International Day of Non-Violence Date in the current year: October 2, 2024

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, more commonly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was the leader of Indian independence movement. While independence activists in other countries often preferred armed struggle, Gandhi chose to employ non-violent civil disobedience.

He developed his own philosophy known as satyagraha, which strongly influenced on the civil resistance movement. The principle of non-violent resistance rejects the use of any kind of physical violence in order to achieve political or social change.

During the 2004 World Social Forum, Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi proposed that the anniversary of Gandhi's death be observed as International Day of Non-Violence. Three years later, Indian politician Sonia Gandhi and South African activist Desmond Tutu began to promote Ebadi's suggestion. However, they preferred to propose Gandhi's birthday instead.

October 2 was officially designated as International Day of Non-Violence on June 15, 2007. It focuses on spreading the message of non-violence through public awareness campaigns and education.