[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 209 (Monday, October 28, 1996)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 55545-55546]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-27775]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 209 / Monday, October 28, 1996 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 55545]]

                Proclamation 6946 of October 24, 1996

                
United Nations Day, 1996

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Each year we dedicate a day to celebrate the United 
                Nations because it represents America's commitment to 
                an institution dedicated to the promotion of peace and 
                freedom.

                The United Nations was born at the end of World War II, 
                as the international community sent representatives to 
                San Francisco to sign the official charter. The world's 
                sovereign countries came in search of peace, freedom, 
                tolerance, and cooperation after a period when many 
                worried that the world had lost these ideals forever. 
                These ideals became--and still remain--the bedrock 
                principles of the United Nations Charter. And although 
                the United Nations has not yet realized all its 
                founders' aspirations, these ideals now touch more 
                people in more nations than ever before.

                International cooperation--as exemplified by the work 
                of the United Nations--offers the opportunity for 
                nations to work together in addressing worldwide 
                problems like ethnic, tribal, or interreligious 
                disputes; famine, drought, or epidemics; natural 
                disasters, war, or refugee crises. On United Nations 
                Day, we recognize this unique institution's role in 
                helping individual nations come together as a community 
                to make life better for all people.

                To be sure, as we celebrate its 51st anniversary, the 
                U.N.'s challenges are very different from those the 
                world faced at the close of World War II. But the 
                challenges are real and substantial. There are, for 
                example, still too many places in the world where 
                failed ideologies increase the suffering of people 
                rather than making their lives easier; where human 
                rights and human dignity are not officially recognized; 
                where nuclear weapons remain a threat to the world's 
                security; where honest and impartial observers are 
                needed to ensure free democratic elections; and where 
                international expertise is needed to replace ecological 
                damage with sustainable development.

                Americans are justifiably proud of the role our country 
                played in creating the United Nations as part of a 
                network of global institutions intended to reduce the 
                chances of war and economic depression. We continue to 
                recognize that, in a world of increasing 
                interdependence, the United States' engagement and 
                leadership in the United Nations is as important now as 
                it has ever been. We will also persist in our efforts 
                to achieve the reforms necessary to ensure that the 
                organization is prepared to meet the demands of a new 
                era and that we as a Nation honor our commitments to 
                our fellow members.

                On this special day, as we honor and celebrate the work 
                of the United Nations, let us renew our commitment and 
                determination to work with our fellow members to 
                maintain international peace and security, to strive 
                for a higher quality of life, and to champion human 
                rights for all peoples.

                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, 1996, as United 
                Nations Day. I encourage all Americans to acquaint 
                themselves with the activities and accomplishments of 
                the United Nations and to observe

[[Page 55546]]

                this day with appropriate ceremonies, programs, and 
                activities furthering the goal of international 
                cooperation.

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

                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 96-27775
Filed 10-25-96; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P