International Day of Neutrality

The International Day of Neutrality is an international observance as per the official declaration of the United Nations General Assembly resolution adopted on 2nd February 2017 and was first observed on 12th December 2017.
A neutral country is a sovereign state that abstains itself from participation in war as per international law. The rights and duties of a neutral country are defined in the 1907 Hague Convention.

In 1815, Switzerland was the first country to declare itself permanent neutral, but Turkmenistan was the first state whose neutrality was recognized by the United Nations. On 12th December 1995, the UN General Assembly adopted resolution 50/80 under which Turkmenistan was declared a completely neutral state. In 2017, the anniversary of this event was recognized as the International Day of Neutrality.