Originally published on the CGS blog on October 24, 2011.
On this day 66 years ago (1945) the 5 permanent members of the Security Council and a majority of the 46 member countries voted to establish the United Nations as the method to establish a lasting peace for all mankind. Today we celebrate the 66th Anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter. The role and usefulness of the United Nations will be an issue that has and will continue to be debated ardently (especially in this country, but also around the world). But, on this day I realize that the words that the founders used in drafting the UN Charter still ring true today and can act as the guide in our quest “to maintain international peace and security.”
James F. Byrnes, Secretary of State at the time, had this to say: “The United Nations Charter is now a part of the law of nations. This is a memorable day for the peace-loving peoples of all nations. As I have frequently said, the maintenance of peace depends not upon any document, but upon what is in the minds and hearts of men. But the peoples of this earth who yearn for peace must be organized to maintain the peace. This charter provides the organization.”
The UN Charter states the following: “The purpose of the United Nations are… To develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples, and to take other appropriate measures to strengthen universal peace; To achieve international co-operation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian character, and in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion; and To be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations in the attainment of these common ends.”
The United Nations is more than just a sum of its parts. Although the General Assembly and the UN Security Council often get the most media attention the 30 plus affiliated organizations, UN Peacekeeping and corollary institutions like the ICC are often at the heart of fulfilling the UN Charter’s Mandate. We salute all parts of the UN today, the 66th Annual UN Day.
