Date: Monday, 22 September 2025; 20th Anniversary.
Sponsor: United Nations
Objectives:
World Rivers Day is annually observed for the following purposes:
- to acknowledge the role and importance of rivers and other waterways,
- to raise and spread awareness of the threats that could potentially endanger the waterways around the world,
- to promote the improved stewardship of all waterways for sustainable development.
Inception:
World Rivers Day was observed for the first time in 2005, and since then, it is annually celebrated on the fourth Sunday of every September.
History:
The proposal for a global event to celebrate rivers was based on the success of British Columbia Rivers Day in western Canada since 1980. BC Rivers Day was founded and led by Mark Angelo, an internationally renowned river advocate and Chair Emeritus of the Rivers Institute at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT).
In response to Mark Angelo’s proposal, on 29 June 2005, the United Nations officially proclaimed the fourth Sunday of each September as World Rivers Day. At that time, the United Nations launched the Water for Life Decade to help create greater awareness of the need to better care for the world’s water resources.
Why do we mark World Rivers Day?
Rivers play an important role in the ecosystem and are extremely helpful to human life. They are one of the biggest sources of freshwater. Rivers not only provide us with fresh drinking water but also provide water for domestic needs (e.g., food, energy, recreation, hygiene) and agricultural purposes (e.g. irrigation). They also provide a pathway for people and goods to move or transport from place to place.
In recent decades, human activities driven by industrialization and population growth have caused pollution and damage to numerous waterways worldwide, particularly where people regularly use the rivers as a source of water and transport. Virtually, rivers in every country face an array of threats and thus need to be sustainably managed.
How to celebrate World Rivers Day
Learn, share, and action!
Each year, on the fourth Sunday of September, different organizations and communities organize a range of educational and promotional events to commemorate World Rivers Day. Celebrating activities range from symposiums, seminars, and lectures to stream cleanups, picnics, educational outings, riverside celebrations, and social media campaigns.
Each year, a specific theme is selected by the United Nations for World Rivers Day to help spread the message that waterways are vital to maintaining a healthy ecosystem and achieving sustainable development goals.
Official website:
