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The UN at 64: Climate Change in the Spotlight

Slideshow of UN Day Activities around the World

New York - The United Nations turned 64 on 24 October 2009. This event offered UN agencies both an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of the organization and to showcase the work of the UN System.  

To celebrate this day, UNDP staff organized a variety of events engaging the general public and government officials, and raising awareness on key development issues.  For example, in Fiji, the UN Day theme this year is “together as one”. The celebrations included a flag raising ceremony as well as a Pacific Cultural performance on 23 October.  UN Tanzania staff went to a school on 20 October to rebuild class room floors.   In Djibouti, a drawing contest was organized with the theme “Education and Health for all”. Soccer Matches, exhibitions and cultural performances were organized across the globe.

The Road to Copenhagen

With the UN Summit on Climate Change in Copenhagen on the horizon and firmly on everyone’s minds, climate change was at the center of many UN Day celebrations this year.  In Cape Verde staff members organized an ecological walk in the Serra Malagueta, a Natural Park in Santiago Island to raise awareness for biodiversity conservation and climate change issues. The park was created through a project funding by UNDP.  In Nigeria, UN Day celebrations included the “Seal the Deal” campaign through advocacy for the Millenium Development Goals and Climate Change on television and on the radio.  

UN agencies in Croatia (UNDP, UNICEF, UNHCR, WHO, WB, ICTY and IOM), together with the Association of eco-agriculture producers of Croatia, celebrated this year’s UN Day by hosting an EKO-FEST fair, displaying and selling eco produce. The Fair represents a unique opportunity to invite citizens to join the UN campaign on climate change. The EKO-FESTfair and signing of the ‘Seal the Deal!’ petition were held at the Ban Jelacic Square in Zagreb on October 23rd and 24th 2009.

In Lesotho and Belarus, trees were planted to celebrate UN Day and to call on the world community to join efforts to mitigate climate change through similar greening actions.  In Lesotho, symbolic trees were  planted for each of the MDGs (‘Trees with a Goal’) while in Belarus school children, UN Officials and mass media joined on the action.