United Nations Day, 1996

___________________________________________________________________

Title 3--
The President

Proclamation 6946 of October 24, 1996

United Nations Day, 1996

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Each year we dedicate a day to celebrate the United
Nations because it represents America's commitment to
an institution dedicated to the promotion of peace and
freedom.

The United Nations was born at the end of World War II,
as the international community sent representatives to
San Francisco to sign the official charter. The world's
sovereign countries came in search of peace, freedom,
tolerance, and cooperation after a period when many
worried that the world had lost these ideals forever.
These ideals became--and still remain--the bedrock
principles of the United Nations Charter. And although
the United Nations has not yet realized all its
founders' aspirations, these ideals now touch more
people in more nations than ever before.

International cooperation--as exemplified by the work
of the United Nations--offers the opportunity for
nations to work together in addressing worldwide
problems like ethnic, tribal, or interreligious
disputes; famine, drought, or epidemics; natural
disasters, war, or refugee crises. On United Nations
Day, we recognize this unique institution's role in
helping individual nations come together as a community
to make life better for all people.

To be sure, as we celebrate its 51st anniversary, the
U.N.'s challenges are very different from those the
world faced at the close of World War II. But the
challenges are real and substantial. There are, for
example, still too many places in the world where
failed ideologies increase the suffering of people
rather than making their lives easier; where human
rights and human dignity are not officially recognized;
where nuclear weapons remain a threat to the world's
security; where honest and impartial observers are
needed to ensure free democratic elections; and where
international expertise is needed to replace ecological
damage with sustainable development.

Americans are justifiably proud of the role our country
played in creating the United Nations as part of a
network of global institutions intended to reduce the
chances of war and economic depression. We continue to
recognize that, in a world of increasing
interdependence, the United States' engagement and
leadership in the United Nations is as important now as
it has ever been. We will also persist in our efforts
to achieve the reforms necessary to ensure that the
organization is prepared to meet the demands of a new
era and that we as a Nation honor our commitments to
our fellow members.

On this special day, as we honor and celebrate the work
of the United Nations, let us renew our commitment and
determination to work with our fellow members to
maintain international peace and security, to strive
for a higher quality of life, and to champion human
rights for all peoples.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United
States, do hereby proclaim October 24, 1996, as United
Nations Day. I encourage all Americans to acquaint
themselves with the activities and accomplishments of
the United Nations and to observe

this day with appropriate ceremonies, programs, and
activities furthering the goal of international
cooperation.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twenty-fourth day of October, in the year of our Lord
nineteen hundred and ninety-six, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two
hundred and twenty-first.