New York, October 24, 2017. United Nations Day marks the anniversary of the entry into force in 1945 of the UN Charter. With the ratification of this founding document by the majority of its signatories, the United Nations officially came into being.
At the 2017 celebration, sections 1 and 2 of the Preamble to the founding Charter were read —in the six official languages of the organization— by representatives of founding member states. Cuba had the honor of being selected to perform the reading in Spanish language, which was done by Cuban Ambassador Anayansi Rodriguez Camejo, the first woman to serve as permanent representative of the island to the international body.
The Cuban diplomat recalled with the reading that the main objective of the UN is to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice (I and II World Wars) in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind; and to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small.
The Preamble to the Charter of the United Nations also call for the practice of tolerance and peaceful coexistence, for joining efforts for the maintenance of international peace and security, and for the promotion of international mechanisms for economic and social advancement of all peoples. It also calls for the non-use of armed force, save in the service of the common interest.
Seventy-two years after the founding of the largest world organization ever created, it is worth asking how much has been achieved, but also how much should be done and how much political will should exist to achieve all foundational objectives, which maintain their full validity.
On this anniversary we also remembered our Commander in Chief, when referring to the United Nations noted: Anyone understands that the United Nations basic role (…) is to save the world not only from war but also from underdevelopment, hunger, diseases, poverty and the destruction of the natural resources indispensable to human life.
Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations.