Foreign Office Minister Baroness Kinnock has paid tribute to the work of the UN and its staff ahead of UN Day which is celebrated on 24 October. She said:

'In celebrating United Nations Day I would like to acknowledge the extraordinary work of the organisation and its dedicated staff. In our increasingly globalised and interdependent world, the aims of the UN Charter are as relevant today as they were in 1945: promoting peace and security, protecting human rights, and raising global living standards.

The UN is often criticised for not living up to the high expectations it sets itself and sadly not enough attention is given to its many achievements. But if it didn’t exist, the intensifying needs of this century would mean that we would have to create it.

In the coming year, for instance, the UN will have a central role in international efforts to tackle pressing challenges like climate change, nuclear proliferation, and fulfilling the Millennium Development Goals. It will also have to respond to emergencies caused by natural or humanitarian disasters, escalating conflicts or abuses of human rights. Clearly, we must ensure that the organisation is properly equipped to deal with such a huge diversity of vital tasks.

For what has been done, is done and will be done to help humanity, I offer the UN and its people around the world the sincere thanks of the UK and our full support in their work in the year ahead.'

Notes for Editors

Read more about the work of the United Nations

United Nations website

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