United Nations Day
President Barack Obama addresses the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at the United Nations in New York, N.Y., Sept. 25, 2012. Sitting on the dais are: U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, UNGA President Vuk Jeremić and Jean-Jacques Graisse, Acting Head for General Assembly and Conference Management. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)
On October 24, 1945, 67 years ago today, 51 founding member states came together to form the United Nations. After a war that had engulfed much of the world, those countries pledged to work together to pursue a lasting peace.
On the anniversary of that beginning, we celebrate United Nations Day. As President Obama announced in a proclamation this morning, it's a time to mark the progress we've made toward achieving that goal and redouble our commitment:
Through the better part of a century, we have seen what is possible when a strong and united international community takes action to advance the interests and values we share. The founding values of the United Nations remind us that countries can resolve their differences peacefully, and that all people deserve the chance to seek their own destiny, free from fear and empowered with their most fundamental rights. As we recognize this 67th anniversary of the United Nations, let us recommit to carrying that vision forward in the years ahead.
Read the proclamation in its entirety here.
Learn More
- President Obama spoke at the opening of the United Nations General Assembly in September. Read his remarks.
