By Solomiya Syvyk
News Editor
To commemorate the signing of the United Nations Charter in 1945, Oct. 24 was proclaimed as international United Nations Day, by the organization, since 1948, after the ending of the Second World War. President Harry Truman founded the organization to promote global peace and efficient international relations; sixty-nine years ago, 50 countries helped to ratify the document.
In 1971, the member nations were recommended to publicize the day as a public holiday by the United Nations General Assembly. As of 2014, the United Nations holds 193 members, with the Republic of South Sudan being the most recently admitted country. “It is sometimes forgotten how much the United Nations works to help protect us from every day threats,” senior Jennifer Chamberlin.
The introduction of a new theme is annual and for 2014 it is Global Citizenship and Youth. Each year’s celebration is proposed as a reminder of the organization’s global impact. This year’s United Nations Day Concert was held at the General Assembly Hall and featured United Nations Messenger of Peace and internationally famous, Lang Lang.
The United Nations is currently focusing on the ongoing hostility in the Middle East and Eastern Europe; also, the Ebola outbreak in Western Africa. According to the United Nations website,
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, of South Korea said, “The United Nations is needed more than ever at this time of multiple crises. […] At this critical moment, let us reaffirm our commitment to empowering the marginalized and vulnerable. On United Nations Day, I call on Governments and individuals to work in common cause for the common good.”
http://www.un.org/en/events/unday/index.shtml
http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/un/united-nations-day
