On World Blood Donor Day, celebrated on 14 June 2024, WHO, its partners and communities across the world will unite behind the theme: 20 years of celebrating giving: thank you blood donors!

The 20th anniversary of World Blood Donor Day is an excellent and timely opportunity to thank blood donors across the world for their life-saving donations over the years and honour the profound impact on both patients and donors. It is also a timely moment to address continued challenges, and accelerate progress towards a future where safe blood transfusion is universally accessible.

The objectives of the campaign:

• thank and recognize the millions of voluntary blood donors who have contributed to the health and well-being of millions of people around the world.
• showcase the achievements and challenges of national blood programmes and share best practices and lessons learned.
• highlight the continuous need for regular, unpaid blood donation to achieve universal access to safe blood transfusion.
• promote a culture of regular blood donation among young people and the general public and increase the diversity and sustainability of the blood donor pool.