New York, USA – By our reporter
United Nations Day
75 years working for peace
UN Day marks the anniversary of the entry into force in 1945 of the UN Charter. With the ratification of this founding document by the majority of its signatories, including the five permanent members of the Security Council, the United Nations officially came into being.
There is no other global organization with the legitimacy, convening power and normative impact of the United Nations. Today, the urgency for all countries to come together, to fulfil the promise of the nations united, has rarely been greater.
24 October has been celebrated as United Nations Day since 1948. In 1971, the United Nations General Assembly recommended that the day be observed by Member States as a public holiday.
The 75th anniversary of the United Nations falls in the middle of a global pandemic. Our founding mission is more critical than ever. […] On this anniversary, I ask people everywhere to join together. The United Nations not only stands with you… The United Nations belongs to you and is you: “we the peoples” UN Boss Antonio Guterres
The 75th anniversary
The year 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the United Nations and its founding Charter. This anniversary comes in a time of great disruption for the world, compounded by an unprecedented global health crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with severe economic and social impacts. But it is also a reminder that times of struggle can become an opportunity for positive change and transformation.
To commemorate the 75 years of the United Nations, Member States hold a high-level event on 21 September 2020, where they reaffirmed and recognized that our challenges are interconnected and can only be addressed through reinvigorated multilateralism.
2020 Celebrations
UN annual concert
To celebrate UN Day, an annual concert is usually held in the General Assembly Hall.
This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the concert was prerecorded and screened in the GA Hall on Thursday, 22 October 2020.
The concert, sponsored by the Mission of Italy under the theme “Reimagine, Rebalance, Restart: recovering together for our shared humanity”, included a performance featuring Roberto Bolle, accompanied by other world class etoiles as well as the Orchestra of Teatro alla Scala, all recorded at La Scala Theater in Milan. A number of classical, modern and reimagined dances, curated specifically for the UN Day Concert, were performed.
By connecting us and creating common understanding, art and culture create the fertile ground from which genuine solidarity can emerge. In this spirit, music and dance can help bring us together to reimagine a world “rebalanced”, to be designed and built together for present and future generations. Highlighting the significance of the 75th anniversary of the UN and reflecting on the experience of the pandemic, the 2020 UN Day performance leveraged the power of music and dance to capture our collective commitment to cooperation, multilateralism and global solidarity.
The UN Day Concert performance streamed LIVE on this page as well as on UN Web TV and the UN social media channels. If you missed it, you can see a little extract here below!
How much do you know?
Test your knowledge of the history of the United Nations with this UN Day quiz!
Here’s a sneak peek of this year’s UN Day concert:
https://www.un.org/webcast/1362235914001/B1J3DDQJf_default/index.html?videoId=6204246596001
Europe turns UN blue, an initiative by UNRIC
To commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Organization, the UN Regional Information Centre for Western Europe (UNRIC) has launched an initiative to “Turn Europe UN Blue” with the support of Fabrizio Hochschild, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on the Commemoration of the United Nations 75th anniversary.
For this pan-European campaign, in a continent where many of the UN’s founding members are located, more than 250 iconic buildings (between monuments, bridges, museums and other landmarks) from 150 cities and 21 countries, will be lit up blue – the official colour of the United Nations – on 24 October 2020. The initiative is a symbolic effort to unite global citizens, promote the universal language of peace, sustainable development and human rights. Discover the participating buildings and cities so far and follow the conversation on social media using the hashtags #EuropeTurnsUNBlue and #UN75 !
Other UN events
- 24 October 2020: the UN Chamber Music Society of the United Nations Staff Recreation Council (UNCMS) will launch “75 Years of Love,” a virtual concert in celebration of the United Nations 75th Anniversary, that will also result in an debut album launched to support the humanitarian work of the UNHCR. You can watch the concert on the UN Web TV portal and on the UNHCR Youtube channel
- 26 october 2020: As part of the commemorative events marking the 75th anniversary of the United Nations, the General Assembly will hold a meeting to observe UN Day on Monday October 26, from 9:00 a.m. to 10:15am. (EST). The observance ceremony will highlight UN voices from the field – showcasing work of the UN and its agencies around the globe – and insiders’ perspectives of UN’s work and the future of the organization. You can watch the full event LIVE on the UN Web TV portal.
