UN Marks 81 Years of Global Cooperation and Peace

Secretary-General António Guterres opens annual general debate at the UN Headquarters in New York in September 2026. (file)

The United Nations marks its 81st anniversary on Saturday, highlighting more than eight decades of efforts to promote peace, human rights and development around the world.

United Nations Day, observed annually on 24 October, commemorates the entry into force of the UN Charter in 1945. The organisation officially came into existence after the founding document was ratified by a majority of its signatories, including the five permanent members of the Security Council.

The day has been celebrated every year since 1948.

The UN's core mission remains unchanged: resolving disputes through diplomacy, fighting poverty and hunger, promoting human rights and delivering lifesaving assistance to people affected by conflict, disasters and displacement.

Humanity's future depends on cooperation

In his final United Nations Day message as secretary-general, António Guterres said humanity's future depends on its ability to work together to advance peace, development and human rights.

He highlighted the major challenges confronting the world, including armed conflicts, the climate crisis, widening inequalities and technological advances that are outpacing efforts to regulate them.

“The United Nations is an essential part of the fabric of our world,” Guterres said, adding that the organisation is needed more than ever.

The UN's roots in humanitarian relief

International cooperation to rebuild a devastated world was already taking shape during the Second World War, before the United Nations was formally established.

Founded in November 1943, the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) began operating before the UN itself came into existence.

Amid widespread hunger, disease, mass displacement and destruction, the agency helped deliver essential supplies and assistance to millions of people struggling to rebuild their lives.

Beyond emergency relief, UNRRA became an early example of international cooperation, demonstrating how countries could work together to address humanitarian crises.

Archival footage and personal accounts continue to document the agency's mission and its efforts to help communities recover from the devastation of war.