What is World Day for Cultural Diversity All About?

The World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development (more commonly known as “World Day for Cultural Diversity” takes place every year on May 21. Here’s what you need to know about this international holiday:

The World Day for Cultural Diversity Grew Out of a United Nations Declaration

After 2001’s  “Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity,” the United Nations established the  “World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development” in 2002, set for May 21 every year. 

The Holiday “Provides us With an Opportunity to Deepen our Understanding of the Values of Cultural Diversity”

According to the United Nations’ website on the holiday, the World Day for Cultural Diversity is meant to “advance the four goals of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions adopted on 20 October 2005.”

Those four goals include:  

• Support sustainable systems of governance for culture
• Achieve a balanced flow of cultural goods and services and increase mobility of artists and cultural professionals
• Integrate culture in sustainable development frameworks
• Promote human rights and fundamental freedoms

The website also details that “three-quarters of the world’s major conflicts have a cultural dimension” and that “bridging the gap between cultures is urgent and necessary for peace, stability, and development.”

Global Organizations Can Use the Day to Celebrate Diversity in their Organizations or Highlight Their DEI Practices

As the day grows in prominence, the World Day for Cultural Diversity offers an excellent opportunity for organizations to celebrate diversity within their organizations and highlight their specific DEI practices. 

Some suggestions to celebrate the World Day for Cultural Diversity include:

• Highlighting the company’s ongoing DEI efforts through an email, video, internal posting, or press release
• Donating to a charity dedicated to growing diversity within your organization’s industry
• Putting the spotlight on a diverse member of your organization to detail their personal history, work history, and thoughts on diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Cataloging the thoughts of several diverse members of your organization, sharing their stories and thoughts on how other people can help grow DEI in a blog post, social media post, podcast, or other media form.

Aperian Resources for the World Day for Cultural Diversity

Here’s a list of helpful resources from Aperian Global that can help with both your DEI efforts and your World Day for Cultural Diversity celebrations:

Blog Posts

• Diversity Management: Prioritize Inclusion and Manage Diversity in the Workplace
• Types of Diversity in the Workplace
• Generational Diversity: How Can it Help Your Organization?
• The Ten Big Benefits of Diversity in the Workplace
• Why Gender Diversity Matters in the Modern Workplace
• Crafting the Right Diversity Equity and Inclusion Mission Statement
• Intersectionality: The Role of Identity in the Workplace

On-Demand Webinars 

• Global Perspectives on Race, Ethnicity, and Equity
• GlobeSmart Learning Moment: Motivating Across Cultures

Quick Guides 

• 5 Powerful Ways to Become More Inclusive
• Inclusive Behavior: Building Key Skills
• Ten Key Diversity and Inclusion Terms You Need to Know Now
• Quick Guide to Common Workplace Micro-Inequities
• Quick Guide to Inclusive Management