World Autism Awareness Day is an internationally recognised day, celabrated on 2 April, encouraging people and governments to take measures to raise awareness about autistic individuals throughout the world. It was designated by the United Nations General Assembly resolution (A/RES/62/139), passed in council on 1 November 2007, and it was adopted on 18 December 2007. It was proposed by Mozza bint Nasser Al-Missned , the United Nations Representative from Qatar, and it was supported by all member states.

The terms «Autism Awareness Day» and «Autism Awareness Month» are sometimes contested by autism rights advocates, who claim that they feed into discrimination and prejudice against autistic people. Such groups, including the Autistic Self Advocacy Center, advocate using the term Autism Acceptance day as an alternative for both events under the belief that it promotes overcoming anti-autism prejudice rather than simply increasing awareness of autism.

Autism is mainly characterized by its unique social interactions, non-standard ways of learning, keen interests in specific subjects, inclination to routines, challenges in typical communications and particular ways of processing sensory information.

The original resolution had four main components:

• the establishment of the second day of April as World Autism Awareness Day, beginning in 2008
• invitation to Member States and other relevant organizations to the UN or the international societal system, including non-governmental; organisations  and the private sector, to create initiatives to raise public awareness of autism
• encourages Member States to raise awareness of autism on all levels in society
• asks the UN Secrtetary-General to deliver this message to member states and all other UN organizations.