On June 26, 1945, delegates from 50 nations came together to sign the United Nations Charter – a historic moment for global peace and progress.
To mark the UN’s 70th anniversary this year, over the past week, we’ve been sharing 70 facts about the UN and the work it does around the world.
You can find facts 1-10 here, facts 11-20 here, facts 21-30 here, facts 31-40 here, facts 41-50 here, facts 51-60 here, and check out the list below for the final 10 facts of the series.
1. In 2010, the UN General Assembly created UN Women, a UN entity dedicated to empowering women and advancing gender equality. (Tweet this)
2. The first UN Environment Conference was held in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1972. (Tweet this)
3. The UN protects and promotes human rights through some 80 treaties and declarations. (Tweet this)
4. In 2014, actor and environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio was designated as a UN Messenger of Peace, with a focus on climate change. Watch his speech at last year’s Climate Summit hosted by the UN Secretary-General. (Tweet this)
5. In 2013, Ahmad Alhendawi of Jordan became the Secretary-General’s first-ever Envoy on Youth. (Tweet this)
6. President Harry Truman addressed delegates at the opening of the San Francisco conference that created the UN, saying: “You members of this Conference are to be the architects of the better world. In your hands rests our future.” Read more quotes from his address here. (Tweet this)
7. UN Peacekeeping is made up of more than 120,000 total field personnel, with 128 countries contributing troops, police, and civilian personnel. (Tweet this)
8. The UN Deputy Secretary-General is Jan Eliasson of Sweden. He took office in 2012. (Tweet this)
9. The UN assists some 60 countries a year with elections. (Tweet this)
10. The UN has more than 30 affiliated programs, funds, and specialized agencies. (Tweet this)