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Under cooler skies after days of intense heat, the run ended where it all began, at the original UN Charter – the document that launched the Organization and reshaped the modern international order – now on display at UN Headquarters.
Inside the General Assembly Hall, delegates gathered to commemorate the 80th anniversary of its signing.
They reflected on the past eight decades in which the UN helped rebuild countries after the Second World War, supported former colonies’ independence, fostered peace, delivered aid, advanced human rights and development, and tackling emerging threats like climate change.
To save succeeding generations from the scourge of war
General Assembly President Philémon Yang described the moment as “symbolic” but somber, noting ongoing conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan, and the growing challenges to multilateralism.
He urged nations to choose diplomacy over force and uphold the Charter’s vision of peace and human dignity: “We must seize the moment and choose dialogue and diplomacy instead of destructive wars.”
Secretary-General António Guterres echoed this call, warning that the Charter’s principles are increasingly under threat and must be defended as the bedrock of international relations.
“The Charter of the United Nations is not optional. It is not an à la carte menu. It is the bedrock of international relations,” he said, stressing the need to recommit to its promises “for peace, for justice, for progress, for we the peoples.”
Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Security Council President for June, emphasized the urgency of renewed collective action to address emerging global threats.
“Let this 80th anniversary of the Charter be not just an occasion for reflection, but also a call to action,” she urged.
General Assembly commemorates 80th anniversary of the signing of UN Charter.
To unite our strength to maintain international peace and security
Eighty years ago, on 26 June 1945, delegates from 50 countries gathered in San Francisco to sign a document that would change the course of history.
Forged in the aftermath of the Second World War, by a generation scarred by the Great Depression and the Holocaust and having learnt the painful lessons of the League of Nations’ collapse, the Charter of the United Nations represented a new global pact.
Its preamble – “We the peoples of the United Nations” – echoed the determination to prevent future conflict, reaffirm faith in human rights, and promote peace and social progress.
That very document, preserved by the United States National Archives and Records Administration, has returned – for the first time in decades – to the heart of the institution it founded.
Now on public display at UN Headquarters through September, the original Charter stands as a powerful symbol: not just of a past promise, but of an enduring commitment to multilateralism, peace and shared purpose.
Video: UN Charter returns to UN Headquarters
To promote social progress and better standards of life
Bob Rae, ECOSOC President, drew an arc through human history to underscore the UN’s relative youth – just eight decades old in a global context of millennia.
“We currently have the advantage of being able to lucidly look at what we have accomplished, while also recognizing our successes and failures,” he said, holding up a copy of the Charter once used by his father.
“The United Nations is not a government and the Charter is not perfect,” he said, “but it was founded with great aspirations and hope.”
ICJ President Judge Yuji Iwasawa reflected on the progress since 1945 and the challenges still facing the global community.
“In the 80 years since the drafters of the Charter set down their pens, the international community has achieved remarkable progress. However, it also faces many challenges,” he said. “The vision of the Charter’s drafters to uphold the rule of law for the maintenance of international peace and security, remains not only relevant but indispensable today.”
Jordan Sanchez, a young poet, speaks at the General Assembly during the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter.
To reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights
In a powerful reminder that the Charter speaks not only to the past but to future generations, Jordan Sanchez, a young poet took the stage.
Her spoken word piece, Let the Light Fall, evoked not declarations, but feelings of hope and vision for a better world.
“Let the light fall,” she began, “on fallen faces hidden in the shadow of scorn…where may the children run towards the light of your face, towards the warmth of your presence and the stillness of your peace.”
“There is no fear, only abundance, of safety, of security, of knowing there will always be enough light for me” she said, describing a dreamscape of Eden restored – not a paradise lost, but glimpsed in justice, fairness and shared humanity.
“Let us be bold enough to look down and take it, humble enough to kneel down and bathe in it, loving enough to collect and share it, and childish enough to truly, truly believe in it.”
The equal rights of men and women
As the world marks 80 years of the UN Charter, it’s worth remembering that its promise of equal rights for men and women was hard-won from the very start.
