英语课程计划-United Nations Day（在线收听）

The 24th of October is United Nations Day. It was on this day in 1945 that the U.N. was created. The day became a holiday in 1971. The U.N. General Assembly decided there needed to be a day to make the work of the U.N. better known around the world. It stated this day "shall be devoted to making known to the peoples of the world the aims and achievements of the United Nations and to gaining their support for its work”. Furthermore, the General Assembly suggested that United Nations Day “shall be an international holiday” and recommended that it should become a public holiday in all United Nations member states. The day is now part of United Nations Week, which runs from 20 to 26 October.

The www.un.org website provides a summary of the organization’s history. It is an international organization founded after the Second World War by 51 countries. It was then, and is now, “committed to maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations and promoting social progress, better living standards and human rights”. The site says: “The work of the United Nations reaches every corner of the globe.” The U.N. is best known for peacekeeping, conflict prevention and humanitarian assistance, but it has many other functions that “affect our lives and make the world a better place”. These include environment protection, clearing landmines, child protection and much, much, much more.