International Day against Violence and Bullying at School, including Cyberbullying2026 · Date · History · Messages · Quotes
Declared by UNESCO Member States
About International Day against Violence and Bullying at School, including Cyberbullying
The International Day against Violence and Bullying at School, including Cyberbullying, is observed on the first Thursday of November. UNESCO Member States established the annual day in 2019.
The day focuses on preventing violence, bullying and cyberbullying that interfere with learners’ rights, safety, health, well-being and access to education.
Why International Day against Violence and Bullying at School, including Cyberbullying matters
School violence can involve physical, verbal, psychological and online harm. An observance should therefore emphasize prevention, safe reporting systems, supportive school climates and the participation of learners, educators and families rather than placing responsibility only on individual children.
Cyberbullying connects school safety with digital citizenship and online conduct. Educational activities should avoid exposing individual students’ experiences without consent or turning serious incidents into public spectacle.
History of International Day against Violence and Bullying at School, including Cyberbullying
UNESCO’s 40th General Conference examined document 40 C/78 and adopted 40 C/Resolution 19 on 25 November 2019, proclaiming the first Thursday of November as the annual International Day.
The first-ever celebration took place on 5 November 2020. UNESCO used the inaugural edition to mobilize governments, experts and education communities around preventing school violence and bullying, including cyberbullying.
The institutional identifiers are kept distinct: 40 C/78 is the document considered by the Conference, while 40 C/Resolution 19 is the adopted act.
How the observance developed
This timeline uses documented milestones from reviewed sources. Missing stages are left out rather than guessed.
UNESCO General Conference
UNESCO General Conference 40 C/Resolution 19
First documented observance
UNESCO explicitly describes 5 November 2020 as the first-ever celebration.
UNESCO
UNESCO maintains the observance platform and mobilizes education stakeholders around the annual day.
What the evidence establishes
Confirmed institutional roles and milestones are shown first. Details that could not be established from the reviewed sources are listed separately below.
4 fields not established in reviewed sources
How to Observe International Day against Violence and Bullying at School, including Cyberbullying
Review a school or youth organization’s reporting and safeguarding pathways so learners know where and how to seek help.
Run a digital-citizenship activity that distinguishes disagreement, harmful behavior, repeated bullying and cyberbullying without asking participants to disclose personal incidents publicly.
Invite students to help design respectful classroom or online-community norms and identify practical bystander actions.
Use age-appropriate UNESCO or education-authority resources when discussing prevention, response and referral.
International Day against Violence and Bullying at School, including Cyberbullying Facts
The observance falls on the first Thursday of November.
UNESCO’s General Conference established the day in 2019 through 40 C/Resolution 19.
The formal record says the Conference examined document 40 C/78 before adopting the resolution.
The first-ever celebration was held on 5 November 2020.
The day explicitly includes cyberbullying as well as other forms of violence and bullying at school.
International Day against Violence and Bullying at School, including Cyberbullying Messages
Wishing everyone observing International Day against Violence and Bullying at School, including Cyberbullying a day of reflection, constructive dialogue and purposeful follow-through.
On International Day against Violence and Bullying at School, including Cyberbullying, may awareness lead to informed discussion, practical action and respect for the communities at the heart of the observance.
May International Day against Violence and Bullying at School, including Cyberbullying encourage thoughtful participation, shared responsibility and action that continues after the observance ends.
International Day against Violence and Bullying at School, including Cyberbullying Quotes
“Let us come together with a commitment to fostering digital citizenship, empathy and mutual respect both online and offline.”
Topic and context
What this page does not assume
- Keep the source-defined country, community, organizer or institutional scope; do not silently broaden it.
- Do not treat the title alone as proof of government recognition or public-holiday status.
- Do not add a creator, founding story or origin claim unless the supporting evidence establishes it.
Evidence & sources
Sources used across the guide are gathered here. Labels show how each source supports the page, and contextual references are kept separate from primary evidence.
UNESCO General Conference — Records of the 40th session, 40 C/Resolution 19 / document 40 C/78 (opens in a new tab)
UNESCO — first-ever celebration, 5 November 2020 (opens in a new tab)
UNESCO — International Day against Violence and Bullying at School (opens in a new tab)
Dedicated Authoritative Page
Understand it, compare it, then explore further
Start with the most common factual questions, then compare closely related observances and explore useful connections.
Frequently asked questions
When is International Day against Violence and Bullying at School, including Cyberbullying?
First Thursday of November The documented recurrence rule is: First Thursday of November.
Does International Day against Violence and Bullying at School, including Cyberbullying fall on the same date every year?
It follows a recurring calendar rule, so the Gregorian date can change from year to year.
Is International Day against Violence and Bullying at School, including Cyberbullying an official public holiday?
The reviewed sources verify it within this scope: UNESCO international day. That recognition does not by itself make it a statutory public holiday; the site only makes public-holiday claims when reliable evidence explicitly does so.
Who established or recognizes International Day against Violence and Bullying at School, including Cyberbullying?
The reviewed sources identify UNESCO General Conference as the proclaiming or establishing body. Current facilitation or coordination is recorded as UNESCO.
Is International Day against Violence and Bullying at School, including Cyberbullying international or country-specific?
The documented scope is international or global: UNESCO international day. That does not mean every country treats the date as a public holiday or observes it in the same way.
How is this page verified?
The factual information is checked against reviewed sources, including the date pattern, scope and institutional history. This page was checked on 2026-09-05.
When was the school violence and bullying day established?
UNESCO’s General Conference adopted 40 C/Resolution 19 on 25 November 2019.
When was it first observed?
UNESCO identifies 5 November 2020 as the first-ever celebration.
Is 40 C/78 the establishing resolution?
No. 40 C/78 is the document examined by the General Conference; the adopted act is 40 C/Resolution 19.
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