In 1945, just four women were among the 850 delegates who gathered in San Francisco to sign the document, and only 30 of the represented countries granted women the right to vote.
In a 2018 UN News podcast, researchers spotlighted these overlooked trailblazers – and asked why the women who helped shape the UN’s founding vision are so often left out of its story.
Listen to the podcast here.
Note: The subheads in this article are taken directly from the Preamble of the United Nations Charter, whose enduring language continues to guide the Organization’s mission.
The flag of the European Union is turning 40 this June. Its 12 gold stars on a blue background are instantly recognisable and synonymous with the European project that unites all Europeans. With time, it has also become a symbol of the EU’s ideals of unity, solidarity, and harmony among the peoples of Europe.
The flag was first used as the flag of the Council of Europe in 1955. Following World War Two, the Council of Europe was looking for a flag that would give Europe a symbol with which its inhabitants could identify. It chose the design which best conveyed neutrality, timelessness, and simplicity.
Contrary to a common misconception, the number 12 does not represent the number of EU countries in our Union but rather are a symbol of perfection and stability, and the circle, a symbol of union. The fixed number means the flag remains unchanged regardless of the European Union’s growth.
In 1983 the European Parliament adopted the flag devised by the Council of Europe and recommended that it become the European Communities’ emblem. The European Council gave its approval in June 1985. The European Communities have now evolved into the European Union, as we know it today.
The iconic flag has become a powerful emblem beyond EU borders, a rallying point for people fighting for their rights. For freedom and democracy, dignity and equality, the rule of law and human rights, peace and security. Some 70 years after it was created, the EU flag not only represents EU ideals, but it has become a symbol of hope.
At least 400 people were injured, including police officers, according to media reports. The official death toll has not been confirmed, with estimates ranging from eight to 16.
The demonstrations marked the anniversary of last year’s anti-tax protests, when 60 people were reportedly killed and dozens abducted by police.
This year, anger intensified following the death of blogger Albert Ojwan, 31, who died in police custody earlier this month.
The demonstrators reportedly targeted government and police offices, chanted for the occupation of the presidential residence and attacked, looted and burned shops and businesses in Nairobi.
At a press conference, Kenyan Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen accused protestors of attempting to unconstitutionally enact “regime change.”
He also said nine police stations were attacked, dozens of vehicles destroyed, and five guns were stolen.
UN Human Rights response
On Thursday, as smoke still rose from torched buildings in Nairobi, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, released a statement expressing concern.
Alarmed by reports that protesters had been wounded or killed by gunfire, OHCHR stressed that under international human rights law, law enforcement should only use lethal force when strictly necessary to protect life or prevent serious injury from an imminent threat.
The office welcomed the announcement that Kenya’s Independent Policing Oversight Authority will investigate the incidents and underlined the need for “prompt, thorough, independent and transparent investigations to bring those responsible to justice” and prevent recurrence.
OHCHR also called for calm and restraint.
UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric echoed these concerns at the daily press briefing in New York, saying: “We are obviously concerned about the violence we have seen in Kenya. We are closely monitoring the situation. We are very saddened by the loss of life.”
He also reiterated concerns over the reported gunshot wounds and welcomed plans for oversight investigations.
The meals which families are able to obtain are nutritiously poor — thin broths, lentils or rice, one piece of bread or sometimes just a combination of herbs and olive oil known as duqqa.
Adults are routinely skipping meals in order to leave more for children, the elderly and the ill. And still, on average since January, 112 children have been admitted on a daily basis for acute malnutrition.
“[When my children wake up at night hungry] I tell them ‘Drink water and close your eyes.’ It breaks me. I do the same – drink water and pray for morning,” as one parent said.
Due to these extreme food shortages, people in Gaza are forced to risk their lives on a daily basis to access small amounts of food. Since 27 May, 549 Palestinians have been killed and 4,066 have been injured trying to access food, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza.
“The majority of casualties have been shot or shelled trying to reach US-Israeli distribution sites purposefully set up in militarized zones,” said Johnathan Whittall, head of office for the UN humanitarian affairs agency, OCHA, in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Since the end of May, the US-Israeli backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has been distributing aid in Gaza, bypassing the UN and established NGOs.
