United Nations Day, 2000

United Nations Day, 2000

Fifty-five years ago, the United States played a leading role in founding the United Nations, and the treaty creating the U.N. was signed in San Francisco. Today, we are proud to serve as host country for the United Nations, whose headquarters in New York City stands as an enduring symbol of the promise of international peace and cooperation.

The United States remains fully committed to the principles of the United Nations Charter, and we support efforts to make the U.N. a more effective tool to meet the challenges of our changing world. Many of those challenges -- poverty, disease, ethnic violence, and regional conflict -- recognize no borders and can only be addressed by nations working together with shared resources and common goals. The United Nations is uniquely positioned to facilitate such collaborative efforts.

Today, more than half the world's people live under governments of their own choosing, an achievement that reflects the role the U.N. has played as a steadfast peacemaker and staunch advocate of international human rights. But three-fourths of those people live in developing countries, and more than a billion of them live in abject poverty. Through agencies such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, the U.N. is working to address this gap between the world's richest and poorest countries by supporting comprehensive debt relief and providing billions of dollars in loans and grants to developing nations for projects that promote health, nutrition, education, entrepreneurship, and civil society.

While the devastating world wars of the 20th century are now a part of history, ethnic and regional conflicts continue to threaten global stability and contribute to human misery. Millions of innocent people have lost their lives in such conflicts, and millions of families have been driven from their homelands to seek refuge in neighboring nations. Through its international diplomacy efforts, peacekeeping operations, and humanitarian assistance, the United Nations serves as a beacon of hope for countries torn apart by ethnic, religious, or regional strife.

In September of this year, the leaders of 189 countries came together in New York at the United Nations Millennium Summit. This unprecedented gathering of international leaders reaffirmed that the importance of the U.N.’s mission is undiminished after more than 5 decades of extraordinary challenge and global change.

As we observe United Nations Day this year, let us celebrate the spirit of international cooperation and dedication to peace enshrined in the U.N. Charter. For 55 years, the United Nations has led the world in addressing international security problems and promoting human rights and human dignity. Today we reaffirm our commitment to this vital institution and pledge to work with other member nations to ensure that the U.N. is equipped with the resources it needs to remain a powerful instrument of the international community and an effective force for the common good.

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, 2000, as United Nations Day. I encourage all Americans to educate themselves about the activities and accomplishments of the United Nations and to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies, programs, and activities devoted to enhancing international cooperation.

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

WILLIAM J. CLINTON



What's New at the White House

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What's New - November 2000

What's New - October 2000

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What's New - June 2000

What's New - May 2000

What’s New - April 2000

What's New - March 2000

What's New - February 2000

What's New - January 2000

What's New Archives 1997-1999

What's New Archives: 1994-1996

Presidential Webcast: Meeting the Challenge of Global Warming

President Clinton Joins International Religious and Domestic Aids Policy Leaders to Mark World Aids Day

Urging Congress to Keep its Commitment and Complete this Year's Education Budget

To Implement Title V of the Trade and Development Act of 2000 and to Modify the Generalized System of Preferences

Preserving America’s Coral Reefs

Human Rights Day: The Eleanor Roosevelt Award and The Presidential Medal of Freedom

President Clinton Launches New Effort to Increase Immunization Rates Among Children

President Clinton and Vice President Gore: Restoring an American Natural Treasure

Progress in Efforts to Combat International Crime

President Clinton’s New Markets Initiative: Revitalizing America’s Underserved Communities

President Clinton, Vice President Gore, and Congressional Democrats Win a Landmark Budget

Announcing Welfare Reform Achievements and Budget Wins for America’s Families

President Clinton Issues Strong New Consumer Protections to Ensure the Privacy of Medical Records

Enacting a Budget that Invests in Education, Health Care, and America’

President Clinton Appoints Roger Gregory to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

President Clinton Announces New Steps to Improve Nutrition and Education for Children in Developing Countries

The United States on Track to Pay Off the Debt by End of the Decade

President Clinton: Strengthening the Federal Government-University Research Partnership

Keeping the Heat and Lights On During Unusually Cold Weather

President Clinton and First Lady Promote Screenings and Treatment for Breast, Cervical and Other Cancers

Strengthening and Supporting the Military

President Clinton: Strong Action to Preserve America’s Forests

Protecting America’s Natural Treasures

President Clinton: Raising the Minimum Wage -- An Overdue Pay Raise for America’s Working Families

President Clinton Awards the Presidential Citizens Medals

President Clinton Unveils the Completion of the FDR Memorial and Honors FDR’s Legacy

Highlights of the 2001 Economic Report of the President

Prevention Resources For America

President Clinton Honors Martin Luther King Through Words and Deeds

New Efforts to Fight Sweatshops and Child Labor Around the World & Put A More Human Face on the

Leadership for the New Millennium -- A Record of Digital Progress and Prosperity

President Clinton: Celebrating the Legacy of Lewis and Clark and Preserving America’s Natural Treasures


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