October 24 is United Nations Day: That is because the United Nations Charter became effective on that day back in 1945. President Franklin D. Roosevelt is considered to be the “father of the United Nations.” Every year UN Day is celebrated at UN headquarters in New York City. This year was the 63rd anniversary of the United Nations.

What are the purposes of the United Nations? The main purposes are to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, to recognize the dignity and worth of the human person, to acknowledge the equal rights of mean and women and of nations large and small, and to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom and respect for international law.

In order to achieve these ends, the UN member states should practice tolerance and live together in peace as good neighbors. The should employ international machinery for promoting economic and social advancement of all peoples. They should unite their strength to maintain international peace and security and ensure that armed force will only be used in the common interest. The United Nations seeks to develop friendly relations among nations based on the principles of equal rights and self-determination of peoples. It also seeks to promote international cooperation and to be a center for harmonizing the actions of nations.

Despite all the criticism on the organization, the United Nations has been a success. It has prevented another world war and is in the process of realizing its purposes and principles. It is also in the process of reforming itself. The main reason the United Nations has not been more effective is simple: The fiver permanent members of the UN Security Council do not want to elect a truly first-rate Secretary-General to scrupulously implement and reform the UN Charter. That is why the United Nations is still not the focal point of international relations. On UN Day, every member state and person should resolve to translate the ideals of the UN into reality.

David Slive
Buffalo
David Slive is the UN Envoy for Amherst’s Unitarian Universalist Church

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