[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 31, Number 43 (Monday, October 30, 1995)]
[Pages 1927-1928]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 6844--United Nations Day, 1995

October 23, 1995

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    Fifty years ago, at the end of the most destructive war the world 
has ever known, delegates from fifty-one countries met in San

[[Page 1928]]

Francisco to establish the United Nations. Inspired by a common 
determination ``to save succeeding generations from the scourge of 
war,'' the delegates recognized that their vision of a better world 
could not simply be defined by the absence of conflict, nor could peace 
be maintained without broad international cooperation. Thus they 
resolved to ``unite our strength to maintain international peace and 
security,'' to ``promote social progress and better standards of life,'' 
and to reaffirm universal human rights.
    This year, the U.N., which now numbers 185 member countries, has 
continued its tradition of promoting peace and security around the 
globe. Its agencies are important instruments in the campaign to stop 
the proliferation of nuclear arms and other weapons of mass destruction. 
It works to provide security for the conduct of free elections. And 
United Nations troops strive to keep the peace in places of great 
importance to the United States--on the Kuwait border, in the 
Mediterranean and in Europe.
    We can also be proud of the U.N. agencies and programs that work to 
support sustainable development, protect the environment, battle the 
spread of disease, and promote human rights. In fighting the deadly 
outbreak of the Ebola virus, immunizing millions of children, and 
securing relief for hundreds of thousands of refugees, agencies like the 
World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the United Nations High 
Commissions for Human Rights and Refugees make important contributions 
to the international community.
    The U.N. enters its second half-century of service facing new 
opportunities and challenges. If the nations of the world are to fully 
embrace these opportunities and overcome these challenges, we must work 
more closely together to fully realize the principles of the original 
United Nations Charter and must commit to improving the organization's 
efficiency and effectiveness. During this momentous anniversary 
celebration, let us reaffirm the ideals, principles, and goals contained 
in the Charter and rededicate ourselves to working for the good of all 
humankind.
    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 Tuesday, 
October 24, 1995, as United Nations Day. I encourage all Americans to 
acquaint themselves with the activities and accomplishments of the U.N. 
and to observe 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-third 
day of October, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-
five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two 
hundred and twentieth.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 2:37 p.m., October 24, 
1995]

Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on October 
26.