On Monday 25 March 2024, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution to hold an annual international awareness day for play.
The International Day of Play will be held on 11 June 2024 and annually thereafter.
The International Day of Play campaign is coordinated by a network of organisations including the International Play Association. For information on the campaign and resources go to www.internationaldayofplay.org
United Nations General Assembly – International Day of Play:
“… Recognizing the role of play in building essential and transferable physical, social, cognitive, communication and emotional life skills at all ages, and its positive impact on promoting tolerance and resilience and facilitating social inclusion, conflict prevention and peacebuilding,
Recognizing also the importance of access to play and recreational activities and their contributions to the physical and psychosocial well-being and development of children and youth, regardless of race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national, ethnic or social origin, property, disability, birth or other status,
Acknowledging that play and recreation are essential to the health and well- being of children and promote the development of creativity, imagination, self-confidence, self-efficacy and sense of responsibility, as well as physical, social, cognitive, communication and emotional strength and skills,
- Decides to proclaim 11 June as the International Day of Play, to be observed annually;
- Invites all States Members of the United Nations, members of the specialized agencies and observers of the General Assembly, as well as the organizations of the United Nations system, other international, regional and subregional organizations and other relevant stakeholders, including civil society, the private sector and academia, to observe the International Day of Play in an appropriate manner through activities aimed at education and awareness-raising of the importance of play; …”