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The United Nations General Assembly has this week passed a draft resolution - co-sponsored by 138 countries - designating 11th June as International Day of Play.

Passed on 25th March the draft resolution was co-authored by Vietnam, Bulgaria, El Salvador, Jamaica, Kenya and Luxembourg.

It calls on all UN member countries and agencies, and other stakeholders, including non-governmental organisations (NGOs), research institutes and the private sector, to celebrate the day in order to raise public awareness of play and recreational activities.

Representatives from the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) applauded the initiative and pledged to facilitate the observance.

Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, Vietnam's Permanent Representative to the UN, stressed the importance of play and recreation to human development, and promoting the culture of dialogue, solidarity and cooperation, thus contributing to conflict prevention and peace building.

The ambassador thanked other UN member countries for their support, and expressed his hope that the initiative will be spread to contribute to maximising human potential and pushing ahead with the implementation of the UN 2030 agenda on sustainable development.

The International Play Association (IPA) which has campaigned for a UN Day of Play welcomed the move, releasing a social media post advising “a special thanks to all the partners who worked on this from across the corporate and NGO sector and especially the children and young people across the world who contributed to surveys and workshops and the call to action from children.”

IPA was part of a dedicated network of global organisations and play experts who had called on UN member states to support the resolution.

Image: Koala Conservation Reserve.

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