UN Charter Day

Dateline San Francisco - June 25

President of the Friends of UN: Dr.Noel Brown & Vice President: Irv Sarnoff

At the historic War Veterans Memorial building where the Charter of United Nations was signed, the Resource Center for the UN in corporation with the Friends of the United Nations, today launched a 3 year campaign designed to promote vision & values of a charter & educate people everywhere with its meaning & relevance to their lives.
According to Dr. Noel J. Brown, the greatest threat to the UN today is not the overt hostility based often on narrow political interests or misinformation but downright ignorance of its basic principles & enduring values. Quoting from a 1965 editorial of the London Economist, Dr. Brown recalled an observation which seems even more valid today:

"After 20 years, many nations still have only a hazy idea of the what the United Nations is for and therefore whether they really need it. Some people remain loyal in its support without in the least understanding it. Others, equally ignorant, have come to dismiss it as useless or mischievous and many still are uncertain as whether its existence makes any real difference."

WE THE PEOPLES OF THE UNITED
NATIONS DETERMINED

to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, and to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of man and woman and of nations large and small, and establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained, and to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,

AND FOR THESE ENDS

to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbors and unite our strength to maintain international peace and security, and to ensure, by the acceptance of principles and the institution of methods, that armed force shall not be used, save in the common interest, and to employ international machinery for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples,

HAVE RESOLVED TO COMBINE OUR EFFORTS TO ACCOMPLISH THESE AIMS

Accordingly, our respective Governments, through representatives assembled in the city of San Francisco, who have exhibited their full powers found to be in good and due form, have agreed to the present Charter of the United Nations and do hereby establish an international organization to be known as the United Nations.

Preamble to the UN Charter		 This is simply not good enough especially at time when information's & communications technology give people as never before unprecedented opportunities and execs to historic documents that are important to their future well-being and even survival.
If the Charter is to guide, the actions of nations & peoples it must be securely anchored in public understanding & awareness & broadly supported by all elements of civil society.
To this end Friends of the UN and the Resource Center for the UN plan to launch 3 year campaign to bring the charter to the people in schools & Universities, Citizen's organizations, business & finance and Arts & Entertainment industry.
To make the Charter both, personal and reader-friendly, the group plans to invite different constituencies to participate in the production of different vergios. For example: children & youth will be asked to assist in the preparation of the children's version, as would community groups. In the end it is hoped that is exercise to be completed by the year 2000 will rekindle global interest in the Charter & a broad reaffirmation of commitment to its central values which include:
  • A world at peace with itself.
  • just in its transactions,
  • tolerant in its relations,
  • in harmony with Nature, and
  • committed to social progress and better standards of living in Larger freedom.
Bill Hoff, founder of the Resource Center , for the UN; President Board of directors: Rosemary van der Laan; and Dr. Noel Brown at the Resource Center.