United Nations at 70: 'Strong UN. Better World.'
Manila Bulletin, 24/10/2015-UNITED Nations (UN) Day on October 24 commemorates the historic entry into force 70 years ago in 1945 of the UN Charter, which officially created the UN, upon ratification by majority of its original 51 members, including the five Security Council permanent members. The Philippines, a signatory to the Charter, is among the organization's 51 founding members. Adopted during the UN Conference on International Organization in San Francisco, California, on October 24, 1945, the Charter creates a community of states dedicated to preventing future wars and promoting close cooperation between governments. The first UN Day was held on October 24, 1948. General Carlos P. Romulo, who was Philippine ambassador to the UN from 1946 to 1954, became the first Asian to serve as president of the UN General Assembly on September 20, 1949. UN Day reflects on the work of the UN and its family of specialized agencies. With the theme, "Strong UN. Better World," the 70th anniversary celebration ("UN70") looks back on UN history, its enduring achievements, focuses on where it needs to redouble its efforts to meet present and future challenges in the three pillars of the UN's task - peace and security, development, and human rights. Special events will be held to honor the UN's 70 years of existence. The Dag Hammarskjold Library at UN New York will present 70 documents that have shaped the UN and the world in an online exhibit, "70 Years, 70 Documents." "UN70" global celebration seeks to unite the 193 member-states, civil society, and men and women working in common cause to realize a better world. "2015 is a once-in-ageneration opportunity; our goal is to put people at the center and protect our one and only planet; our duty is to end poverty, leave no one behind and build lives of dignity for all," says UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. After 15 years, the UN this year concluded the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), its largest poverty-reduction effort, overseen by two UN secretaries-general - Kofi Annan, who introduced them in 2000, and Ban Ki-moon, who led effectively to achieve them. After the MDGs, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, embodied in a resolution "Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda," were adopted last September 25 by the UN General Assembly, to end extreme poverty, narrow inequalities, and ensure environmental sustainability over the next 15 years. In the works is a binding and universal agreement on climate, for the first time in over 20 years of UN negotiations, to be discussed and adopted by nations, leaders and environment advocates during the much-awaited UN Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris, France, on November 30-December 11. Global event to turn world 'UN blue' to mark 70th anniversary of United Nations Side-box; Ahead of UN Day, marked annually on 24 October, the United Nations announced that around 200 iconic monuments, buildings, museums, bridges and other landmarks in nearly 60 countries around the world will be lit up blue - the official colour of the Organization - as part of a global campaign to commemorate its 70th anniversary. | Landmarks including the Great Wall of China were lit up in blue today to mark the 70th anniversary of the United Nations | | The Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy also took on a blue hue as part of the global celebrations on Saturday | | The Humayun's Tomb monument in New Delhi was also illuminated in blue to mark the 70th anniversary of the United Nations | | Egyptians watch the historical site of the Giza Pyramids as they are illuminated with a blue light for the anniversary celebrations | | The ancient Sphinx and the historical site of the Giza Pyramids are illuminated in blue to mark 70 years since the UN Charter |
| Students in Almaty, Kazakhstan, form the UN sign at a rally to honour the 70th anniversary on Saturday evening | | The city Hall in Brussels's Grand Place looks like something out of a fairytale as it is lit up with blue floodlights | | This year's celebrations came as the body's General Assembly unanimously approved a declaration on Friday to reaffirm the faith of the 193 member states in the United Nations on its 70th anniversary. Pictured is the Amman citadel | | More than 200 landmarks in 60 different countries were lit up in the colour of the world body as a sign of peace with the global celebration kicking off in New Zealand before making its way across the continents. Pictured is the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi | | People pose outside the Heydar Aliyev Centre in Baku as they mark the Turn the World UN Blue global campaign |
| The arch of Bab el-Bhar, the Gate of the Sea, one of the gates of the Medina of Tunis, Tunisia, was lit up for the anniversary | | The ancient Buddhist Borobudur Temple was bathed in the official colour of the United Nations in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia |
(Source of images: http://www.dailymail.co.uk)
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