UNESCO participates in the celebration of the following International Years, most of them proclaimed by the General Assembly of the United Nations:

2019

International Year of Indigenous Languages (A/RES/71/178)

International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements (A/RES/72/228, draft A/72/422/Add.2 and 39C/ decision 60)

2017

International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development (A/RES/70/193)

2015

International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies (Resolution A/RES/68/221)

2014

International Year of Crystallography (Resolution A/RES/66/284; implemented by UNESCO)

International Year of Small Island Developing States (Resolution A/RES/67/206; UN website)

International Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian People (Resolution A/RES/68/12)

2013

Mathematics of Planet Earth 2013 (not a UN international year, under the patronage of UNESCO)

International Year of Water Cooperation (Resolution A/RES/65/154; Coordinated by UNESCO on behalf of UN-Water)

2012

International year of Cooperatives (Resolution 64/136)

2011

International Year of Chemistry

International Year of Forests

2010

International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures

International Year of Biodiversity

2009

International Year of Reconciliation

International Year of Astronomy

Year of the Gorilla

2008

International Year of Planet Earth

International Year of Languages

2005

International Year for Sport and Physical Education

2004

International Year to Commemorate the Struggle against Slavery and its Abolition

2003

International Year of Freshwater

2002

United Nations Year for Cultural Heritage

For a comprehensive list of all years the United Nations and its Specialized Agencies observe see International Years.