United Nations Day (UN), on 24 October 2022, marks the 77th anniversary of the entry into force in 1945 of the UN Charter – a landmark document embodying the hopes, dreams and aspirations of peace, ending extreme poverty, and balancing the scales of opportunity and freedom for women and girls and ensure human rights for all.
In celebration of UN Day, the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) organized a flag-raising ceremony at the ECA compound in Addis Ababa. The UN family, Ethiopian Country Representatives, the African Union (AU) and Members of the Diplomatic Corps were in attendance
Africa remains front and centre in the work of the United Nations, whether in the human rights area, the humanitarian domain, the economic and development arena, or in the field of peace and security. During the UN Day celebrations, Ayele Lire, Director General for International Organizations Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ethiopia, underscored the importance of the Un for humanity: “the founders of the UN chartered a vision to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war and promote social progress and better standards of living for the peoples of war.”
The Director General urges Member States to reaffirm their faith in the principles and purposes of the UN charter, which remain relevant 77 years after the organization’s founding. Mr. Lire also reaffirmed Ethiopia’s commitment to the UN’s transformative agenda as set out in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In a message read out during the celebrations, UN Secretary-General, António Guterres said, “The UN is the product of hope – the hope and the resolve following the second world war to move beyond global conflict to global cooperation…As we mark UN Day, let us renew our hope and conviction in what humanity can achieve when we work as one, in global solidarity.”
Today, the UN faces many unprecedented challenges brought on by the effects of the global Covid-19 pandemic, recurring conflicts, climate change-related disasters and attendant humanitarian emergencies. As such, the organization faces tremendous pressure to safeguard and promote the values and principles set out in the UN Charter. However, for the UN to adapt to new global realities, it is undertaking institutional reforms to make it more dynamic and effective in achieving its mandate.