The future we want, the United Nations we need
The COVID-19 pandemic has reminded us in the most powerful way that we are closely interconnected and only by working together and in solidarity we can build resilience against future pandemics and other global challenges.
In January 2020, the Secretary General launched a global conversation asking people through surveys and dialogues about their hopes and fears for the future, along with their priorities for international cooperation.
The findings of this Global Dialogue have been taken into account by world leaders and resulted in the adoption of a forward-looking political declaration during the high-level event of the 75th anniversary celebrations. The declaration was negotiated through an intergovernmental process under the theme “The future we want, the United Nations we need: reaffirming our collective commitment to multilateralism”.
History and milestones
The Charter was signed on 26 June 1945 by the representatives of the 50 countries. Poland, which was not represented at the Conference, signed it later and became one of the original 51 Member States.
The United Nations officially came into existence on 24 October 1945, when the Charter had been ratified by China, France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, the United States and by a majority of other signatories. The name “United Nations” was coined by United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt and first used in the Declaration by United Nations of 1 January 1942, during Second World War.
About the UN
The UN is helping build the better world its founders envisioned 75 years ago.
In 1945, nations were in ruins. World War II was over, and the world wanted peace.
51 countries gathered in San Francisco that year to sign a document.
The document was a Charter, creating a new organization, the United Nations.
70 years later, the United Nations is maintaining international peace and security.
It is promoting development and giving humanitarian assistance to those in need.
It is upholding international law, protecting human rights, and promoting democracy.
And now, its Member States are working together to fight climate change.
The UN is helping build the better world its founders envisioned 75 years ago.
In 1945, nations were in ruins. World War II was over, and the world wanted peace.
Overview
The United Nations is an international organization founded in 1945. It is currently made up of 193 Member States. The mission and work of the United Nations are guided by the purposes and principles contained in its founding Charter.
Member States
Each of the 193 Member States of the United Nations is a member of the General Assembly. States are admitted to membership in the UN by a decision of the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council.
Main Organs
The main organs of the UN are the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Trusteeship Council, the International Court of Justice, and the UN Secretariat. All were established in 1945 when the UN was founded.
Leadership
The Secretary-General of the United Nations is a symbol of the Organization’s ideals and a spokesman for the interests of the world’s peoples, in particular the poor and vulnerable. The current Secretary-General of the UN, and the ninth occupant of the post, is Mr. António Guterres of Portugal, who took office on 1 January 2017. The UN Charter describes the Secretary-General as “chief administrative officer” of the Organization.
Secretariat
The Secretariat, one of the main organs of the UN, is organized along departmental lines, with each department or office having a distinct area of action and responsibility. Offices and departments coordinate with each other to ensure cohesion as they carry out the day to day work of the Organization in offices and duty stations around the world. At the head of the United Nations Secretariat is the Secretary-General.
Funds, Programmes, Specialized Agencies and Others
The UN system, also known unofficially as the ‘UN family’, is made up of the UN itself and many programmes, funds, and specialized agencies, all with their own leadership and budget. The programmes and funds are financed through voluntary rather than assessed contributions. The Specialized Agencies are independent international organizations funded by both voluntary and assessed contributions.
ORIGIN & HISTORY
The name “United Nations”, coined by United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt was first used in the Declaration by United Nations of 1 January 1942, during Second World War.
KEY DOCUMENTS
UN CharterUniversal Declaration of Human RightsThe Statute of the International Court of Justice
UN CARD
MAIN BODIES
DEPARTMENTS / OFFICES
Reblogged this on Welcome to Heal The Planet Global Organisation-HTP in Special Consultative Status with United Nations-UN. and commented:
Happy UN Day 2020
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It’s perfect.
Congs
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