Thursday, October 24 – UN celebrates United Nations Day today. U.N Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon asked the people to work together for peace, development and human rights.
Photo Credit: UN
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.
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.
Read below the message from the Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General of United Nations for the 2013 UN Day.
Dear friends,
United Nations Day is a chance to recognize how much this invaluable Organization contributes to peace and common progress.
It is a time to reflect on what more we can do to realize our vision for a better world.
The fighting in Syria is our biggest security challenge.
Millions of people depend on UN humanitarian personnel for life-saving assistance.
UN experts are working hand-in-hand with the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to destroy Syria’s stockpiles.
And we are pushing for a diplomatic solution to end suffering that has gone on far too long.
Our most urgent development challenge is to make sustainability a reality.
The Millennium Development Goals have cut poverty in half.
Now we must maintain the momentum, craft an equally inspiring post-2015 development agenda and reach an agreement on climate change.
This year again, we saw the United Nations come together on armed conflict, human rights, the environment and many other issues.
We continue to show what collective action can do. We can do even more.
In a world that is more connected, we must be more united.
On United Nations Day, let us pledge to live up to our founding ideals and work together for peace, development and human rights.
Ban Ki-moon
