International Day of Human Fraternity
Established by the UN in 2020 to mark the 2019 signing of the Document on Human Fraternity in Abu Dhabi, promoting tolerance and coexistence.
Date4 February
TopicPeace & Safety
Established2020
Ways to observe this day
- Read excerpts of the Document on Human Fraternity together as a family and discuss its meaning
- Do a shared act of charity with neighbors or friends from different backgrounds
- Hold a family conversation about tolerance and coexistence
- Join a community event that celebrates cultural and religious diversity
On December 21, 2020, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring February 4 the International Day of Human Fraternity, first observed in 2021. The date commemorates the historic meeting between Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmad al-Tayyib, in Abu Dhabi on February 4, 2019, which produced the Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together.
The day aims to promote a culture of tolerance and dialogue among people of different faiths and cultures, reinforcing the idea that human diversity — across religion, ethnicity, and culture — is not a threat but a richness to be preserved and celebrated, and that human solidarity is the best response to extremism and hatred.
It is marked through international events organized by the UN alongside religious and civil society organizations, as well as local initiatives that bring together people of different faiths for dialogue and shared community service projects, aiming to turn the language of fraternity into concrete everyday practice.
