International Day of Non-Violence 2027 is on Saturday

About International Day of Non-Violence

The International Day of Non-Violence honors the idea that people can resist injustice and win political or social change without physical violence. The UN ties it to Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, born on October 2, 1869, who led the campaign for Indian independence from British rule through mass non-cooperation and civil disobedience, including the Salt March of 1930. His methods later influenced civil rights and freedom movements in many other countries.

The General Assembly established the day in resolution 61/271, adopted on June 15, 2007. The resolution describes the day as an occasion to spread the message of non-violence, including through education and public awareness, and it reaffirms the universal relevance of the principle. India introduced the resolution, and the UN notes that it had 140 co-sponsors, which India's minister of state for external affairs presented as a sign of the respect Gandhi commands worldwide. In India itself, October 2 is also marked as Gandhi Jayanti, Gandhi's birth anniversary.

At UN Headquarters in New York the day is usually marked with a commemorative event organized by India's Permanent Mission to the UN. Visitors to the UN's plaza can see the "Non-Violence" sculpture by the Swedish artist Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd, a revolver with its barrel tied in a knot, which has become a common symbol of the cause.

Gandhi was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1937, 1938, 1939 and 1947, and again shortly before he was assassinated in January 1948, but he never received it. The Nobel Prize organization has published an account of why, and later members of the Nobel Committee have publicly regretted the omission.

Sources: United Nations: International Day of Non-Violence, General Assembly resolution 61/271 (2007), Nobelprize.org: Mahatma Gandhi, the missing laureate. How we check dates.

How to mark International Day of Non-Violence

• Read a short collection of Gandhi's writings, or a history of a non-violent movement such as the Salt March or the US civil rights movement.
• Take a conflict-resolution or de-escalation course, often offered free by community mediation centers and libraries.
• Hold a discussion at school or work about how non-violent protest has changed laws and governments.
• Support an organization that helps survivors of violence or works to prevent it in your community.
• Practice non-violence in daily speech: settle one disagreement calmly, or step away from an online argument.

International Day of Non-Violence dates