violence and endeavour to prevent conflicts by addressing their root causes with a view to solving problems. It was then adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1997.

Essential Readings

• International Day of Friendship
  
  (General Assembly resolution)
• Culture of Peace (General Assembly resolution)
• Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace 
• International Day of Peace
  
  (General Assembly resolution)
• Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief
• UNESCO: Culture of Peace and Non-violence
• UNICEF: Friendship: Something to Remember

Related Observances

• World Day of Social Justice 
• International Day of Happiness 
• International Day of Conscience
• International Day of Families 
• International Day of Living Together in Peace
• World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development
• International Day of Peace
• International Day for Tolerance  
• International Human Solidarity Day

Actions to Promote a Culture of Peace

• foster a culture of peace through education;
• promote sustainable economic and social development;
• promote respect for all human rights;
• ensure equality between women and men;
• foster democratic participation;
• advance understanding, tolerance and solidarity;
• support participatory communication and the free flow of information and knowledge;
• promote international peace and security.

This part of the article has been published in the United Nations' site in this link: https://www.un.org/en/observances/friendship-day.