24 October 2015: The 70th anniversary of the entry into force of the UN Charter was celebrated through dozens of events and activities. Three hundred sites around the world were lit in “UN Blue,” including the Great Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the Great Wall of China, Russia’s Hermitage Museum and the ancient city of Petra in Jordan, along with UN Headquarters in New York, US. Since 1948, 24 October has been celebrated annually as UN Day.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message for the Day highlighted that “there is only one flag that belongs to all of us: that blue flag of the UN,” and the “timeless values of the UN Charter must remain our guide.”
The leaders of UN agencies shared thoughts on the UN’s anniversary, including Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), who said the UN is “one of the most significant achievements of mankind: a system which may not be perfect, but embodies the highest values of human ideals and strives to achieve them.”
On 23 October, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) held an informal commemorative meeting and adopted by consensus a resolution declaring its recommitment to the aims and principles of the UN Charter. Member States expressed their firm belief that the Charter enshrines their common values as human beings, uniting them in diversity beyond their differences of language, culture or religion. Ban noted that the UN Charter was written “deliberately, in the voice, not of governments, but of ‘we the peoples,’” adding that it was a Charter for everyone, particularly the poor, the vulnerable and the marginalized. UNGA President Mogens Lykketoft said the UN will “never be stronger than the resources and power that the UNGA membership and the Security Council gives it,” adding that its 70th anniversary could be “the defining hour” both for the organization and the international community as a whole, with the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the upcoming climate change conference in Paris. UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) President Oh Joon said the 2030 Agenda requires that all countries and stakeholders come together. Noting that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the result of “the most open and transparent consultation process in the history of the UN,” he stressed that ECOSOC will ensure that these voices from around the world continue to be heard, and said the Council is the only UN Charter body with a mandate to engage civil society.
At a concert to commemorate the UN’s 70th anniversary, Lykketoft called for delivering on the 2030 Agenda in order to make the UN Charter’s vision a reality.
On 24 October, Ban, Lykketoft, and other senior UN officials unveiled an interactive sculpture in Central Park, ‘Enlightened Universe,’ created by the Spanish artist Cristobal Gabarro. The sculpture features a sphere surrounded by a spiral of 70 human figures, one for each of UN’s 70 years, and representing the 7.3 billion people in the world, which Lykketoft called a “human chain” of global citizenship, solidarity, tolerance, and respect for nature.
A range of other activities and events have been organized throughout 2015, on the theme of ‘Strong UN. Better World.’ They include: a ceremony in San Francisco, where the UN Charter was signed 70 years ago; the publication of a coffeetable book, ‘The United Nations at 70: Restoration and Renewal,’ showcasing the recent restoration of the UN’s headquarters in New York; a photograph exhibit titled ‘The UN at 70: Moments and Milestones’ at UN Headquarters; and a #UN70 Wall of Wishes and a dream-catcher workshop in Brussels, Belgium. [UN Press Release, UN Blue] [UN Press Release, UNGA Meeting] [UN Press Release, Central Park] [UN Secretary-General’s Message] [UNGA President’s Remarks, Concert] [UNGA President’s Remarks, Central Park] [UNGA President’s Remarks, UNGA Meeting] [UNWTO Press Release][UNRIC Photos] [UNRIC Press Release, Brussels Events]