On October 24, 1945, the United Nations (UN) came into force when the five permanent members of the security council ratified the charter that had been drawn up earlier that year. These members were: France, the Republic of China, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the United States.*

Since 1948, the world has taken Oct. 24 as a day to reflect on the mission & successes of the United Nations.

Learn more about United Nations Day & its happenings on the UN page. For instance, I learned that today marks a mini-countdown to Oct. 31, the day the world’s population is expected to reach seven billion.

How fitting that, since 1972, the date has also been the UN’s World Development Information Day, a day “to draw the attention of world public opinion to development problems and the need to strengthen international cooperation to solve them (resolution 3038 (XXVII)).” As our population increases, global development becomes an increasingly interesting conundrum. How do we implement sustainable practices that allow emerging economies to compete at a global scale? How do we ensure that the changes & developments carry through our children’s children’s generation?

The United Nations has always been a large source of inspiration (& optimism) for me. Their programs work to develop education, public safety, peace, prosperity, & increasingly, environmental consciousness without attaching it to religion or cultural superiority or self-righteousness… It is working for a better world based on the idea that no one should have to suffer as the world has already suffered. From the Great Depression & the horrific events of World War II came one of humanity’s strongest efforts to do better by each other.

I hope we continue to work on that. I hope more countries will use the UN as a means of coming together in appreciation of what the others have offered the world, have suffered & have to look forward to.

Happy United Nations Day!