About the International Day of Mathematics
The International Day of Mathematics (IDM) is a worldwide celebration. Each year on March 14 all countries will be invited to participate through activities for both students and the general public in schools, museums, libraries and other spaces.
March 14 was chosen as the date for the IDM because it was already celebrated in many countries as Pi Day, based on the fact that some countries write it as 3/14 and the mathematical constant Pi is approximately 3.14.
The International Day of Mathematics project is led by the International Mathematical Union with the support of numerous international and regional organizations from all over the world. It was proclamated by UNESCO on the 40th session of the General Conference, November 26, 2019. The first celebration was held on March 14, 2020.
Goals of the IDM
The International Day of Mathematics is the opportunity the explain and celebrate the essential role that mathematics and mathematics education play in breakthroughs in science and technology, improving the quality of life, empowering women and girls, and contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda (SDG1-17) of the United Nations.
The major goals of an International Day of Mathematics, with expected benefits for students, for teachers, for women and girls and for society at large are to:
- Improve understanding among the general public, decision makers and in schools, of the importance of mathematics in education;
- Contribute to capacity building in mathematical and scientific education, with special focus on girls and children from developing countries (SDG4);
- Achieve gender equality and empower women and girls in mathematics (SDG5);
- Improve understanding among the general public, with decision makers and in schools of the importance of mathematics as a tool for developments which lead to more prosperous economy circumstances (SDG9);
- Emphasize the importance of basic research in mathematical sciences as the seed to breakthroughs in technology and the management of society (SDG8);
- Highlight the role of mathematics in the organization of modern society, including economic, financial, health and transport systems, telecommunications in the quest for human well-being, etc. (SDG3);
- Raise awareness of the role of mathematics in fighting disasters, epidemics, emerging diseases, invasive species (SDG11);
- Highlight the role of mathematics in moving to a circular economy of sustainability compatible with preservation of biodiversity (SDG14 and 15);
- Equip the general public and young people with tools for understanding the planetary challenges and the capacity to respond as knowledgeable citizens;
- Increase international networking and collaborations in public awareness of mathematics;
- Increase the access to information, providing a simple way to give citizens a choice in all aspects of their daily life.
Supporting organizations
The Klaus Tschira Stiftung supports the IDM’s websites, communication, digital tools, and content from the first edition in 2019. Since 2021 the Simons Foundation has supported IDM activities in Africa and Latin America.
Other organizations supported various IDM activities:
The Proclamation of the IDM
The International Day of Mathematics project was initiated by the International Mathematical Union with the support of the following organizations:
- The International Council of Industrial and Applied Mathematics (ICIAM),
- The Committee for Women in Mathematics of IMU (CWM),
- The International Commission on Mathematical Instruction (ICMI),
- The African Mathematical Union (AMU),
- The European Mathematical Society (EMS),
- The Mathematical Council of the Americas (MCA)
- The Unión Matemática de América Latina y el Caribe (UMALCA),
- The Southeast Asian Mathematical Society (SEAMS)
- The Southern Africa Mathematical Sciences Association (SAMSA)
- The International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP)
- The Centre international de mathématiques pures et appliquées (CIMPA)
- The Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD)
- The African Women in Mathematics Association (AWMA)
- The African Mathematical Union Commission of African Women in Mathematics (AMU-CAWM)
- The European Women in Mathematics (EWM)
- The International Science Council (ISC)
It was proclaimed by UNESCO on the 40th session of the General Conference, November 26, 2019. The first celebration was held on March 14, 2020.
IDM Ambassadors
National IDM Ambassadors help us spread the celebration in their countries, act as a link with school networks, local math organizations and the press. Also, they often take part in organizing events in their countries.
If your country doesn’t have an ambassador and you want to be considered, please contact us.
| Algeria |
Rachid Bebbouchi,
University of Science and Technology Houari Boumediene, IDM Governing Board.
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| Angola |
Maria de Natividade,
Universidade Agostinho Neto.
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| Arab world |
Djamel Eddine Cheriet,
Société mathématique d'Algérie.
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| Argentina |
Antonio Cafure,
Universidad Nacional de General Sarmiento.
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| Australia |
Alex Box,
The Maths Play Project.
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| Brazil |
Eduardo Colli,
Universidade de São Paulo.
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| Cameroon |
Judith Njomgang Ngangsop,
University of Yaoundé I.