The UN has said Palestinians who seek aid from the GHF face threats of gunfire, shelling and stampedes.
“We don’t want to be out there. But what choice do we have? Our kids cry for food. We don’t sleep at night. We walk, wait, and hope we come back,” one Palestinian told WFP.
Water is delivered to Gazans sheltering at an UNRWA school.
Systems near collapse
Protracted conflict and bombardment have pushed almost all service systems in Gaza to the brink.
As a result of fuel shortages, only 40 per cent of drinking water facilities are functional and 93 per cent of households face water insecurity.
The fuel shortage is also negatively affecting the provision of medical services with medical equipment and medicine storage reliant on electricity.
For the first time since the resumption of limited aid entry on 19 May, nine trucks containing medical items offloaded supplies on the Israeli side of the Kerem Shalom crossing on Wednesday.
Displaced, over and over again
Since the resumption of Israeli bombardment in Gaza on 18 March after a 42-day ceasefire, over 684,000 Palestinians have been displaced. And for almost all of them, this is not the first time.
With over 82 per cent of Gaza either designated as an Israeli militarized zone or under a displacement order, there are few places — much less safe places — that the newly displaced can go.
They have been forced to take shelter in overcrowded displacement camps, makeshift shelters, damaged buildings and sometimes just on open streets. Schools are no longer buildings of learning but of shelter.
An UNRWA member of staff inspects destroyed infrastructure.
“Schools have transformed into empty shelters, devoid of any elements of a safe learning environment,” said Kamla, a teacher with the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Nuseirat.
All of these shelters are experiencing rapidly deteriorating conditions as a result of insufficient shelter materials, according to Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
“No shelter materials have entered Gaza since 1 March, before the Israeli authorities imposed a full blockade on aid and any other supplies for nearly 80 days,” he said at a briefing on 19 June.
“While some commodities have subsequently been allowed in small quantities, tents, timber, tarpaulins and any other shelter items remain prohibited.”
The UN and its partners have 980,000 shelter items prepared to dispatch into Gaza once authorization is granted by the Israeli authorities.
‘Symbols of hope’
Since the beginning of the violence in Gaza, UNRWA has continued to work tirelessly to provide displaced and injured Palestinians with many types of support.
“Despite all this, the eyes and hopes of our community remain fixed on us. UNRWA staff are not merely service providers. In the eyes of people in Gaza, we are pillars of resilience, lifelines of stability and symbols of hope,” said Hussein, an UNRWA worker in Gaza City.
An UNRWA worker carries a young boy in Gaza.
But as fuel shortages continue and only small amounts of humanitarian aid — food, medicine, shelter materials — trickle through the Kerem Shalom border crossing, the job of UNRWA workers and other humanitarians in Gaza is increasingly untenable.
“We have lost all the tools needed to work, so we have had to adapt,” said Neven, a psychosocial UNRWA worker in Khan Younis.
Dspite their best efforts, the bombardment and devastation of Gaza continues with children going hungry and some even expressing suicidal thoughts.
“I told my daughter her deceased father is safe, eating and drinking with God,” one mother said. “Now, she cries every day and says, ‘I’m hungry and want to go to my father because he has food to feed us.’”
This decision extends the regional initiative of the “decade of the CRVS”, launched for the first time in 2014, in a new phase aligned with the Sustainable development objectives (ODD), in particular Target 16.9 by ensuring a legal identity for all.
“” These figures are more than statistics, they represent lives without legal recognition and families are left without support »» said Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (Escape), who summoned the forum.
“This week was a powerful call for action. We have seen inspiring examples from countries reaching the most marginalized, adopting digital innovation and strengthening legal and institutional frameworks. ”
Civil registration systems and civil statistics (CRVS) are essential to establish legal identity, access services and ensure inclusion in public policy.
A birth certificate can mean access to health care, education and social protection.
A death certificate allows families to claim inheritance, pensions and other rights.
Without these critical documents, individuals – in particular women, children and rural populations – exclusion of risks, vulnerability and injustice.
