International Albinism Awareness Day 2025

I am always filled with awe and the knowledge of the power of what we as people are capable of. Watching my social feeds fill with events and celebrations marking International Albinism Awareness Day fills me with pride for the dedication and work involved in having the United Nations Human Rights Commission declare IAAD as a day of  global awareness.

History of IAAD

(According to the National Association for Albinism and Hypopigmentation - NOAH) 

On December 18, 2014, the United Nations’ General Assembly adopted a resolution establishing June 13th as International Albinism Awareness Day. This historic resolution confirmed the global focus on albinism advocacy. The late Ambassador of the Mission of Somalia to the U.N., Geneva, Yusuf Mohamed Ismail Bari-Bari, led the effort to pass the resolution in cooperation with ‘Under the Same Sun,’ an organization that promotes and protects the rights of people with albinism, particularly in Africa. Shortly thereafter, NOAH participated in a U.N. side event to celebrate the adoption of the resolution. The late Excellency Bari-Bari made opening and closing remarks at the event, which included sharing a story with Pope Francis in which he informed the Pontiff of the atrocities committed against people with albinism in Africa. Many other dignitaries also attended the event, and each made brief statements in support of the resolution. These attendees included representatives from the U.N. delegations from Italy, Israel, Canada, and the United States, the U.N. Special Representative on Violence against Children, a representative from UNICEF, and several key individuals in the albinism community.

Today, I had the honor of joining Jane Waithera, Founder and Director of Positive Exposure Kenya,  at Kenya Airways HQ in Nairobi to present a webinar on albinism to KQ employees. Kenya Airways is a pioneer with regards of disability inclusion. I met Lois Lihanda, a person with albinism, who is a member of Kenya Airways flight crew.  Linda Okolo-Maruti, Business Support Executive as well as Diversity Initiatives Champion with Kenya Airways, organized this webinar.  It was an honor to take part in this event. 

The theme for this year: "Demanding Our Rights: Protect Our Skin, Preserve Our Lives," highlights the urgent need for action to safeguard the health and well-being of people with albinism. 2025 marks ten years of awareness, which is especially relevant as persons with albinism globally are impacted by climate change. Additionally, more lives of persons  with albinism are cut short due to skin cancer.  Therefore, I’ve broken the theme down  as follows:

Demanding our rights

We all have a fundamental right to life. To humanity, to respect, to have opportunities. 

Protect our skin

Having access to sunscreen is tantamount to skin protection as is having sun protective clothing and access to hats.  Most countries do not make sunscreen available via prescription. Instead, most people are required to purchase their own. This works for some and is cost-prohibitive for others.  As the world becomes more impacted by climate change, conditions will continue to be challenging for persons with albinism. 

Preserve our lives

In preserving our lives, we are asking that we, like everyone, have care, respect, and compassion as persons with albinism to have an equal quality of life. 

While attacks against persons with albinism have decreased, sadly, they still occur. The Africa Albinism Network,  headed by Bonface Massah, is committed to fulfilling their mission. AAN promotes the rights, well-being, and inclusion of people with albinism in Africa through advocacy, capacity development, and collaboration throughout the continent. 

Albinism is a genetic condition affecting people globally. On the African continent, the rate of occurrence is 1/1400 persons. While in the United States and Europe,  1/20,000 are affected.  For more information, please visit

https://www.un.org/en/observances/albinism-day/albinism-and-human-rights.