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| Canada |
Joseph Khoury,
University of Ottawa and Canadian Mathematical Society.
Christiane Rousseau,
Université de Montréal, IDM Governing Board.
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| China |
Zheng Li,
National Academy of Innovation Strategy, China Association for Science and Technology.
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| Colombia |
Laura Vanessa Gomez Borneo,
Universidad Sergio Arboleda, IDM Governing Board.
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| Costa Rica |
Rafael Zamora Calero,
Univerdidad de Costa Rica.
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| Cuba |
Rosa Alicia Cardenas,
Cuban Society of Mathematics and Computing.
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| Ecuador |
Fernanda Salazar,
Escuela Politécnica Nacional.
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| France |
Lydie El-Halougi,
Collège Eugène Delacroix (Roissy-en-Brie), Les Maths en Scène.
Houria Lafrance,
Les Maths en scène.
Nathalie France Braun,
Lycée Rosa Parks, Thionville.
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| Germany |
Andreas Matt,
IMAGINARY, IDM Governing Board.
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| Ghana |
Angela Tabiri,
African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) Ghana.
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| Greece |
Panagiotis Petridis,
Chalastras High School Thessaloniki.
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| Guatemala |
Lorena Beltrán,
Universidad del Valle.
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| Haiti |
Mabien Bruny,
Fondation Education Développement (FED); Science, Technologie, Ingénierie, Mathématiques (STIM).
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| Hungary |
Réka Szász,
János Bolyai Mathematical Society.
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| India |
Anita Rampal,
Delhi University.
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| Indonesia |
Zulkardi Zulkardi,
Sriwijaya University.
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| Iran |
Mostafa Noori,
MathHome of Tehran.
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| Israel |
Nitsa Movshovitz-Hadar,
Technion - Israel Institute of Technology.
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| Kurdistan (KRG, Iraq) |
Bootan Rahman,
University of Kurdistan Hewlêr (UKH).
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| Lebanon |
Alice Hachem,
Collège de la Sagesse.
Christiane Jeitani,
Lebanese National Commission for UNESCO.
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| Libya |
Zahra Mohamed Lagha,
Educational Inspection Service \ Libyan Ministry of Education.
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| Malaysia |
Nur Hazwani Aqilah binti Abdul Wahid,
Universiti Teknologi MARA.
Amirah Binti Mohamad Sahar,
College Of Computing, Informatics And Media, UiTM Shah Alam.
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| Mauritius |
Aleesha Boolaky,
University of Technology, Mauritius.
Sooryadev Purdasseea,
Mauritius Institute of Education.
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| Mexico |
Aubin Arroyo,
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM).
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| Mozambique |
Marcos Cherinda,
Maputo Office of UNESCO, IDM Governing Board.
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| Nigeria |
Chinwendu Emilian Madubueze,
Joseph Sarwuan Tarkaa University Makurdi.
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| North Macedonia |
Martin Lukarevski,
Univerzitet Goce Delcev.
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| Pakistan |
Imran Anwar,
Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS).
Munira Amirali,
Aga Khan University.
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| Panama |
Jeanette Shakalli,
FUNDAPROMAT.
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| Peru |
Hernán Neciosup Puican,
Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú.
Gina Patricia Paz Huamán,
Presidente de APINEMA.
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| Portugal |
Carlota Simões,
University of Coimbra, IDM Governing Board.
Fabio Chalub,
Universidade Nova de Lisboa.
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| Republic of China |
Hong-Bin Chen (陳宏賓),
National Chung Hsing University (NCHU).
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| São Tomé and Príncipe |
Juvenal Espirito Santo,
Universidade de São Tomé e Príncipe.
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| South Korea |
Oh Nam Kwon,
Seoul National University, IDM Governing Board.
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| Taiwan |
Hongbin Chen,
IDM Governing Board.
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| Tunisia |
Samia Achour,
Université de Tunis.
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| Turkey |
Betül Tanbay,
Bogaziçi University.
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| Uganda |
Ben Sorowen,
Moi University (Kenya).
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| Ukraine |
Kateryna Terletska,
Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.
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| United Kingdom |
Katie Chicot,
The Open University, MathsWorldUK, IDM Governing Board.
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| Vietnam |
Le Minh Ha,
Vietnam Institute for Advanced Study in Mathematics (VIASM).
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