United Nations Day
- Mafalda Oliveira
- Oct 24, 2020
- 2 min read
Updated: Jan 23, 2021
Hello guys! I'm not publishing this post today just by chance, a very important date is celebrated on this precise day.
October 24th, do you have any idea what it might be?
Well, 24th October has been celebrated as United Nations Day since 1948. UN Day marks the anniversary of the entry into force in 1945 of the UN Charter, a document that sets forth the principles to be followed by the organization and its members. With the approval of this founding document by the majority of its signatories,the United Nations officially came into being. In 1971, the United Nations General Assembly recommended that the day be observed by Member States as a public holiday.
On and around October 24th, many activities are organized by all parts of the UN, particularly in the main offices that are located in New York, the Hague , Geneva , Vienna and Nairobi .
These include: concerts; flying the UN flag on important buildings; debates on the relevance of the work of the UN in modern times; and proclamations by state heads and other leaders.
This year is particularly special, since it is being commemorated a momentous milestone: the UN’s 75th anniversary.
I believe that the vast majority of you know the United Nations and what this organization advocates , however it is never too much to recall the goals of an institution that does so much for humanity.
The United Nations Charter was, and still is, a bold prescription for maintaining international peace and security and promoting economic and social development. Its main keywords are the focus on rules and multilateralism, but also the protection of fundamental human rights, gender equality, equality between large countries and small, people’s right to self-determination, the avoidance of threats of the use of force and abstaining from its use, resolution of disputes by peaceful means… It has done a fairly good amount of work in the settlement of several controversies, which could have posed serious threats to world peace.
United Nations staff are recruited internationally and locally, working on service posts and peacekeeping missions around the world. However, serving the cause of peace in the violent world we live in, can be a dangerous function.
Since the founding of the United Nations, hundreds of men and women have lost their lives, when trying to achieve this goal.
Every now and then it is worth asking ourselves what the world would be like if the only acceptable way to resolve disputes was by force or if the use of force was a central principle of the global decision-making system.
At a time when our security is seemingly under threat from every side, we need to remind ourselves why the United Nations remains vital to international governance, even as it needs renovating.
The United Nations has served us better than most people realize, whatever its critics might say, and it must remain at the heart of the international system.
So to celebrate today, we have to think about 75 years of history, struggle, and accomplishment. So take a moment to consider the incredible impact the United Nations has had in every corner of the globe.
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