Date: Thursday, 27 August 2026, 2nd Annual Day.
Sponsor: United Nations Environment Programme
Objectives:
World Lake Day is held annually with the following goals:
- Increase global awareness about the current conditions of lakes, focusing on declining water quality and quantity, and highlighting the urgent need for action.
- Advance education about the significance of lakes, emphasizing their key role in sustaining human life, supporting biodiversity, and strengthening ecosystem resilience through responsible and sustainable management, in alignment with Sustainable Development Goal 6.
- Highlight the vital importance of water as a foundation for health, well-being, and human progress, and as a crucial factor in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and other societal, environmental, and economic targets.
- Acknowledge how sustainable lake management contributes to addressing environmental issues and supports global efforts to safeguard natural resources.
Inception:
The inaugural World Lake Day was commemorated on August 27, 2025.
History:
On December 12, 2024, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/79/142, officially designating August 27 as World Lake Day to be observed annually.
This resolution encourages all United Nations Member States, specialized agencies, General Assembly observers, and organizations within the UN system, as well as international, regional, and subregional bodies, civil society, the private sector, and academia, to participate in World Lake Day. Stakeholders are invited to celebrate the day by organizing educational and awareness-raising initiatives that highlight the significance of lakes and promote their preservation, conservation, restoration, and sustainable management, along with related ecosystems.
Official website:
https://www.un.org/en/observances/world-lake-day
