♦ World Blood Donor day is celebrated every year on June 14.

♦ This is a global tribute to the millions of voluntary, unpaid blood donors who give others a second chance at life.

♦ The day also acts as a platform to highlight the need for safe blood and blood products.

♦ This day was established by the WHO with the first celebration of the event in 2004.

♦ A year later, in 2005, it was officially recognised as a yearly global event by the 58th World Health Assembly.

♦ June 14 was chosen as the date for the annual observance as Austrian physician and biologist Karl Landsteiner, who is regarded as the “founder" of modern blood transfusion, was born on this very day in 1868.

♦ 2025 theme: ‘Give blood, give hope: together we save lives’.