The Protocol and Liaison Service contributes to the Delegates’ Handbook, a booklet that contains information of a general nature about United Nations Headquarters and is applicable throughout the current session.
The United Nations was built by the world, for the world.
Since 1945, it has been the place for countries to unite behind global solutions to global problems.
Solutions that ease tensions, build bridges and forge peace.
Solutions to eradicate poverty, spur sustainable development, and stand up for the most vulnerable.
Solutions that deliver lifesaving relief to people living through conflicts, violence, economic hardship, and climate disasters.
Solutions that level the scales of justice and equality for women and girls.
Solutions that tackle issues that were unimaginable in 1945 — climate change, digital technology, artificial intelligence, and outer space.
In September, the General Assembly adopted the Pact for the Future, the Global Digital Compact, and the Declaration on Future Generations.
Together, these milestone agreements will help ensure that the United Nations system adapts, reforms, and rejuvenates, so it is fit for the changes and challenges around us and delivers solutions for all.
But our work will always be rooted in the timeless values and principles of the UN Charter and international law, and in the dignity and human rights of every person.
In today’s troubled world, hope is not enough.
Hope requires determined action and multilateral solutions for peace, shared prosperity and a thriving planet.
Hope requires all countries working as one.
Hope requires the United Nations.
On United Nations Day, I call on all countries to keep this beacon for the world, and its ideals, shining.
Today marks a cherished and precious anniversary in the course of nations to end conflicts, spare the generations the scourge of war, and work to build a more secure, stable and developed world.
United Nations Day reminds us of the importance of peace and stability for the good of humanity. We shall not forget those who served in this Organization and those who made great sacrifices to support peace and establish security and prosperity.
The United Nations works to serve people in defusing conflicts and in time of peace, in order to promote sustainable peace, justice and development. In Iraq, this is what we are doing as well: we serve all sectors of society, through sustainable development, support and humanitarian action, as well as through efforts to promote human rights, just as we stood with the Iraqi people in past times of conflict.
As a founding member of the United Nations, Iraq plays its role in upholding the values, principles and rights encapsulated in the UN Charter which all 193 member states have committed to.
In his UN Day message, Secretary-General António Guterres sums up who we are and what we do. He says: “The United Nations was built by the world, for the world. Since 1945, it has been the place for countries to unite behind global solutions to global problems.”
We all belong to these United Nations. We are proud of this day, and we shall not forget the memory of all those who worked to uphold the name and values of the United Nations, and to defend the security and fundamental rights of all humanity.
Membership in the United Nations
is open to all other peace-loving states which accept the obligations
contained in the present Charter and, in the judgment of the
Organization, are able and willing to carry out these obligations.
The admission of any such state to membership in the United Nations
will be effected by a decision of the General Assembly upon the
recommendation of the Security Council.
A recommendation for admission from the Security Council requires
affirmative votes from at least nine of the council's fifteen members,
with none of the five permanent membersvoting against.
The Security Council's recommendation must then be subsequently
approved in the General Assembly by a two-thirds majority vote.In principle, only sovereign states
can become UN members, and currently all UN members are sovereign
states (although a few members were not sovereign when they joined the
UN). Vatican City is the only sovereign state with general international recognition that is not a UN member (the Holy See, which holds sovereignty over the state of Vatican City and maintains diplomatic relations with other states, is a UN permanent observer). Because a state can only be admitted to the UN by the approval of the Security Council and the General Assembly, a number of states that may be considered sovereign states according to the Montevideo Convention criteria are not members because the UN does not consider them to possess sovereignty, mainly due to the lack of international recognition or opposition from certain members.
The Secretary-General of the United Nations is the head of the Secretariat of the United Nations, one of the principal organs of the United Nations. The Secretary-General also acts as the de facto spokesperson and leader of the United Nations.
The current Secretary-General is Ban Ki-moon of South Korea, who took office on 1 January 2007. His first term will expire on 31 December 2011. He was re-elected, unopposed, to a second term on 21 June 2011.
Role
The Secretary-General was envisioned by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt as a "world moderator," but the office was defined in the UN Charter as the organization's "chief administrative officer" (Article 97). Nevertheless, this more restricted description has not prevented the office holders from speaking out and playing important roles on global issues, to various degrees.
The official residence of the Secretary-General is a five-story townhouse in the Sutton Place, Manhattan, in New York City, USA. The townhouse was built for Anne Morgan in 1921, and donated to the United Nations in 1972.
Term and selection
Secretaries-General serve for five-year terms that can be renewed indefinitely, although none so far has held office for more than two terms. The United Nations Charter provides for the Secretary-General to be appointed by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council. As a result, the selection is subject to the veto of any of the five permanent members of the Security Council.
