Pacific Unite: Big Ocean States Mark UN Day 2020

UN Day 2020

On October 24th 1945 – the founding members of the UN Charter could not have imagined the hurdles, sacrifices, dreams and successes that would chart the course of the United Nations over the next thee quarters of a century; it was the historic day on which the United Nations officially came into being after the ratification of the Charter by the world’s biggest countries.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought everyone face-to-face with the reality of how interdependent and interconnected we really are. It is only when governments and people across borders come together to work in solidarity that we can defeat this crisis.

Secretary General Antonio Guterres opened up a global conversation at the beginning of 2020 to ask people about their hopes and fears for the future, with the UN75 theme: The future we want, the UN we need: reaffirming our collective commitment to multilateralism.

The 75th anniversary

The year 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the United Nations - and it comes in a time of great disruption for the world, compounded by an unprecedented global health crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with severe economic and social impacts. But it is also a reminder that times of struggle can become an opportunity for positive change and transformation. Pacific Member Countries joined the UN across regional time zones to celebrate our joint achievements and to renew our commitment to shaping a future where no Pacific Islander is left behind.

Dance and Music

The rich cultural diversity of the Pacific is world-renowned. UN Day commemorations across the region have been filled with traditional creative displays - teaching us once again that by connecting us and creating common understanding, art and culture create the fertile ground from which genuine solidarity can emerge. In this spirit, music and dance can help bring us together to re-imagine a world “rebalanced”, to be designed and built together for present and future generations.

Highlighting the significance of the 75th anniversary of the UN and reflecting on the experience of the pandemic, 2020 UN Day performances leveraged the power of music and dance to capture our collective commitment to cooperation, multilateralism and global solidarity.

Despite the many challenges, “we the peoples” of the United Nations still zealously cling to the belief that what binds us together as one civilization must be preserved at any cost. The survival of humanity depends on it; “a stronger UN; a better world” we say with conviction. Sanaka Samarasinha, UN Resident Coordinator

Inter-generational Dialogue

In a rapidly changing world, the advantage of bringing the experiences, wisdom and skills of different people from different generations together is priceless. It fosters collective knowledge and shared meaning among generations that can help us to build more peaceful and empathetic societies. The global dialogue initiated by the UN Secretary General in January 2020 has served as the inspiration behind many 'Pacific Listening Tour' activities through the year; with the much-anticipated UN75 Inter-generational Dialogue taking place on UN Day in Suva, Fiji.

Eight panelists from a diverse range of backgrounds, interacted on four of the UN's identified mega-issues: The Climate Crisis, Economic Empowerment of Women, Peace building and Access to Basic Services such as Health.

Watch Now!

You can now watch the official UN Day Commemoration Event from Fiji below! It includes the full inter-generational dialogue, an exciting project launch to honour Fijian Peacekeepers, beautiful performances from Pacific youth groups and more!