World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD), observed on 21 March every year, is a global awareness day which has been officially observed by the United Nations since 2012.

Down Syndrome International (DSi) encourages our friends all over the world to choose their own activities and events on WDSD to help raise awareness of what Down Syndrome is, what it means to have Down Syndrome, and how people with Down Syndrome play a vital role in our lives and communities.

For this purpose DSi created this dedicated WDSD website as a single global meeting place where everyone can share their experiences and advertise their activities (see WDSD World Events) and participate in DSi’s WDSD initiatives, including DSi’s WDSD Theme, the WDSD Global Video Event, the WDSD Conference held at United Nations Headquarters, New York, USA, the LOTS OF SOCKS campaign and the WDSD Awards.

Join in with us to create a single global voice for advocating for the rights, inclusion and well being of people with Down Syndrome on 21 March. Each year the voice of people with Down Syndrome, and those who live and work with them, grows louder.

Register today so you can start to upload your activities and events and join our global online WDSD community.

WHY MARCH 21?

The date for WDSD being the 21st day of the 3rd month, was selected to signify the uniqueness of the triplication (trisomy) of the 21st chromosome which causes Down Syndrome.

HISTORY OF WDSD

WDSD was first observed in 2006 in many countries around the world and Down Syndrome Association Singapore launched and hosted the WDSD website from 2006 – 2010, on behalf of DSi, for global activities to be recorded.

On 19 December 2011, the United Nations General Assembly declared 21 March as World Down Syndrome Day. The General Assembly decided to “designate 21 March as World Down Syndrome Day, to be observed every year beginning in 2012” and “invites all Member States, relevant organizations of the United Nations system and other international organizations, as well as civil society, including non-governmental organizations and the private sector, to observe World Down Syndrome Day in an appropriate manner, in order to raise public awareness of Down Syndrome”.

For more information contact

Jamaica Down’s Syndrome Foundation, call 978-0829