Monthly Archives: June 2017

“We the peoples of the United Nations…”

The UN Charter

The Charter of the United Nations was signed on 26 June 1945, in San Francisco, at the conclusion of the United Nations Conference on International Organization, and came into force on 24 October 1945. The Statute of the International Court of Justice is an integral part of the Charter. Visit the UN Dag Hammarskjöld Library’s collection of translations of the UN Charter.

The UN Charter, which created the UN, was signed by 50 member countries in San Francisco 72 years ago.

YouTube: Michael Douglas on the anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter

Download the UN Charter app in 6 languages on Charter Day on 26 June 

iOS: http://apple.co/2tqvbaM Android: http://bit.ly/1VsFFP5

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s Message for the 100-Day Countdown to the International Day of Peace, 13 June

Upon taking up my duties as Secretary-General in January of this year, my very first act was to issue an appeal for peace — a call on citizens, governments and leaders everywhere to put peace first.

The International Day of Peace, observed every year on 21 September, embodies our shared aspiration to end the needless suffering caused by armed conflict. It offers a moment for the peoples of the world to acknowledge the ties that bind them together, irrespective of their countries of origin. It is a day on which the United Nations calls for a 24-hour global ceasefire, with the hope that one day of peace can lead to another, and another, and ultimately to a stilling of the guns.

Yet there is more to achieving peace than laying down weapons. True peace requires involves building bridges, combating discrimination and standing up for the human rights of all the world’s people.

That is why this year’s theme for the International Day of Peace is: “Together for Peace: Respect, Safety and Dignity for All”, focusing in particular on the plight of refugees and migrants throughout the world.  Our obligation as an international community is to ensure that everyone forced to flee their homes receives the protection to which they are entitled under international law.  Our duty as a human family is to replace fear with kindness. Continue reading →

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s Message on World Oceans Day: “Our Oceans, Our Future”, 8 June 2017

 The oceans make our home a blue planet.  The oceans regulate climate, generate oxygen, and provide ecosystem services, energy and minerals. The life teeming below their surfaces and along the shorelines is a source of food and medicines.   Oceans connect all of us, linking people and nations in cultural ties, and they are essential for sharing goods and services across the world.  The importance of our oceans to every single living being on our planet cannot be overstated. Today, we celebrate all that the oceans give us, and reaffirm our commitment to being good stewards.

On this World Oceans Day, we look to the future.  Caring for, and using, our oceans in sustainable ways is critical to achieve ecological and economic goals for communities everywhere.  However, the future of our oceans is burdened by numerous threats – such as climate change and ocean acidification, pollution, unsustainable and destructive fishing practices, – and the lack of capacities to address these threats.  Continue reading →