International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed annually on March 21, the day in 1960 when the police in Sharpeville, South Africa, opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration against apartheid "pass laws." The 2026 theme for the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is "Mobilizing Political Will."
In 1979, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted a program of activities to be undertaken during the second half of the "Decade for Action to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination." On that occasion, the General Assembly decided that a week of solidarity with the peoples struggling against racism and racial discrimination, beginning on March 21, would be organized on an annual basis in all member states. To learn more about the UN's fight against racism and how we call all play a part, .
