INTERNATIONAL WIDOWS DAY, 23 JUNE 2026

International Widows Day is a United Nations-recognised international observance held annually on 23 June to raise awareness of the challenges faced by widows and their families worldwide.

This year, senior political leaders, international organisations, advocates and delegates from across Africa and beyond will gather in London to mark International Widows Day 2026 and discuss the economic, social and humanitarian challenges facing widows today.

Hosted by the Loomba Foundation, the conference will focus on issues including economic empowerment, conflict, poverty, education and opportunity — and on ensuring widows are no longer overlooked in policy and public life.

Confirmed keynote speakers include Baroness Chapman, Minister of State at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office; Lady Cherie Blair CBE KC; and Lord Raj Loomba CBE, founder of International Widows Day and Chairman of the Loomba Foundation.

The event will also welcome a high-level delegation from Africa, alongside representatives from international organisations, civil society and wider public life. Further speaker and programme details will be announced in due course.

International Widows Day was established by the United Nations in 2010 following a global campaign led by Lord Loomba and the Loomba Foundation.

Inspired by the experience of Lord Loomba’s own mother, widowed in 1954 with seven children to raise, the day seeks to shine a light on the realities faced by millions of widows worldwide.

So far, over 200,000 widows across 12 nations have been empowered and supported by the Loomba Foundation. Her Skill, Her Future aims to empower 100,000 widows with skills training and resources and is a blueprint for sustainable change. We are not just building livelihoods, we are designing a future where economic independence and social equity become a reality. 

Today, there are an estimated 258 million widows globally and more than 585 million children depend on widowed mothers. Many continue to face poverty, exclusion, discrimination and economic insecurity — often in the midst of conflict, displacement or wider social instability.

International Widows Day exists not only to recognise these challenges, but also to support solutions that promote dignity, resilience, education and economic opportunity for widows and their families.

Read more about The Loomba Foundation