United Nations Day Falls on October 24: As the UN Marks 81 Years, Secretary-General Guterres Calls for Dialogue Over Division
October 24 is United Nations Day. The United Nations officially came into being on October 24, 1945, when the Charter of the United Nations entered into force; this year marks the organization's 81st anniversary. Secretary-General António Guterres has released his United Nations Day message for 2026.
In the message, Guterres said United Nations Day celebrates not only an organization, but an idea: that humanity's future depends on our ability to work together to advance peace, development and human rights. For 81 years, he said, the United Nations has given life to that idea — settling disputes with diplomacy and laws, not weapons; working to eradicate poverty and hunger; promoting human rights; and delivering life-saving aid to people facing war, disaster and displacement. From transportation, trade and technology, to safeguarding the health of people and the planet, to championing gender equality and expanding opportunity for women and girls, and to giving all countries an equal voice on the global stage, he said, the United Nations is an essential part of the fabric of the world.
Guterres added that the United Nations is needed more than ever: the world is shaken by conflict, battered by the climate crisis, scarred by rising inequalities, and transformed by technologies speeding faster than our ability to govern them. Now is the time, he said, to reaffirm the values that gave birth to the United Nations — dialogue over division, cooperation over confrontation, and solidarity over fear. He called on all countries to renew their commitment to those shared values and the obligations that underpin them, to stand firm in upholding the UN Charter and international law, and to work to strengthen the United Nations so it can best serve people and meet the challenges of the time.
United Nations Day was declared by the UN General Assembly in 1947 to mark the anniversary of the Charter's entry into force; in 1971 the General Assembly adopted a resolution recommending that member states observe it as a public holiday. UN Headquarters is in New York, and the organization has 193 member states.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于 New York 的联合国总部秘书处大楼与会员国旗帜（资料图；Dendodge 摄，Wikimedia Commons，公共领域）
