The International Year of Light is "a global initiative adopted by the United Nations to raise awareness of how optical technologies promote sustainable development and provide solutions to worldwide challenges in energy, education, agriculture, communications and health.

"[1] UNESCO delegates from Ghana and Mexico introduced the proposal to the Executive Board, explaining the motivation and mission underlying the International Year of Light.

The International Year of Light was officially launched on 19 January 2015 with a two-day Opening Ceremony at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris.

Speakers and attendees included international diplomats and decision-makers, Nobel laureates, CEOs, and science and industry leaders from across the globe.

[13] The IYL 2015 launched[14] at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris on 19 January 2015, with the unveiling of 1001 Inventions and the World of Ibn Al-Haytham which is a global campaign that includes a series of interactive exhibits, workshops and live shows about Ibn al-Haytham's achievements in optics, mathematics and astronomy, and his importance in laying the foundations of the present day scientific experimental method.

[15] As part of the international campaign, UNESCO will also host an exhibition and a conference, to take place on 14 September 2015, titled The Islamic Golden Age of Science for the Knowledge-Based Society.