International Day of Care and Support2026 · Date · History · Messages · Quotes
A/RES/77/317
About International Day of Care and Support
The International Day of Care and Support is observed on 29 October to recognize the importance of paid and unpaid care and support and the systems that make dignified care possible.
The UN framing connects care with gender equality, disability inclusion, ageing, children, decent work, social protection and the rights of both people providing and people receiving care and support.
Why International Day of Care and Support matters
Care work is essential but is often unevenly distributed and undervalued. Strong care systems therefore involve more than appreciation: they include services, labour rights, accessibility, social protection and policies that recognize and redistribute care responsibilities.
The observance should not romanticize unpaid caregiving or assume every family can absorb care needs privately. Safety, consent, respite, professional support and the rights of care workers and recipients all matter.
History of International Day of Care and Support
In July 2023, the UN General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/77/317 proclaiming 29 October as the International Day of Care and Support.
The first observance was held on 29 October 2023; the International Labour Organization explicitly referred to it as the first International Day of Care and Support.
The resolution calls attention to resilient, gender-responsive, disability-inclusive and age-sensitive care and support systems and recognizes the importance of decent work for paid care workers.
A/RES/77/317 explicitly invites UN Women, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the International Labour Organization to facilitate the observance in collaboration with other relevant organizations.
How the observance developed
This timeline uses documented milestones from reviewed sources. Missing stages are left out rather than guessed.
United Nations General Assembly
UN General Assembly resolution A/RES/77/317
First documented observance
The International Labour Organization’s statement dated 29 October 2023 explicitly refers to the first International Day of Care and Support.
UN Women, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), and International Labour Organization (ILO)
A/RES/77/317 explicitly invites UN Women, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the International Labour Organization to facilitate the observance in collaboration with other relevant organizations.
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 of Care and Support
Map the formal and informal care services available in a community and identify practical access gaps.
Discuss how workplaces, public services and social protection can support people with care responsibilities.
Recognize paid care workers and unpaid caregivers without treating overwork or unsafe conditions as inevitable.
Include the perspectives and autonomy of people receiving care or support rather than discussing them only through caregivers.
International Day of Care and Support Facts
The International Day of Care and Support is observed on 29 October.
The UN General Assembly proclaimed the day in 2023 through A/RES/77/317.
The UN frames care as connected with gender equality, human rights and decent work.
The first observance was held on 29 October 2023.
The observance covers both people providing care and support and people receiving it.
UN Women, OHCHR and the ILO are explicitly invited by A/RES/77/317 to facilitate the observance.
International Day of Care and Support Messages
Wishing everyone marking International Day of Care and Support a day of genuine recognition, respect and gratitude.
Today, may International Day of Care and Support turn a simple thank-you into lasting respect for the people and work being recognized.
On International Day of Care and Support, take a moment to recognize the people, skills and everyday contributions at the heart of this observance.
May International Day of Care and Support bring thoughtful appreciation to work and contributions that are easy to overlook but important to communities.
International Day of Care and Support Quotes
“This is a day to celebrate carers, but it is also a day to push for change in the way we care.”
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.
International Labour Organization — first International Day of Care and Support, 29 October 2023 (opens in a new tab)
United Nations Digital Library — A/RES/77/317 action record (opens in a new tab)
United Nations General Assembly — A/RES/77/317 (opens in a new tab)
United Nations — International Day of Care and Support (opens in a new tab)
United Nations — List of International Days and Weeks (opens in a new tab)
United Nations — Observances: who chooses them and how (opens in a new tab)
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 of Care and Support?
29 October The documented recurrence rule is: 29 October.
Does International Day of Care and Support fall on the same date every year?
Yes. It uses a fixed annual date unless stronger evidence changes the pattern.
Is International Day of Care and Support an official public holiday?
The reviewed sources verify it within this scope: United Nations / international observance. 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 of Care and Support?
The reviewed sources identify United Nations General Assembly as the proclaiming or establishing body. Current facilitation or coordination is recorded as UN Women, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), and International Labour Organization (ILO).
Is International Day of Care and Support international or country-specific?
The documented scope is international or global: United Nations / international observance. 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 International Day of Care and Support established?
The UN General Assembly proclaimed it in 2023 through resolution A/RES/77/317.
Why is it on 29 October?
The resolution establishes 29 October as the annual date, but the reviewed institutional evidence does not provide a strong origin story for that exact date.
Is the day only about family caregivers?
No. It covers paid and unpaid care and support, care workers, care recipients, public systems, social protection and the distribution of care responsibilities.
How this differs from closely related observances
These distinctions use the cited evidence to clarify scope without treating related observances as identical.
Is International Day of Care and Support the same as Global Day of Parents?
The International Day of Care and Support covers paid and unpaid care, care workers, care recipients and care systems across the life course. Global Day of Parents specifically recognizes parents and parenting responsibilities.
Open Global Day of Parents →Distinction sources
Other observances on October 29
These observances are also listed on October 29, 2027.
ARPANET first-message anniversary
DARPA and UCLA document the first host-to-host ARPANET message on October 29, 1969. “National Internet Day” is retained only as a search/legacy alias for this historical anniversary, not as…
National Breadstick Day
Calendar and institutional event material use the last Friday in October for National Breadstick Day.
National Cat Day
Founder Colleen Paige’s current holiday list places National Cat Day on October 29; U.S. public institutions also recognize the date in programming and resolutions.
National Indigenous Peoples Thanksgiving Day
Philippine Proclamation No. 486, s. 2003 declares October 29, 2003 and every year thereafter as National Indigenous Peoples Thanksgiving Day; the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples i…
Nevada Day
Nevada Revised Statutes / State of Nevada holiday guidance
Republic Day
Turkish government historical material verifies the 29 October 1923 proclamation; current Law No. 2429 defines October 29 as the National Holiday and the legal period from 13:00 on October…