Its purpose, per UNESCO, is to strengthen cooperation and leverage its potential to foster peace and development.
[1] Light-based technologies play an important role in education, science, art, culture, sustainable development, communications, energy and medicine.
The Day was proposed by Ghana, Mexico, New Zealand and the Russian Federation, and was supported by UNESCO's Executive Board.
[6] The study of light, and light-based technologies, has helped us transform our world in extraordinary ways.
Light-based technologies include microscopes, X-ray machines, telescopes, cameras, electric lights and television screens.