Special day commemorates 72nd anniversary of UN Charter
by Rick Jones | Presbyterian News Service
LOUISVILLE – Seventy-two years ago today, the newly formed United Nations approved a charter that has been the foundation of its work ever since. Today marks United Nations Day, an opportunity for the global community to celebrate the work and progress the institution has made. U.N. member states aren’t the only ones to commemorate the special day.
Ryan D. Smith, director of the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations, leads discussion with the Presbyterian representatives to the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women. Photo provided by Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations.
“Presbyterians were part of the drafting of the U.N. charter and this is a remembrance of the charter going into effect. So in a way, Presbyterians can celebrate the church’s own history in the creation of the U.N.,” said Ryan D. Smith, director of the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations. “For Presbyterians it’s a reminder of where we’ve been and where we are going as a church.”
Smith says the church/U.N. partnership has a long history.
“We were at the drafting table for the charter itself and have continued and maintained our relationship with the U.N. from 1945 until today and we will do so in the future,” said Smith. “The U.N. is one of the few institutions on earth that’s won the Nobel Peace Prize numerous times. So Presbyterians can look back and say we were a part of that.”
A number of activities are scheduled at U.N. headquarters in New York, including a reading of the charter this morning, a flag-raising ceremony and a concert later this evening.
The U.N. role has expanded over the years to work for world peace as well as human rights initiatives, social and economic development, famine relief and the rights of women and girls.
Next March, the Commission on the Status of Women will be held at U.N. headquarters. The Presbyterian Ministry will play an active role in hosting delegates.
“The Commission on the Status of Women is the place where governments from around the world talk about women’s rights and talk about it together,” said Smith. “It’s the place where the global community asks what needs to be done to make women’s lives better around the world.”
The theme for the 2018 commission is “Challenges and opportunities in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls.”
“The Presbyterian church is in big and small towns and rural communities. This is an opportunity for folks from rural communities to come and speak about their experiences and their truth to the global system,” he said. “Other organizations, such as nonprofits, don’t really have the on-the-ground connections that the Presbyterian church does.”
The deadline to register as a commission delegate is Nov. 3.