An international day of mourning is a day, or one of several days, marked by mourning and memorial activities observed among countries under an intergovernmental organization. They are designated by the intergovernmental organization. Such days include those marking the death or funeral of a renowned individual or individuals from a country of that organization or elsewhere or the anniversary of such a death or deaths, the anniversaries of a significant natural or man-made disaster occurring in the country of the organization, wartime commemorations or in memory of the victims of a terrorist attack. Common symbols include flying the organization's flag at half-mast and observing minutes of silence.
Background The concept was first introduced by European Commission in September 2001 after the terrorist attacks in the United States. The commission, together with the European Council and the European Parliament, designated 14 September 2001 as a day of mourning in member states and EU institutions. European citizens were asked to join in three minutes of silence. The Arab League observed three days of mourning for the death of King Fahd of Saudi Arabia on 4 August 2005. After these, many organizations observed day of international mourning for several times.
List Organization Year Days Reason Notes 2001 1 Victims of the September 11 attacks Three minutes of silence. 2005 3 Death of King Fahd of Saudi Arabia 2006 3 Death of Emir of Kuwait Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah Economic Community of West African States 2009 30 Death of President of Gabon Omar Bongo 2010 1 Victims of the Smolensk air disaster in Russia One minute of silence at NATO headquarters in Brussels. 2010 1 Death of former President of Argentina Néstor Kirchner20133Death of former President of South Africa Nelson Mandela 2015 1 Victims of the November 2015 Paris attacks One minute of silence.20193Victims of the crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 2019 3 Death of President of Tunisia Beji Caid Essebsi 2020 3 Death of former President of Tanzania Benjamin Mkapa 2020 3 Death of Emir of Kuwait Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah 2021 4 Assassination of President of Haiti Jovenel Moïse CARICOM Standard and national flags were flown at half-staff for 3 days starting from Wednesday July 7 to Friday July 9 and on funeral day of Haitian president. 2022 3 Death of President of UAE Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Arab League flag lowered at half-mast 2023 3 Victims of the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital explosion
See also National day of mourning, a similar concept at the national level European Day of Mourning, a similar concept at the EU level Arab League Day of Mourning, a similar concept at the Arab League level
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