Unequal progress
According to a recent escape report,, The region has produced remarkable gains since 2012 – The number of children not recorded under the age of five has dropped by more than 60%, from 135 million to 51 million.
In 2024, 29 countries now recorded more than 90% of births in one year, and 30 do the same for deaths. The number of countries publishing civil statistics based on civil registration has almost doubled during this period.
However, progress remains uneven – around 14 million children in the region reaching their first birthday without their birth being recorded. And 6.9 million deaths are not recorded each year, in particular those that occur outside health establishments or in remote areas.
Many countries are always faced with gaps in the certification and coding of death causes, hampering the surveillance of diseases and public health responses, as shown in the COVID 19 pandemic.
Escap Photo / Panumas Sanguanwong
A participant in the ministerial conference on civil registration and essential statistics (CRV) in Bangkok participates in a demonstration at the Thai Digital Id and Verification exhibition stand.
Put everyone in the photo
The new ministerial declaration calls for universal and reactive CRVS systems which are inclusive, digitally compatible and resilient.
It emphasizes gender equity in registration, legal protections for personal data and continuity of services during emergencies.
Governments have also been committed to increasing training, extending community awareness and improving relationship relationships – including through verbal autopsies and improving certification systems.
“” Everyone counts. Data save livesMs. Alisjahbana said“Legal identity is a right, not a privilege. No one should be left behind – simply because they have never been counted in the first place. ”
“” Let’s finish what we started. Let’s give everyone in the photo and make sure that each life really matters.“”
The regions of Donetsk, Kherson and Sumy have suffered the most damage, several civilians were said to have been killed, and many displaced spokespersons from the UN, Stéphane Dujarric, told journalists on Thursday during a regular press bass.
“Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that food insecurity remains a first line concern and in border regions,” he added.
According to a recent assessment of the United Nations World Food Program (Wfp) and the organization of food and agriculture (Fao), the conflict has devastated livelihoods and quadrupled poverty levels, leaving the most vulnerable people – especially inappropriate people – more at risk.
The executive director of PAM, Cindy McCain, described the challenges.
“This front line extends over 700 miles and countless towns and villages are still without survival bases,” she said.
This made the work of humanitarian workers even more vital, with more than 400,000 people in Donetsk and Kherson receiving food and agricultural support in addition to cash assistance.
In total, more than 130 humanitarian organizations have distributed food aid and livelihoods to more than 1.8 million people across the country.
Help challenges
But hostilities becoming more and more deadly, humanitarian access remains limited. Since the start of the year, there has been a 50% increase in civil deaths compared to the same period last year.
The authorities continue to urge the 10,000 people who remain in the first line region to be evacuated for their own security.
“For those who stayed or those who returned, there is no job, no income and no opportunity,” said McCain.
Speaking from the Goma region, the main city of which was invaded by the M23 rebels supported by Rwanda in January, the United Nations Emergency Rescue Coordator Tom Fletcher had suffered “decades of trauma”.
The last months have been “particularly horrible for many,” he added, referring to the fallout without law of heavy fights this year between rebel fighters and the army of regular DRC which has been linked to serious human rights violations, including potential war crimes.
“The most striking today and yesterday was the stories of sexual violence, and sit with women who tell horrible stories that are too horrible for me to tell here and who are trying to find the courage to rebuild their lives,” said the United Nations Chief of Rescue.
“” We are there to provide them with this support, trying to help them rebuild, but they have gone through hell. “”
All these new displaced by the M23 Rebel Advance are added to the five million people who are already living in travel camps in the east of the DRC. Today, more than 20 million people need to help relief. “” They are desperate that this conflict ends,»M. Fletcher continued.
One day after NATO member states agreed with a 5% increase in funding for their collective defense, UN humanitarian work and its partners is basically rocks.
In the DRC, 70% of UN aid programs were historically funded by the United States-“incredible generosity over the decades”-noted Mr. Fletcher. But today, “we see most of this disappearance,” he insisted, forcing the humanitarian community to make “brutal choice, life and death choices” on which receives help.
