Date: Friday, 23 October 2026; 2nd Annual Day.
Sponsor: United Nations Environment Programme
Objectives:
The International Day of the Snow Leopard is held each year with the following key goals:
- Promote greater international and regional collaboration to strengthen ongoing efforts for the conservation of snow leopards.
- Raise awareness about the critical need to combat the global decline in biodiversity by preventing the extinction of endangered species, improving their conservation status, and protecting and restoring natural habitats and ecosystems.
Inception:
The inaugural International Day of the Snow Leopard was observed on October 23, 2025, marking the beginning of an annual tradition dedicated to the protection and preservation of this iconic species.
History:
On December 12, 2024, the United Nations General Assembly officially declared October 23 as the International Day of the Snow Leopard, to be observed every year, through resolution A/RES/79/143.
The resolution encourages all Member States, as well as international and regional organizations, civil society, non-governmental organizations, individuals, and other relevant stakeholders, to participate in the observance of the International Day of the Snow Leopard. It further calls upon all stakeholders to actively promote and strengthen international and regional collaboration to support ongoing efforts for the conservation of the snow leopard.
Background:
The snow leopard (Panthera uncia) is a remarkable and ecologically important species inhabiting the mountainous regions of Asia. Its range spans Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, where it plays a vital role in maintaining the balance of fragile high-altitude ecosystems.
The snow leopard has been recognized as an endangered species for decades, being listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) since 1975, and in Appendix I of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) since 1986.
In 2017, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classified the snow leopard as “vulnerable” on its Red List of Threatened Species, highlighting the species’ ongoing risk of extinction in the wild within the foreseeable future.
Major threats to the snow leopard’s survival include habitat loss and fragmentation, depletion of prey populations, illegal trafficking, poaching, and the impacts of climate change. These challenges continue to endanger the species and underscore the urgent need for collaborative conservation efforts.
Official website:
https://www.un.org/en/observances/snow-leopard-day
