Zero Discrimination Day
Next: March 1, 2027
Everyone deserves a life with dignity.
The story
Where it comes from
Zero Discrimination Day was called for by UNAIDS, the UN's joint programme on HIV and AIDS, which launched its zero discrimination campaign on World AIDS Day in December 2013. The day was celebrated for the first time on 1 March 2014. UNAIDS describes it as a call to celebrate everyone's right to live a full and productive life with dignity, no matter what they look like, where they come from or whom they love.
How it's celebrated
People hold up the day's butterfly sign in photographs and share them, and community groups, schools, companies and health workers hold talks and events about inclusion and fair treatment. UNAIDS publishes a new theme each year. For the rest of us it is a good day to notice who gets left out, and to make room for them.
Did you know
- The day's symbol is a butterfly, chosen as a sign of transformation.
- The first Zero Discrimination Day was launched in Beijing on 27 February 2014, where more than 30 business leaders signed a pledge to end discrimination at work.
- The Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh was among the first celebrities to back the day, posing with the butterfly sign.
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- World Wildlife Day · March 3, 2027
- Hinamatsuri (Doll Festival) · March 3, 2027
- World Engineering Day · March 4, 2027
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