World Blood Donor Day (WBDD) is celebrated every year by people around the world on June 14, it is celebrated on the birthday anniversary of Karl Landsteiner on June 14, 1868, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for his discovery of the ABO blood group system.

WBDD was organised for the first time in 2005, by a joint initiative of World Health Organisation, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to raise awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products, and to thank blood donors for their voluntary, life-saving gifts of blood. Transfusion of blood and blood products helps and save millions of lives every year. It can help patients who suffering from life-threatening conditions live longer and with higher quality of life, and supports complex medical and surgical procedures. It also has an essential, life-saving role in maternal and perinatal care. Access to safe and sufficient blood and blood products can help reduce rates of death and disability due to severe bleeding during delivery and after childbirth. In many countries, there is not an adequate supply of safe blood, and blood services face the challenge of making sufficient blood available, while also ensuring its quality and safety. An adequate supply can only be assured through regular donations by voluntary unpaid blood donors. The WHO’s goal is for all countries to obtain all their blood supplies from voluntary unpaid donors by 2020. In 2014, 60 countries have their national blood supplies based on 99-100% voluntary unpaid blood donations, with 73 countries still largely dependent on family and paid donors.

The 2026 campaign, “One Drop of Humanity. Give Blood. Save Lives.”, places humanity at the heart of every blood donation. It reminds us that each donation is more than a medical act: it is a powerful expression of solidarity, compassion and collective responsibility. Inspired by the idea that the whole of humanity can be reflected in a single drop, the campaign highlights how every donor helps form a lifeline that connects and protects us all. While advances in science, testing and blood safety systems have made transfusion safer than ever, safe blood remains dependent on people willing to donate regularly and voluntarily. Yet many countries continue to face shortages and unequal access to safe blood and blood products, particularly in low- and middle-income settings.

Links:
World Blood Donor Day

Wereld Bloeddonordag

Five years after introduction of an opt-out consent system for organ donation; lessons learned from England and the Netherlands – publication