[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 32, Number 43 (Monday, October 28, 1996)]
[Pages 2168-2169]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

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Proclamation 6946--United Nations Day, 1996

October 24, 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 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

[[Page 2169]]

the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-first.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., October 25, 
1996]

Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on October 
28.