NEW YORK, JUNE 27 – Today marks the 74th anniversary of the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, the founding document of the Organization. As part of the commemoration, the Italian Ambassador, Mariangela Zappia, joined other representatives of Member States in a symbolic signature of the Charter to renew their commitment to the document.
The UN Charter was signed on June 27, 1945 in San Francisco. The celebratory event took place in the General Assembly Hall at UN Headquarters in New York, on Tuesday, and also served as an opportunity to launch activities commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Organization, which will be marked next year.
Espinosa, “we can summon the Spirit of San Francisco”
In her opening address, María Fernanda Espinosa, President of the General Assembly, reminded delegates that the Charter, when it was signed in 1945, carried the “hopes of a world tired by war”. While it is easy to see the Charter as an “idealistic endeavour from another time”, she said, its founders were not dreamers, but hard-headed leaders who “weighed the downside of compromise against the benefits of cooperation and the heavy cost of war.”
Today, she continued, “we can summon the spirit of San Francisco”, which was on show at the signing of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in 2015, and just a few weeks later, at the signing of the historic Paris Agreement on confronting the global climate crisis. That spirit is needed now “more than ever”, she added.
Next year’s celebrations will be inclusive youth-driven
The General Assembly President was followed by Fabrizio Hochschild Drummond, Assistant Secretary-General for Strategic Coordination and the senior UN official responsible for organizing the commemoration of the UN’s 75th anniversary next year. Referring to the planned 2020 celebrations of the Charter, Mr. Hochschild said that we are at a “defining moment in the history of our institution, of humanity, and how we deal with this, will impact on the welfare of our children, our grandchildren, and of course on the planet, our only home.” The Secretary-General, he continued, believes a “forward-looking, inclusive youth-driven global dialogue” is the best way to celebrate the anniversary of the UN, and a shared vision of the future.
A display of the text of the Preamble to the Charter in all six official languages, was installed at UN Headquarters on Tuesday, and will remain in place, as an expression of renewed commitment to the Charter ahead of the 75th anniversary. (@OnuItalia)