United Nations Day

The twentieth century has been a time of great progression and changes within the international political sphere.  An age that saw the horrors of World War I and Word War II, the global population has reached an understanding that the fractious and divisive rivalries between nation-states of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century should be avoided.  Although things are no way perfect, the nature of international politics seem to be have to a brighter outlook at the beginning of the twenty-first century compared to the beginning of the twentieth century.

A major reason for this rosier outlook is the interdependence between nation-states around the world.  Although globalization has become a buzz word over the last couple of years, the truth of the matter is that global relationships between nation states have been pursued over the last couple of decades.  A major force between this internationalist outlook has been the political institution, the United Nations.  The United Nations grew from the end of World War Two and rose from the failure of its predecessor, the League of Nations.  With a total number of 191 member states, the United Nations is a major force on international politics.  Although the United Nations isn’t a perfect organization, the world (particularly developing nations) are far better off with the United Nations than without the United Nations.

The purpose of the formation of the United Nation was to ”set up an organization which would preserve peace, advance justice, and constitute a permanent structure for international cooperation.”  An organization that has many agencies like UNICEF (International Children’s Emergency Fund), UNESCO (U.N. Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization), and WHO (World Health Organization) committed to fighting against disease, famine, malnutrition, and environmental degradation, the presence of the United Nations will hopefully contribute to a better future for later generations.

To celebrate the beneficial role of the United Nations, every October 24^th is United Nations Day.  This holiday commemorates the anniversary of the creation of the United Nations, which came into existence when the United Nation’s Charter was ratified by the five members of the United Nations security (China, France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States) and a large number of other signatories in 1945.  The centerpiece of United Nations Week that runs from October 20 to October 26, United Nations Day is a day where we, as people, can reflect on the state of international politics.  Issues such as world peace, sustainable development, and wealth distribution should be considered on this day.

Although United Nations Day is intended to be a day of celebration, it is also an excellent opportunity to question how we would like the world to be in the future.  Often in our lives, we become bogged down with work and other obligations that we don’t reflect on the larger issues of humanity.  With United Nations Day, we have the opportunity to rationally consider the state of the world and give equal time to considering the progression of international society and what issues can be corrected.