“For these women – the survivors of sexual violence, for the children who told me that they needed water, for the communities who told me that they needed shelter, medicine, these cuts are real at the moment and people are dying because of the cuts,” said the senior UN.
Help teams did not stop
Despite the difficulties linked to the prolonged nature of the conflict in the DRC and the massive needs, the United Nations aid teams and their partners “work hard to access these communities,” insisted Mr. Fletcher – “trying to open the airport, trying to open the roads, trying to unlock control points that prevent our aid through”.
In an attempt to squarely the circle of the quantity of aid financing regularly reducing supplied worldwide, Mr. Fletcher recently announced A “hyper priorititized” plan to save 114 million lives this year. But it depends on receiving the necessary financing. “” All we ask to do is one percent of what the world has spent for defense last year“, He continued.
After visiting and connected the communities had an impact repeatedly by fighting, the senior United Nations insisted so that they should not be forgotten. “These are the fronts of humanitarian effort,” he said.
Communities on the front line
“I suppose that the gleam of hope in all of this is, yes, we can work in this more effective and priority way and will do it; But also, the communities here which are – basically – they have passed so much and they are determined to support each other. ”
And despite the increase in antipathy in certain countries towards international cooperation, including work efforts and promotion of the United Nations, Mr. Fletcher insisted that reasons of optimism remain.
“I really believe that there is a movement that will support this work, which will support this work,” he told the UN News. “We have to find them. We have to enlist them, and we must show them that we can deliver them.
“And, you know, I have not abandoned human kindness and human solidarity. I have not abandoned The Charter of the United Nations for a second. And this work is at the heart.
Israeli authorities have intensified measures to transfer a large number of people from Palestinian cities and communities for a long time, according to OhchrBureau of the occupied Palestinian territory.
On June 18, the High Planning Council of the Israeli civil administration published a directive to reject all the building permits and planning submitted by the Palestinians to Masafer Yatta, in the south of the hills of Hebron, in the region designated by the Israeli authorities under the name of the 918 shooting area.
The decision was based on the reason that the Israeli army needs the “military training” region, the Office of Rights said.
In recent months, Israel has considerably accelerated home demolitions, as well as arbitrary arrest and the ill -treatment of Palestinians and human rights defenders. This occurs alongside intensification of movement restrictions in and around Masafer Yatta, to force the Palestinians, noted the office.
At the same time, the Israeli settlers of neighboring outposts led daily attacks and the harassment of the Palestinians, including the elderly, women and children, to force them to leave.
“The recent directive of the Israeli civil administration actually opens the way to the Israeli army to demolish the existing structures in the region and expel about the approximately 1,200 Palestinians, who have lived there for decades,” said the OHCHR.
“This would be equivalent to a forced transfer, which is a war crime. This could also constitute a crime against humanity if it was committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack on any civilian population, with knowledge of the attack. »»
Some 6,463 Palestinians were forcibly moved following the demolition of their houses by Israel between October 7, 2023 and May 31, 2025, according to the United Nations Humanitarian Affairs Office, Ochha,,
This figure does not include around 40,000 Palestinians displaced by three refugee camps in Jenin and Tulkarem due to intensive Israeli operations in the north of the West Bank since January.
During the same period, more than 2,200 Palestinians were forcibly moved by settlers and access restrictions.
More risky communities
Ohchr added that countless other Palestinian communities are faced with the same forced trip. He said that on June 10, the municipality of Jerusalem would have issued demolition notices for the whole village of a Nu’man, which houses 150 people.
The village, which is located near Bethlehem, was cut off from the rest of the West Bank by building the separation wall and incorporated within the unilaterally declared limits of Israel of the municipality of Jerusalem unilaterally. Most Palestinians have not received Jerusalem identification cards, which actually makes them incapable of accessing services in East Jerusalem or the rest of the West Bank.
“These demolition opinions seem to be another stage of Israel to worsen the coercive environment and forcibly transfer the Palestinians in the village and consolidate the annexation of this land,” said the office.
EXPOLS in East Jerusalem
Meanwhile, the Palestinians in East Jerusalem also occupied the continuous threat of forced expulsion of their homes and their land.
