A global day celebrating the people behind nonprofits and NGOs making a difference around the world.
The first edition records how the Day has developed, country by country, with named sources.
There are many ways to take part in World NGO Day.
For over a decade, the symbol has represented unity, diversity, and the people behind civil society, celebrated every 27 February.
It is World NGO Day’s international recognition of cities that welcome nonprofits and promote their nonprofit-friendly local places and businesses.
Supporter BadgeStand out as a nonprofit-friendly local business.It helps organizations find nonprofit-friendly local places and businesses.
Learn who safeguards the legacy of World NGO Day and how you can support it.
FriendsHAUS Founder and Assistance League of Los Angeles Board Member J’Net Nguyen joins as Executive Advisor.
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World NGO Day is an international day celebrating the people behind nonprofits and non-governmental organizations, observed every 27 February.
From its beginnings to a global day recognized across borders, explore the milestones, people and places that have shaped World NGO Day since 2009.
On World NGO Day, we stand firm in our commitment to protect and support a strong, independent and resilient civil society and to strengthen partnerships with NGOs across the globe.
As the governor of Washington, it is my honor and privilege to join our community in celebrating World NGO Day. On this occasion, we take a moment to recognize and appreciate the invaluable contributions made by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) across our nation and world. I encourage all Washingtonians to take a moment today to learn about the impactful work being done by NGOs around the world.
On World NGO Day, we honour the remarkable dedication and resilience of workers in international development and humanitarian assistance. These often-unsung heroes are committed to reaching vulnerable and marginalized people with responsive, inclusive and life-changing assistance.
World NGO Day is an annual celebration recognizing the founders, employees, volunteers, members and supporters of organizations independent of government.
For the first time, World NGO Day, a global observance, is honoring cities around the world that welcome nonprofits and promote their nonprofit-friendly local places and businesses.
Through World NGO Day, we have seen that beyond their missions, more than 10 million NGOs and nonprofits worldwide bring events, visitors and spending to cities and local businesses.
Yet not every city actively welcomes NGOs and nonprofits or promotes its nonprofit-friendly local places and businesses, making it harder for organizations to find them in other cities.
That’s why, each year, the World NGO Day Global Council selects three Nonprofit Friendly Cities. The selected cities remain confidential until their official announcement on February 27, as part of the global World NGO Day celebration.
The Baltic states of Lithuania and Latvia have formally integrated World NGO Day into their national calendars, strengthening the partnership between government institutions and the non-governmental sector.
Read more →The inaugural Global Review aggregates records from 2009 to 2026, documenting observance activities across more than 140 countries and territories in over 90 languages and scripts.
Read more →The World NGO Day Global Review documents the observance across diverse writing systems and languages, highlighting an organic, grassroots adoption that reflects local identities and communities worldwide.
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A more expressive World NGO Day website, a richer editorial experience and a redesigned MyWND ecosystem created to welcome more people who care about the global day and its movement.
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