Celebrating and drawing attention to personalities, works or events that have contributed to the mutual enrichment of cultures helps to promote international understanding, closer relations among peoples and peace. UNESCO therefore participates since 1952 in the commemorations of historic events and in the anniversaries of eminent personalities celebrated by Member States and Associate Members, in order to give them worldwide significance.
The anniversaries of 2020 - 2021 nominated or supported by Romania, with which UNESCO is associated are the following:
- 100th anniversary of the death of Ivan Vazov, writer (1850-1921) (Bulgaria, with the support of Poland, Romania and Russian Federation)
- 650th anniversary of the foundation of the Tarnovo Literary School (1371) (Bulgaria, with the support of Romania, Russian Federation and Slovenia)
- 250th anniversary of the first literary work by Olympe de Gouges (1771) (France, with the support of Andorra and Romania)
- 50th anniversary of the establishment of the philosophical thought of Paul Ricoeur (1970) (France, with the support of Andorra and Romania)
- 100th anniversary of the foundation of Institute for Serums and Vaccines (1921) (Romania, with the support of Bulgaria, France, Republic of Moldova, Russian Federation and Serbia)
- 100th anniversary of the birth of Eugen Coșeriu, linguist (1921-2002) (Romania, with the support of France, Germany, Greece, Republic of Moldova and Turkey)
- 150th anniversary of the birth of Ivan Bunin, writer (1870-1953) (Russian Federation, with the support of France, Romania and Uzbekistan)
- 150th anniversary of the birth of Jovan Dučić, poet and writer (1871-1943) (Serbia, with the support of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary and Romania)
- 750th anniversary of the death of Hacı Bektaş Veli, writer, poet, humanist, and philosopher (1209-1271) (Turkey, with the support of Azerbaijan, Islamic Republic of Iran, North Macedonia and Romania)
- 850th anniversary of the birth of Ahi Evran, philosopher and writer (1171-1261) (joint nomination of Turkey, Islamic Republic of Iran and Azerbaijan, with the support of North Macedonia and Romania)
