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United Nations Day

War and Peace (by Tolstoy, Leo)
A Farewell to Arms (by Hemingway, Ernest, 1899-1961)
The Red Badge of Courage; An Episode of ... (by Crane, Stephen)
United Nations General Assembly 47/75: I...

Tuesday, October 24th marks United Nations Day and the 72nd anniversary of the entry into force of the United Nations Charter in 1945. With the ratification of this founding document by most of its signatories, including the five permanent members of the Security Council (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States), the United Nations was established.

October 24th celebrates the achievements of the United Nations (UN), which was founded after World War II by 51 countries committed to maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations, and promoting social progress, better living standards, and human rights. Beyond those core missions, the UN provides assistance in the wake of disaster and offers medical care, food, and clean water to those in need.

Although the UN dates back to 1945, United Nations Day can be traced back to 1948, when the United Nations General Assembly declared this day one that “shall be devoted to making known to the peoples of the world the aims and achievements of the United Nations and to gaining their support for its work.”

Missions receive funding from all 193 member states, which include the United States, Afghanistan, Australia, Czech Republic, Fiji, Latvia, Namibia, and Slovakia, and many other countries around the world.

Every year United Nations Day has a different theme. For 2017, the message has not been announced.

In 2016, the holiday’s theme focused on sustainable development. The specific actions that people worldwide can take to help achieve the goals that were established for 2030.

In observance of United Nations Day, each year the global network of UN Information Centres organizes a variety of events to mark the day. Activities include ceremonies, seminars, discussions, symposiums, art competitions, rallies, film screenings and book/photo exhibitions, media campaigns, social media campaigns, briefings for students, and more.

One of the general goals of the United Nations includes eradicating the AIDS epidemic by 2030. Some successes include supporting elections in more than 100 countries and creating 80 new nations via decolonization. When the UN was founded, 750 million people lived in territories dependent on colonial powers. Today, fewer than 2 million people live under colonial rule.

Other accomplishments include providing food to 80 million people in 80 countries, vaccinating 45 percent of the world’s children, assisting more than 60 million refugees and people fleeing war, famine, and persecution, and keeping peace with 120,000 peacekeepers in 16 operations on four continents.

Check the United Nations website for updates on United Nations Day 2017. For more reading, explore War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway, and The Red Badge of Courage; An Episode of the American Civil War by Stephen Crane.

By Regina Molaro