World Lake Day

World Lake Day is an international day commemorated every August 27. The World Lake Day resolution was co-proposed by 74 states, including Indonesia, as an initiator and adopted by consensus at the 79th Plenary Session of the UN General Assembly, held in New York, United States, on December 12, 2024. This date was chosen because it marks the opening day of the first World Lake Conference, or the Shiga Conference '84 on Conservation and Management of the World Lake Environment, held in August 1984 in Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture, Japan.

All UN member states, international organizations, and other relevant stakeholders are encouraged to observe World Lake Day by engaging in activities that educate the public and raise awareness about the importance of lakes. These activities should highlight the need to preserve, conserve, restore, and sustainably manage lakes and their ecosystems. The United Nations Environment Programme is responsible for facilitating the observance of World Lake Day.

History

• The UN 2023 Water Conference, held in New York, the United States, in March 2023, released its outcome, including a proposal to establish a World Lake Day in the Key Messages of Interactive Dialogue 3, co-chaired by Japan and Egypt.
• The 19th World Lake Conference was held in Balatonfüred, Hungary, in November 2023, and it released the Balaton Declaration, urging the designation of a World Lake Day at the United Nations General Assembly.
• The 10th World Water Forum, held in Bali, Indonesia, in May 2024, released the Ministerial Declaration proposing that World Lake Day be discussed in the UN process.
• The Special High-level Event on World Lake Day was held in September 2024 in New York, the United States, to discuss sound management and sustainable development of lakes and reservoirs.
• The World Lake Day resolution was co-proposed by 74 states, including Indonesia and Japan, and it was adopted at the 79th Plenary Session of the UN General Assembly in New York, the United States, in December 2024.