The United Nations held a special commemorative session in the General Assembly Hall on Monday to mark the 60th anniversary of the signing of its charter. (Xinhua photo)

(Xinhua photo)
 

(Xinhua photo)
 

The United Nations held a special commemorative session in the General Assembly Hall on Monday (June 27) to mark the 60th anniversary of the signing of its charter.

"The words we have just heard -- the words of the preamble to our charter -- are engraved on the collective memory of mankind," said Secretary-General Kofi Annan, following a reading of the preamble by UN tour guides in concert with a musical presentation from the UN Singers.

"Over 60 years, the United Nations has striven to redeem those pledges," he added, reviewing the successes and failures of the organization in keeping and building peace, protecting human rights and promoting respect for justice and the rule of law.

He said that in a new century, the UN faces new threats and challenges, but also new opportunities, with the "better standardsof life in larger freedom," as mentioned in the charter now withinmankind's reach. To reach them, he said, the organization must advance on all three fronts: development, security and human rights.

General Assembly President Jean Ping of Gabon said that 60 years after its entry into force in October 1945, the charter has not lost either its force or the relevance of its vision, and continues to guide the action of the Organization in face of challenges and threats with which the world is challenged.

"This commemoration is then a new occasion to reaffirm our dedication to the goals and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, in promoting development, in rejecting war as a way of settling differences between nations and in condemning without reservation all violations of the most basic human rights," he said.

The UN Charter was signed on June 26, 1945 by 50 nations in SanFrancisco, California. 
 
Editor: Yan