As the United Nations turns 80, some key moments in its history

The United Nations – There have been many memorable moments in the 80th anniversary of the United Nations, both at its head office in New York and in its distant global operations.

Here are photos of some of the UN history events while the world body marks the birthday of its foundation on June 26, 1945, when the United Nations Charter was signed by 50 countries in San Francisco.

Most of these moments have made the headlines – but for very different reasons.

The delegates of 50 countries met in San Francisco in the ashes of the Second World War to establish an international organization to prevent the repetition of such a conflict and promote world peace. The United Nations Charter remains the foundation of the United Nations, which now has 193 member countries.

The opening words of the charter express the determination “to save the following generations of the scourge of war”.

North Korean forces invaded South Korea on June 25, 1950. Twelve days later, the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution authorizing the United States to establish and lead the military forces to repel the attack and restore peace in the Korean peninsula.

The United Nations Command was the first global collective security attempt under the new United Nations. It still works because there is an armistice – but still no peace treaty – between North Korea and South Korea.

It was the strongest in the Cold War and the leader of the Soviet Union, Nikita Khrushchev, went to the annual collection of the world leaders of the United Nations General Assembly and listened to the criticism of the Communist Bloc.

In an intervention, in which he has repeatedly struck his fist on the podium in the assembly room, he said: “You will not be able to stifle the voice of the peoples.”

Palestinian chief Yasser Arafat was invited to speak to the United Nations, even if the territories were not a member nation of the UN.

Arafat told diplomats in the Chamber of the General Assembly: “Today, I came by carrying a branch of olive tree and a firearm of freedom. Do not let olive branch fall from my hand. ”

The bombing of the UN headquarters at the Canal Hotel in Baghdad was the deadliest terrorist attack against UN staff in its history and has killed many team members as well as Sergio Vieira de Mello, a rising star.

UN Secretary General António Guterres said on the 20th anniversary of the tragedy he “marked a change in the way the humanitarian workers operate”.

Moammar Gaddafi, the autocratic sovereign of Libya rich in petroleum, has torn the document in its sole address to the annual rally of the world leaders of the United Nations General Assembly – a disjointed 90 -minute speech that went far beyond its 15 minutes allocated.

He said he had not recognized the authority of the Charter of the United Nations. The British Prime Minister of the time, Gordon Brown, later retorted in his speech: “I stand here to reaffirm the Charter of the United Nations, not to tear it.”

The earthquake of magnitude 7.0 in January 2010 killed 102 UN staff members, including the head of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Haiti and its assistant when the building housing their offices was destroyed.

The UN called it “one of the darkest days” in its history. The government of Haiti left the number of deaths at 316,000, while certain estimates were lower.

Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad criticized the Americans who threatened to burn the Sacred Muslim book, saying: “The truth cannot be burned.” He then raised the Koran and the Bible and said that he respected them both.

The United States and around thirty other countries were released during Ahmadinejad’s speech after having falsely affirmed that the United States organized the attacks of September 11, 2001, which killed nearly 3,000 people.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu organized a large caricatural diagram of a bomb divided into sections, saying that the section marked 70% was the place where Iran was enriching uranium for a nuclear weapon.

He urged the world to draw a clear “red line” under the other section marked 90% and stop the Iran’s nuclear program, saying that the country would be so far the following year.

___

Follow the cover by the United Nations by the AP at https://apnews.com/hub/united-snations.