The OHCHR said on June 16 and 22, the Israeli Supreme Court approved the expulsion of five Palestinian families, 37 people, their homes in the Batn El Hawa district of Silwan on the basis of discriminatory laws which allow Jewish people to recover lost goods in the 1948 war, while refusing the same rights.
In addition, the Israel Land land authority published expulsion notices on June 11 for residences at Umm Tuba. The 150 Palestinians affected were informed that the land was registered with the Jewish National Fund under the “Title on the Land”.
“These expulsions are part of a concerted campaign of Israeli state organizations and settlers, which target the Palestinian districts to grasp the Palestinian houses and extend the Jewish colonies,” said the Ohchr.
The office stressed that these acts violated international law, which prohibits the confiscation of private property in occupied territory, as the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (Icj) Last July.
Israeli authorities have stepped up measures to transfer large numbers of people from long-standing Palestinian towns and communities, according to OHCHR’s office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
On 18 June, the High Planning Council in the Israeli Civil Administration issued a directive to reject all building and planning permits submitted by Palestinians in Masafer Yatta, South Hebron Hills, in the area referred by the Israeli authorities as Firing Zone 918.
The decision was based on the grounds that the Israeli army needs the area for “military training,” the rights office said.
In recent months, Israel has dramatically ramped up home demolitions, as well as the arbitrary arrest and ill-treatment of Palestinians and human rights defenders. This is happening alongside intensifying movement restrictions in and around Masafer Yatta, to force Palestinians out, the office noted.
At the same time, Israeli settlers from nearby outposts have carried out daily attacks and harassment of Palestinians, including older people, women and children, to force them to leave.
“The recent directive by the Israeli Civil Administration effectively paves the way for the Israeli army to demolish existing structures in the area and expel the approximately 1,200 Palestinians, who have been living there for decades,” OHCHR said.
“This would amount to forcible transfer, which is a war crime. It could also amount to a crime against humanity if committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population, with knowledge of the attack.”
Some 6,463 Palestinians have been forcibly displaced following the demolition of their homes by Israel between 7 October 2023 and 31 May 2025, according to the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA,
This figure does not include the approximately 40,000 Palestinians displaced from three refugee camps in Jenin and Tulkarem as a result of intensive Israeli operations in the northern West Bank since January.
During the same period, over 2,200 Palestinians were forcibly displaced by settler attacks and access restrictions.
More communities at risk
OHCHR added that countless other Palestinian communities face the same fate of forced displacement. It said that on 10 June, the Jerusalem municipality reportedly issued demolition notices for the entire village of An Nu’man, home to 150 people.
The village, which is located near Bethlehem, was cut off from the rest of the West Bank by the construction of the separation wall and incorporated into Israel’s unilaterally declared boundaries of the Jerusalem municipality. Most Palestinians were not provided with Jerusalem identification cards, effectively rendering them unable to access services in either East Jerusalem or the rest of the West Bank.
“These demolition notices appear to be another step by Israel to compound the coercive environment and forcibly transfer Palestinians from the village and consolidate the annexation of this land,” the office said.
Evictions in East Jerusalem
Meanwhile, Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem also face the ongoing threat of forced eviction from their homes and lands.
OHCHR said that on 16 and 22 June, the Israeli Supreme Court endorsed the eviction of five Palestinian families, 37 people, from their homes in the Batn El Hawa neighbourhood of Silwan based on discriminatory laws that permit Jewish individuals to reclaim property lost in the 1948 war, while denying Palestinians the same rights.
Additionally, the Israel Land Authority issued eviction notices on 11 June for residencies in Umm Tuba. The 150 Palestinians affected were informed that the land was registered to the Jewish National Fund under the “settlement of land title”.
“These evictions form part of a concerted campaign by the Israeli State and settler organisations, which target Palestinian neighbourhoods to seize Palestinian homes and expand Jewish settlements,” OHCHR said.
The office stressed that these acts violate international law, which prohibits the confiscation of private property in occupied territory, as highlighted by the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) last July.
