In 2020, the United Nations (UN) is commemorating its 75th anniversary. To mark this symbolic date, the largest international organisation in the world has launched the ‘UN75’ initiative, which aims to promote deep reflection on international cooperation and the role the UN will play in the future. In this context, the organisation challenges all those active in society: governments, civil society, universities and non-governmental organisations, among others, to contribute to a huge global conversation, which will take place throughout 2020. The aim is to involve people from all regions of the planet, to listen to their hopes and fears, and to learn from their experiences, in order to construct a global vision for 2045, the year that will mark the centenary of the United Nations.
The United Nations was officially established on 24 October 1945, when the United Nations Charter was ratified by the Soviet Union, Republic of China, France, United Kingdom, United States and by most of its other signatories. For that reason, United Nations Day is celebrated on 24 October.
The term ‘United Nations’ was coined by the US president Franklin
D. Roosevelt during the Second World War. Despite the heightened divisions in existence at its origin and those that developed during the Cold War period, the UN continued to grow and remained true to its mission, which is increasingly relevant in the light of the immense changes faced by the world and the global population in the 21st century.
Today, the UN has 193 member states and serves as a global forum in which countries can discuss the most complex issues of humanity, including problems relating to war and peace. Over recent decades, the organisation has helped put an end to countless conflicts and promoted reconciliation in several countries such as Cambodia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Liberia, Mozambique, Namibia, Sierra Leone, Tajikistan and East Timor, among others.
As well as maintaining peace and international security, the United Nations also protects human rights and the environment, provides humanitarian aid, promotes sustainable development and defends international law.
2016 will be remembered as the year the 2030 Agenda, composed of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), came into force. This lengthy and ambitious agenda approaches various aspects of sustainable development (social, economic, environmental) and promotes peace, justice and effective institutions, offering a common vision for 2030 for all populations and for the planet.
The UN has its headquarters in New York, in the United States, and has a presence all over the world, with regional offices in Geneva, Vienna, Nairobi, Santiago de Chile and Bangkok, among others. The organisation also promotes multilingualism, recognising six official languages: Chinese, Russian, Arabic, Spanish, English and French, the last two of which are also its working languages. The current Secretary-General of the UN is the Portuguese António Guterres.
Over the course of its 75 years of life, the United Nations, along with its specialised agencies, funds, programmes and employees, has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize a total of eleven times.
