[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 34, Number 44 (Monday, November 2, 1998)]
[Pages 2115-2116]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 7143--United Nations Day, 1998

October 23, 1998

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    Every year on October 24, we celebrate the United Nations, a unique 
institution conceived in the crucible of World War II. Although the U.N. 
is an international body, the term ``United Nations'' was coined by an 
American, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who vigorously advocated 
for the creation of an assembly, composed of representatives from 
nations around the globe, devoted to the promotion of world peace and 
prosperity.
    The member countries of the United Nations are large and small, with 
diverse social, cultural, and political values, but each has a voice in 
shaping the world's destiny. Maintaining peace and security; promoting 
democracy, development, and human rights--this is the noble mission put 
forth in the U.N. Charter. The U.N. has been effective in fulfilling 
this formidable mission, winning Nobel Peace Prizes for its peacekeeping 
operations, its promotion of children's and workers' rights, and its 
assistance to refugees. The U.N. has also enabled people in more than 45 
countries to participate in free and fair elections by providing 
electoral advice and assistance and monitoring results. Its day-to-day 
operations--supplying safe drinking water, fighting disease, giving food 
and shelter to victims of emergencies and political tumult--have made a 
difference in the lives of millions of people around the world.
    This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of 
Human Rights, one of the first major achievements of the U.N. The 
Declaration has become the standard for international human rights law, 
beginning with the uncompromising statement: ``All human beings are born 
free and equal in dignity and rights.'' Over the years, the Declaration 
has been used countless times in countless ways to advance and defend 
human rights. As Secretary General Kofi Annan has stated, ``Human rights 
are universal, indivisible, and interdependent and lie at the heart of 
all that the United Nations aspires to achieve in peace and 
development.''
    Despite the U.N.'s extraordinary accomplishments, many challenges 
lie before us. Lasting peace can be realized only through wide social 
and economic development. Today, three-fourths of the world's people 
live in developing countries, and 1.3 billion live in abject poverty. 
The ever-widening gap between the world's richest and poorest countries 
remains one of our most pressing

[[Page 2116]]

challenges. The U.N. and its agencies, including the World Bank and the 
International Monetary Fund, provide vital assistance to developing 
countries through grants and loans of over $25 billion a year. With the 
current disruption in the world financial markets, the U.N. also plays a 
pivotal role as a stabilizing force, attracting investment in emerging 
economies in the developing world by promoting political stability, 
transparency, and good governance. And the U.N. continues to serve the 
world as an effective forum for instant consultation and cooperation 
among governments when attacking such shared threats as terrorism, drug 
trafficking, environmental degradation, and infectious disease.
    The United States can best honor and celebrate the good work and 
many accomplishments of the United Nations by ensuring its continued 
strength and effectiveness. The U.N. has made great strides in 
streamlining its programs and cutting its costs. I applaud this 
progress, and I deeply regret the failure of this Congress to agree to 
pay our overdue U.N. dues. I pledge to work with the next Congress to 
meet our financial treaty obligations to the U.N. America played a vital 
role in the birth of the United Nations more than 50 years ago, and, if 
we are to remain true to our values and goals, we must work 
constructively with this great institution and maintain our vote in its 
deliberations.
    Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United 
States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the 
Commission and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 24, 
1998, 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-third 
day of October, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-
eight, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two 
hundred and twenty-third.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., October 27, 
1998]

Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on October 
28. This item was not received in time for publication in the 
appropriate issue.