The United Nations Needs You

The United Nations Needs You

Long before I became Secretary-General, the United Nations occupied a special place in my life. I was six years old when the Korean War broke out. I have painful memories of my village in flames as my family sought refuge in nearby mountains.  But other, more hopeful memories have also lasted -- of the United Nations.

 I remember how we were saved from hunger by UN food relief operations; how we received textbooks from UNESCO; and when we wondered whether the outside world cared about our suffering, how the troops of many nations sacrificed their lives to restore security and peace.

 This Saturday, 24 October -- United Nations Day -- marks 70 years since the creation of the Organization that has had such a profound impact on me and millions of others.

Seventy years ago, the drafters of the UN Charter had seen the world emerge from a devastating war -- the second in their lifetime. They knew that bringing countries together behind an agreed set of universal principles was the only chance at preserving the peace that was so precious to those who had fought to secure it.  The United Nations was born -- out of necessity, audacity and hope.

The United Nations is now unparalleled as a dynamic and near-universal organization. Its 193 member countries may not agree on everything but, after 70 years, they have achieved collective progress across the international agenda.

The great Swedish diplomat and UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld, who lost his life in the service of international peace, famously said that “the United Nations was not created in order to bring us to heaven, but in order to save us from hell."

His words echo clearly now more than ever.

While the United Nations has secured important global advances since 1945, many of challenges that existed then remain today. Poverty and hunger, discrimination and inequality, and violence and conflict persist.

But what also persist are our shared aspirations as global citizens.  As I have travelled across the world as Secretary-General, meeting people from scores of nations, I have seen first-hand that there is more that unites us as human beings than divides us. People everywhere and from all walks of life want the best for their families and communities, want to protect the planet that is our one and only home, and want to live a life of dignity and peace.

For many, the UN is a life-saving presence. For others, the connection to their daily lives may not be immediately obvious. Yet the UN has been successful in ways that benefit everyone, everywhere -- from effective vaccination campaigns against preventable diseases to protecting our ozone layer to enshrining our human rights to preventive diplomacy to stop violent conflict before it happens, to name but a few.

As it turns 70, the United Nations is working to optimize its diverse, creative, passionate workforce to help overcome global challenges. UN staff come from all over the world, bringing to the job not only a wide range of expertise, but fresh and varied perspectives and approaches. They are expected to uphold the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity.

Choosing the path of public service is not an easy decision. But, as I told graduating students at Georgetown University earlier this year, it is important to remember that history does not measure a person by his or her bank account; what counts is how much one gives back to the world – and how courageously one fights for what is right and for those in need.

There are many other valuable ways that you can support the goals of the United Nations -- by getting involved in your community, advocating for rights and equality, or taking action to tackle climate change and achieve a sustainable future. I know from my childhood, and now from decades of public service, the immense difference the United Nations can make when we all play our part in making it a success. 

 

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Photos: UNAMID Photo; Comunità di Sant'Egidio; UN Photo

rokhaya M.

Étudiant(e) (école normale supérieure d'enseignement téchnique et professionnelle)

6y

Nice picture mister the secretary Général

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Abdus Q.

Looking for a new challenge, extensive financial services experience. Feel free to connect and reach out.

7y

Ruhingay minorities are being killed in Burma. Why isn't the UN doing anything to protect these people?? :-(

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HRH Prince Hassan Bin Sadedine Homsi

Vorstand und Geschäftsleitung bei Aramco

7y

👍🏻🍀👍🏻

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