Brazil celebrates United Nations Day
This Wednesday (Oct. 24), the United Nations Day is being celebrated the world over. The date marks the day when the United Nations Charter was brought into effect, in 1945—the UN foundational document, whose preamble “reaffirms faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small.”
The Brazilian government, through its Foreign Relations Ministry, joined the celebrations by releasing a note congratulating the United Nations family and its member states “for the 73 years of service to humankind and the promotion of the fundamental pillars of peace and security, human rights, and sustainable development.”
In its foundation, the organization was joined by 52 member states which came together in favor of peace and development, based on justice, human dignity, and the well-fare of everyone. Today, Brazil reiterates its commitment with the UN Charter and the purposes and goals of the organization of which it is a founding member, along with 50 other countries.
Peace and humanitarian help
Among the duties assigned to the UN, in addition to the preservation of security and world peace are the promotion of human rights, the support for economic development and social progress. Today, nearly 80 thousand people work for the UN network.
The organization is also active in environment protection, the fight against climate change, and the humanitarian assistance in cases of hunger, natural disasters, armed conflicts, and the distribution of food and aide. The UN feed approximately 80 million people in 80 countries, with 12 billion meals being distributed every year.
In health care, Unicef vaccinates 45 percent of the world’s children. As for security, the UN carries out peace missions in 14 countries, mobilizing 110 thousand peace soldiers.
The Brazilian contribution
According to the Foreign Ministry, over the course of UN’s history, Brazil has worked to helped meet its goals by taking up an active role in all of its debates, both in its New York headquarters and across the world. “Furthermore, Brazil is the developing country with the highest number of mandates as a non-permanent member of its Security Council, and has served for a total of over two decades in the organization,” the note reads.
Brazil has also taken part in UN peace operations since 1956 in Suez, Egypt, and has recently stood out for its military command during nearly 13 years in the United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti (Minustah), and its current responsibility in the maritime task force of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.
Diplomacy
The ministry went on to mention that a number of UN conferences have been held in Brazil, chief among them Rio 92, and, more recently, Rio+20, during which the Sustainable Development Goals were established.
As it commends the United Nations for its 73rd anniversary, the Brazilian government “reaffirms its tradition of engagement in multilateral diplomacy and reiterates its commitment with the organization,” the ministry declared.
*With information from UN News
