Today is the First Official UN International Coffee Day. Guess Which One Country Voted Against It

Today, Oct. 1, marks the first International Coffee Day officially recognized by the United Nations.

On March 10, the UN General Assembly formally designated Oct. 1 as International Coffee Day through Resolution 80/248. Recognizing that “coffee provides economic benefits at each step of the global value chain and greatly contributes to the economies of both exporting and importing countries,” the resolution invites governments, international organizations and all other stakeholders to promote activities that raise “awareness of the importance of coffee and its economic, social and environmental impacts.”

Almost everyone was on board with the idea. Almost everyone. 

The recorded vote was 150 countries in favor, one opposed and one abstaining. Canada abstained. The United States was the only country to vote no.

It’s an unusual stance from the world’s largest single coffee-importing country, whose traders, roasters, retailers and consumers rely on coffee produced by millions of farming families around the world.

If it’s any consolation, it appears the “no” vote on March 10 wasn’t necessarily coffee-specific. Instead, it appears to have reflected a broader position under the Trump administration against cooperation with international institutions and general antipathy toward the UN.

The UN’s list of resolutions from the day’s session shows all three measures — including one for international road safety and another for “International Wellness Day” — passing overwhelmingly with the United States as the lone “no.”

Two months prior to the International Coffee Day vote, Trump ordered the United States to withdraw from 66 international organizations and UN entities that the administration said did not serve U.S. interests.

The coffee resolution itself invokes the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, connecting coffee production and processing to goals involving hunger, poverty, women’s empowerment and decent work conditions. It calls attention to sustainable production and consumption and to distributing revenue through the coffee value chain in ways that support all participants, including smallholder farmers. 

But Wasn’t International Coffee Day Already a Thing?

Yes.

Members of the International Coffee Organization (ICO) agreed in 2014 to establish Oct. 1 as a common International Coffee Day. The first International Coffee Day took place Oct. 1, 2015, coinciding with Expo Milan.

Notably, the United States withdrew its support of the ICO in 2018, during a separate wave of anti-globalization steps made during the first Trump administration. 

The International Coffee Day idea then worked its way further into the UN system. In July 2025, members of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) endorsed Oct. 1 as International Coffee Day. The General Assembly followed with its March 2026 resolution.

So, the UN did not invent International Coffee Day or change its date, but it did give an existing industry-wide observance formal UN recognition.

The day is now used to promote the people and livelihoods behind coffee, the cultural heritage of coffee, the distribution of value along the supply chain and environmental sustainability.

Who wouldn’t want that? 

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