United Nations (UN) Day, on 24 October, 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 (US, UK, China, France and Russia) of the UN Security Council (UNSC), the United Nations officially came into being.
There is no other global organisation with the legitimacy, convening power and normative impact of the United Nations. No other global organisation gives hope to so many people for a better world and can deliver the future they want. Today, the urgency for all countries to come together, to fulfill the promise of the UN, has never been greater.
UN Day, celebrated every year, offers the opportunity to amplify the UN’s common agenda and reaffirm the purposes and principles of the UN Charter that have guided the UN for the past 79 years.
In 1945, representatives of 50 countries met in San Francisco at the United Nations Conference on International Organization to draw up the United Nations Charter. The United Nations officially came into existence on October 24, 1945 when the Charter had been ratified by a majority of signatories.
Createing a better world
The UN has many achievements to its credit in a variety of spheres. One major example is the almost total eradication of polio, the dreaded childhood disease. Apart from a few rare cases in strife-torn Afghanistan and Pakistan, polio does not occur anywhere else in the world. The same goes for smallpox, which is now confined to the laboratory.
The UN’s multitude of agencies have certainly made the world a better place. UNICEF does a lot of work in education, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has managed to reduce child labour drastically and the World Health Organisation (WHO) has been in the forefront of managing global medical emergencies. Covid was a prime example, though even the intervention of the WHO could not prevent the hoarding of life-saving vaccines by the First World. But the singular achievement of the UN so far has been staving off a possible nuclear war between the Superpowers and even the emerging, undeclared regional nuclear powers. It is also keeping the peace in many strife-torn areas in the world.
But the world has come a long way since 1945 and the challenges that we face today are vastly different. One major shortcoming of the UN system is that the UNSC has hardly changed over the last eight decades. There is hardly any doubt that the UNSC as it is does not represent the true voice of the world, especially the Global South. Africa, for example, is severely under-represented at the UNSC. And the concept of veto power for the five Permanent Members is simply archaic. Many of today’s conflicts rage on because one or more of the five Powers have used their veto power.
In fact, the failure of the UN at any level to prevent or abate the two major wars now raging in two different parts of the world – Gaza and Ukraine – speaks volumes about the need to reform the UN to be more inclusive and powerful. Similarly, the humanitarian catastrophes in Yemen and Sudan are a blot on the UN. The indifference of the rich countries to the plight of migrants is another cause for concern.
Summit of the Future
The UN last month held a “Summit of the Future” where a world devoid of war, famine and pestilence was discussed. It was discussed that the world faces “a moment of historic danger”, with increasingly imminent risks – from nuclear war (there has been a lot of nuclear sabre-rattling recently) to a planetary Climate emergency, from persistent poverty and widening inequality to the unpredictable advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI). All these can pose a threat to the very existence of the human race.
These are global challenges that cannot be solved purely at the national level: There should necessarily be better coordinated global action. Global institutions have proven incapable of addressing current multiple crises, from the wars in Ukraine, Gaza and Sudan to the increasing impact of Climate Change.
Again, many countries have found that the current composition of the UN Security Council is unfair and unrepresentative of their aspirations for the future.In fact, there were many disagreements on reforming the international financial architecture, supporting human rights and gender, furthering climate action and disarmament, and reforming the UN Security Council itself. While the Summit of the Future did indeed address some of these concerns, others were left in limbo.
These decisions were encapsulated in an agreement known as the “Pact for the Future”. Unfortunately, the document only takes incremental steps mostly at the level of principles and reaffirmations of commitments already made, not concrete actions for the future.
Historic step forward
One modest advance in the agreement includes a recognition of the need to redress the historical injustice and underrepresentation of Africa in the UNSC. This is a historic step forward, because Africa needs a bigger voice on the international stage.
The Pact also includes a commitment to protect the needs and interests of future generations, the first international agreement on governance of AI, and support for increasing the voice of developing countries in the decision-making governance process of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. The wordings of these agreements, however, fall below what many Global South Governments advocated for.
The UN has mostly been perceived in the Global South as a rich man’s club and with good reason. The rich countries at the UN have paid scant attention to the issues that confront the developing countries.
For example, they have taken steps to detain migrants fleeing conflict-hit countries and deport them to third countries (Italy, for example, is sending migrants to Albania), but they have failed in mediating peace in those regions and drawing up legal migration paths. This picture should change. The UN should become a forum where all countries are on an equal footing, working for the common good of all people on the planet.
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The UN’s Membership has grown from the original 51 Member States in 1945 to the current 193 Member States. All UN Member States are members of the General Assembly. States are admitted to membership by a decision of the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council.
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The Secretary-General is Chief Administrative Officer of the UN – and is also a symbol of the Organization’s ideals and an advocate for all the world’s peoples, especially the poor and vulnerable.
The Secretary-General is appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council for a 5-year, renewable term.
The current Secretary-General, and the 9th occupant of the post, is António Guterres of Portugal, who took office on January 1, 2017.
On June 18, 2021, Guterres was re-appointed to a second term, pledging as his priority to continue helping the world chart a course out of the Covid-19 pandemic.
UN Day 2024
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ message
The United Nations was built by the world, for the world.
Since 1945, it has been the place for countries to unite behind global solutions to global problems. Solutions that ease tensions, build bridges and forge peace.
Solutions to eradicate poverty, spur sustainable development, and stand up for the most vulnerable.
Solutions that deliver lifesaving relief to people living through conflicts, violence, economic hardship, and climate disasters.
Solutions that level the scales of justice and equality for women and girls. Solutions that tackle issues that were unimaginable in 1945 — climate change, digital technology, artificial intelligence, and outer space.
In September, the General Assembly adopted the Pact for the Future, the Global Digital Compact, and the Declaration on Future Generations. Together, these milestone agreements will help ensure that the United Nations system adapts, reforms, and rejuvenates, so it is fit for the changes and challenges around us and delivers solutions for all.
But our work will always be rooted in the timeless values and principles of the UN Charter and international law, and in the dignity and human rights of every person. In today’s troubled world, hope is not enough.
Hope requires determined action and multilateral solutions for peace, shared prosperity and a thriving planet. Hope requires all countries working as one.
Hope requires the United Nations. On United Nations Day, I call on all countries to keep this beacon for the world, and its ideals, shining.
