United Nations Day 2015: History, Facts And Activities To Mark 70th Anniversary

The charter for the United Nations, a worldwide peacekeeping organization, came into effect Oct. 24, 1945. The organization was founded following World War II, a conflict that left millions dead and involved dozens of nations. The U.N. was founded in an attempt to prevent anything similar from occurring and to ensure a future that was full of peace. This year marks its 70th anniversary.

Celebrations for United Nations Day are led primarily at its headquarters in New York where Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has organized a series of events for the charter's 70th anniversary. The holiday has been celebrated since 1948, and in 1971 U.N. leadership recommended member states observe the day as a national holiday.

The festivities were set to begin at the headquarters in New York Friday with a celebratory concert. The performance, featuring Korean music, is meant to bring people together through the "universal language of music" according to the UN's official website.

The first charter was signed by 51 countries in San Francisco in 1948. “The world has experienced a revival of an old faith in the everlasting moral force of justice," said U.S. President Harry Truman upon the signing of the first charter, adding, "At no time in history has there been a more important Conference, or a more necessary meeting, than this one in San Francisco, which you are opening today.”

By 2015, the UN counts 193 countries among its member states. Within the U.N. there exists a five-member Security Council, composed of the United States, Russia, France, China and the United Kingdom. The role of the Security Council is to stabilize regions through peaceable negotiation or in some cases intervention.