24 October UN Day Message

Following is the message issued by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on the 24 October United Nations Day and the 81^st Anniversary of the Founding of the United Nations Organization:

On behalf of my country and nation, I express my most heartfelt congratulations on the 81st anniversary of the founding of the United Nations (UN). I congratulate all UN staff serving in our country and across various regions of the world, first and foremost the Secretary-General, Mr. Antonio Guterres.

Established in the aftermath of two World Wars with the collective will to "save succeeding generations from the scourge of war," the UN has undertaken vital responsibilities since the first day for the maintenance of international peace and security, as well as the promotion of development and prosperity.

The global challenges we are facing today such as ongoing wars, humanitarian catastrophes, climate change, hunger and poverty, racism, xenophobia, and Islamophobia demonstrate that the UN’s mission has not diminished in importance, but has, on the contrary, become ever more critical.

Humanity, today as well, eagerly awaits a future where the collective will set forth in the UN Charter is realized, wars are brought to an end, and lasting peace prevails.

In order for the UN to properly fulfil these sublime responsibilities it has undertaken, it remains in the common interest of humanity that all countries embrace the UN Charter more strongly, and support reforms aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of the Organization’s principal organs.

At this juncture, transforming the UN Security Council into a structure that is fairer, more inclusive, and capable of meeting the expectations of the international community has become particularly imperative.

The crises and conflicts extending to other regions of the world, first and foremost the genocide committed in Gaza, which claimed the lives of over 74,000 Palestinians, clearly demonstrate how urgent this need has become.

We support the UN80 Initiative launched by the Secretary-General, and work in close cooperation with the Organization in line with our objective of making Istanbul a UN hub.

With these thoughts in mind, I extend my congratulations on the 24 October United Nations Day and, in the belief that "a fairer world is possible," I reaffirm once again that we will resolutely maintain our efforts for rendering the international system and its centrepiece, the UN, into a more effective and inclusive structure.