|The American Presidency Project| |• Barack Obama| |Proclamation
8441 - United Nations Day, 2009| |October 19, 2009| The United
Nations was created 64 years ago by men and women from every
corner of the world. These architects of international
cooperation acted out of an idealism rooted in the hard-earned
lessons of war. They had the wisdom to understand that nations
could do far more to advance their interests by acting together
than by letting themselves be split apart. The original 51
member nations were united around a commitment to peace,
humanity, and justice. Today, with 192 member states, the United
Nations is the principle forum for all nations, large and small,
to work in concert to meet the global challenges no nation can
confront alone. The U.N. is vital to America's efforts to create
a better, safer world. Through peacekeeping missions that have
saved so many lives and averted so many wars; lifesaving
humanitarian work; critical development activities; and its
unique legitimacy, the U.N. can func