In 1998, World Kindness Day was formed with a goal of promoting kindness throughout the world.

World Kindness Day is Wednesday, Nov. 13 and is observed in many countries including the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia and the U.A.E.

World Kindness Day was first introduced as a day of observation by the World Kindness Movement, according to National Today.

In 2019, the organization was registered as an official NGO under Swiss law, but the history of the group stretches back to a 1997 Tokyo gathering. Several organizations from around the world formed the World Kindness Movement.

The day’s purpose is “to highlight good deeds in the community focusing on the positive power and the common thread of kindness which binds us.”

Participants from every inhabited continent continue to participate in such activities as concerts, dances and distributing “kindness cards.”

Organizers hope the U.N. will officially award the day an official recognition status.