United Nations observes International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on 21 March

Exam-focused facts from the 22 March 2026 current affairs briefing.

Key facts

The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed on 21 March each year.
The date commemorates the 1960 Sharpeville Massacre in South Africa when police killed 69 peaceful demonstrators protesting apartheid pass laws.
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) proclaimed this day as an international observance in 1966.
In 1979 UNGA decided that a week of solidarity with peoples struggling against racism and racial discrimination should be organized annually starting on 21 March.
The observance led to the creation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD).