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Observed every October 10, the World Day Against the Death Penalty brings together civil society organizations, institutions, legal professionals, policymakers, and citizens from around the world around a common goal: to support the call for the universal abolition of capital punishment.

The World Coalition, composed of members from both abolitionist and retentionist countries and representing all components of civil society, is uniquely positioned to strengthen the effectiveness of the abolitionist movement through the sharing of skills and knowledge.

The Global Consortium for Death Penalty Abolition is a civil society-led initiative composed of 25 abolitionist organizations, including regional networks, grassroots groups, and international NGOs. Established in 2024, the Consortium is funded by the European Union, with which it has signed a 48-month Framework Financial Partnership Agreement (FFPA).

Observed every 10 October, the World Day Against the Death Penalty unifies the global abolitionist movement and mobilizes civil society, political leaders, lawyers, public opinion and more to support the call for the universal abolition of capital punishment.

Understanding the link between gender discrimination and the death penalty – Women and the death penalty – Gender and sexual minorities and the death penalty Gender and the Death Penalty at the World Coalition – Strengthen the capacity of civil society organizations – Strengthen links with women’s, gender and sexual minority rights movements and organizations […]

In 2007, the World Coalition made one of the most important decisions in its young history: to support the Resolution of the United Nations General Assembly for a moratorium on the use of the death penalty as a step towards universal abolition. A moratorium is temporary suspension of executions and, more rarely, of death sentences. […]

While the progress of the global abolitionist movement seems irreversible, some abolitionist in law or abolitionist in practice countries are threatening to return to the death penalty and resume executions. Since 2018, the World Coalition has been campaigning globally to systematize a response to these risks of reinstating the death penalty after its abolition.

The African continent is part of the international movement towards universal abolition. In 1990, only one country, Cap Verde, had abolished the death penalty. Today, out of the 55 African Union member States, 26 have abolished the death penalty in law, 15 are applying a long-term moratorium on executions while 15 retain capital punishment. Chad […]

As the 20th World Day Against the Death Penalty is marked around the world, now is a time to consider and celebrate the gains the abolitionist movement has made over the past 20 years. Now, more than ever, abolitionist actors need to continue working towards the complete abolition of the death penalty worldwide, for all […]