United Nations Day: The UK and the UN
This House of Lords Library Briefing provides information on United Nations Day which takes place on 24 October 2019.
United Nations Day takes place on 24 October annually. The United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, António Guterres, states that the day “marks the birthday of our founding Charter—the landmark document that embodies the hopes, dreams and aspirations of ‘we the peoples’”.
On 31 October 1947, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring that 24 October be officially called ‘United Nations Day’. In 1971, the General Assembly recommended that United Nations Day be observed by member states as a public holiday. It is not a public holiday in the UK. United Nations Day is marked globally, including in the US whereby the President has issued an annual proclamation since 1948. The UK is one of the founding members of the UN.
This Library briefing will examine the United Kingdom’s (UK) involvement in both the creation of the UN and its role today.