After two global conflicts, a desire for peace and coherence was created in society. It was out of this desire, that the United Nations (UN) was born on 24th October 1945. Ever since 1947, 24th October has been celebrated as United Nations Day to "be devoted to making known to the people of the world the aims and achievements of the United Nations and to gaining their support for" its work.
Ever since 1945, the United Nations has had a noteworthy presence in global conflicts. In times of crisis, the United Nations’ words remain a source of hope for the people in troubling times.
Child Help Foundation itself took inspiration from the United Nations and based its objectives on UN-approved Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To appreciate the workings of the United Nations, we would like to dedicate this article to talk about its outstanding achievements.
- Eradicating Small Pox
- Declaration of Human Rights
- Role in Peacekeeping
- The Montreal Protocol
Since 1500 BC, smallpox has been a major nuisance in society. It is estimated that in the 20th Century, the disease was the cause of 300 million deaths. In 1967, the World Health Organization (WHO), a UN agency, took on the challenge of eradicating smallpox. After 13 years of hard work, the United Nations declared smallpox to be extinct in 1980, making it the only human disease to be eradicated. This achievement provided hope to people worldwide, as what was once deemed impossible became possible.
While some forms of human rights have always been around, there has never been a universal agreement on what should be classified as human rights. In the first meeting of the UN’s General Assembly in 1945, creating a definition was placed in high priority. After three years of work, the UN produced the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that ‘all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.’ regardless of "nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, language, or any other status." This was a monumental moment, as all nations had a framework to base their human rights around.
In times of conflict, the UN has intervened to maintain peace and harmony. This can come in various forms like separating former combatants, confidence-building measures, power-sharing arrangements, electoral assistance, strengthening the rule of law, and economic and social development. Its efforts were evident in the Cold War, the Arab-Israeli War and other global conflicts.
Adopted in 1987, the Montreal Protocol is a global agreement to stop the production of substances causing ozone depletion. In a 2023 UN report, it was stated that the “ozone layer is on track to recover within four decades, with the global phaseout of ozone-depleting chemicals already benefitting efforts to mitigate climate change.” This was an important achievement, caused by years of environmental policies and activism.
Child Help Foundation is proud to play a small but significant role in aiding the United Nations. By adopting the SDGs 3 (Good Health and Well-Being), 4 (Quality Education), 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), 5 (Gender Equality), 2 (Zero Hunger), 11, 13 &17 (Humanitarian Relief), 15 (Life on Land), 14 (Life Below Water) and 8 & 10 (Decent Work and Economic Growth & Reduce Inequality ),Child Help Foundation has positively impacted the lives of 44,81,098 people.
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