Today is United Nations day, the yearly celebration (this year is the 69th!) that celebrates the establishment of the UN Charter and all of the great work that the UN does and continues to do. Even more, it’s an awesome opportunity for United Nations Association members and chapters in the U.S. (the UNA-USA) to inform and educate communities about what the UN is, what it does and how it impacts millions of people around the globe in positive ways.
This year’s theme for UN Day is Global Citizenship and Youth and the UNA-USA is hoping it will help promote grassroots participation by adults, young professionals and youth in UN activities and projects. It’s definitely a cause we can get behind (our CEO Julie Smolyansky is a member of the United Nations Global Entrepreneurs Council).
While many of us know that the United Nations is an organization that exists, too few of us (Lifeway staff included) actually know what they do. Here’s a quick rundown of their incredible global impact:
- Provides food for 90 million people in 80 countries
- Has helped 420 million rural poor achieve better lives in the last 30 years
- Mobilizes $22 billion in humanitarian aid to help people affected by emergencies
- Protects and promotes human rights on site and through 80 treaties/declarations
- Keeps peace with the help of 120,000 peacekeepers in 16 operations on four continents
- Assists over 38.7 million refugees and people fleeing war, famine and persecution
- Vaccinates 58 percent of the world’s children, saving 3 million lives per year
- Works in 193 countries to combat climate change
Pretty cool, right? The work of the UN is incredibly important and with our support – and yours! – it will continue long into the future.
More About the United Nations
According to an official statement, the UN is “essential to international peace, prosperity, and security. The challenges of the 21st century are global in nature and require a global response. The UN is the only institution with the international scale, reach, and capacity to address these global problems.” Learn about the many ways the United Nations is helping the world every day here. To find a UN Day event in your area, or to see how you can become involved with UNA-USA, visit unausa.org.