New Delhi: In 1947, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed October 24 to be the anniversary of the UN Charter and to “be devoted to making known to the people of the world the aims and achievements of the United Nations and to gaining their support for” its activities. A supplementary resolution (United Nations Resolution 2782) was approved by the UN General Assembly in 1971, stating that United Nations Day should be commemorated as an international holiday or observance and recommending that all UN member nations observe it as a public holiday.
In this article, let us look at 9 interesting facts about the United Nations. But, before we look at the facts, here is a brief about the United Nations.
📷: Throwback to 1945 and the UN Charter signing ceremony in San Francisco, California, when 50 countries came together to create a new organization for peace, prosperity and human rights.
Thursday is #UNDay. https://t.co/A4vlMI1eNm pic.twitter.com/YEFMlBEJ2A
— United Nations (@UN) October 24, 2024
About United Nations
The United Nations is a non-profit organisation founded to foster political, social and economic collaboration among its members.
The main aims of the UN include:
- Building friendly relationships among members
- Promoting global economic, social, and humanitarian cooperation
- Protecting and supporting human rights
- Serving as a place where countries can work together to achieve various goals
United Nations building: Under construction and fully operational building (Photo credit: UN)
Interesting facts about the United Nations
Since 1920, the League of Nations, before the formation of the United Nations (UN), maintained peace globally. However, the League failed, leading to its dissolution in 1946.
The United Nations operates 12 peacekeeping missions. These 12 missions have over 90,000 individuals that have contributions from around 125 nations.
VK Krishna Menon, an Indian politician and academic, holds the record for the longest speech at the UN, lasting around eight hours, according to Guinness World Records. He delivered it on January 23 and 24, 1957, while advocating for India’s position on Kashmir.
The UN’s main headquarters is located in New York City, and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller Jr. acquired the land.
The United Nations existed on October 24, 1945, after 29 nations ratified the UN Charter (Photo credit: United Nations)
The international organisation won an Academy Award in 1947 for ‘First Steps’, a short film in the Best Documentary Short Subject category.
The Vatican is a UN observer but not a full member.
In 1965, Indonesia left the UN due to a territorial dispute with Malaysia, but it rejoined the following year.
The United Nations has six official languages: English, French, Arabic, Russian, Spanish, and Chinese. The UN conducts its sessions and publishes its documents in these languages. Not only this, there are over 120 language specialists who manage languages within the organisation.
The original Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted in 1948 by the UN General Assembly (UNGA). Since then, it has been translated into over 500 languages. Drafted with input from various experts, it outlines fundamental human rights and condemns practices such as racism, forced labour, and arbitrary detention.
Emblem and Logo
The emblem of the United Nations since 1946 has remained unchanged.
The logo, designed in 1945, was adopted the next year.
The logo features a map representing an azimuthal equidistant projection centered on the North Pole. A wreath of crossed olive branches surrounds it. This projection extends to 60 degrees south latitude and includes five concentric circles.
The logo was designed by US architect Oliver Lincoln Lundquist, who selected blue as its colour, symbolising peace and contrasting it with red, which is often associated with war.
