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On October 3, 1995, Vatican City issued a set of five stamps to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the United Nations (UN). The UN can be defined as an intergovernmental organization whose roles include the maintainance international peace and security, the development of friendly relations among nations, and the fostering of international cooperation. It is the world's largest international organization and is headquartered on international territory in New York City, with additional offices in Geneva, Nairobi, Vienna, and The Hague (home to the International Court of Justice). Formed after World War II with a stated goal of "preventing future wars", the UN succeeded the League of Nations, which was formed after World War I and can be generally viewed as having failed to attain its stated objectives. As World War II was drawing to a close, on April 25, 1945, a conference of fifty governments met in San Francisco to begin the process of drafting a charter for the newly-proposed United Nations. The Charter was adopted on June 25, 1945 and took effect on October 24, 1945. In addition to its stated objective of maintaining world peace and security, additional goals include protecting human rights, delivering humanitarian aid, promoting sustainable development, and upholding international law. As of 2011, the UN had 193 members, representing almost all of the world's sovereign states. As a note, Vatican City is not a member of the United Nations. The Holy See is a "non-member observer state" of the United Nations General Assembly. It can be said that the goals and objectives of the United Nations align with many of those of the Vatican. That may be the reason why the Vatican City State has issued a number of stamps and other philatelic items honoring the United Nations and its activities. In addition to the 50th anniversary issue, the Vatican issued stamps for the 25th anniversary and the 70th anniversary of the United Nations (shown below). Every pope since Pope Paul VI, who visited the UN in 1965, has addressed the UN (with the exception of Pope John Paul I). As recently as December 2019, in a joint video message with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Pope Francis reinforced the bond with the UN, stating that "trust in dialogue between individuals and between nations...is indispensable for the building of a peaceful world.”
References: Wikipedia.com, United Nations UFN, October 3, 1995, 50th Anniversary of the Foundation of the United Nations Organization Vatican Philatelic Society website (www.vaticanstamps.org), Stamp Database Search | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
