Proclamation 6747

by Bill Clinton

By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation

In this era of extraordinary change, it is increasingly important that we honor the uplifting principles of the United Nations Charter by working tirelessly to bring them closer to reality. Such commitment is especially appropriate as we mark the 49th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations and look forward to beginning its second half-century of service.

Throughout the past year, the United Nations has not wavered in its efforts to safeguard international peace and security. The U.N. Special Commission in Iraq has made progress toward finding and destroying weapons of mass destruction and working to establish a long-term monitoring mechanism. The U.N. has mobilized one of the largest refugee assistance programs in history in response to the humanitarian disaster in Rwanda and is working to bring to justice those guilty of atrocities. United Nations humanitarian relief efforts in Bosnia have continued despite the most trying of circumstances. The U.N. demobilization and repatriation program in Mozambique has helped to end that nation's long and bitter conflict.

While much of humanity advances together toward a bright future of political and economic pluralism, some parts of the world remain mired in failed ideologies or racked by cultural, religious, and ethnic divisions. As these regions endanger international security by their refugee flows and other trans-border impacts, multilateral cooperation has become more important than ever before.

That cooperation is particularly vital in Africa. After years of U.N. support, the people of South Africa finally have eradicated the apartheid system and installed a democratic and nonracial government of national unity. The growing number of conflicts elsewhere in Africa is in stark contrast to that success. In the end, the disputing parties must solve their own differences, but the U.N. continues to promote reconciliation and peace in Rwanda, Burundi, Somalia, Angola, Liberia, Sudan, and Mozambique.

One of the most vital roles of the U.N. is in humanitarian affairs. During the past year, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights has played an important part in calling attention to violations of international humanitarian law. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees has worked hard to reduce the suffering of those forced from their own homes by strife.

The growing number and complexity of U.N. peacekeeping operations pose new challenges. In the past year, the United States has worked with the U.N. to improve the U.N. system's effectiveness and efficiency. The recent creation of an inspector general function-the Office of Internal Oversight Services-was an important step toward strengthening the management of U.N. operations. We look forward to the adoption of a system for financing U.N. peacekeeping operations that does not place undue burdens on any one nation.

As the United States works with the U.N. to improve operations, we must rededicate ourselves to promoting diplomacy and crisis prevention in areas of potential conflict. In this regard, the U.N. now has an opportunity to build on the recent breakthroughs in the Middle East peace process by providing tangible support for implementing the agreements.

The United States firmly supports the U.N. efforts to meet global challenges in the area of sustainable development. The U.N. has engaged in a broad spectrum of activities to implement Agenda 21 and other outcomes of the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio. The U.N. Commission on Sustainable Development continues to work on global health and environmental issues. In September, the U.N. Conference on Population and Development in Cairo addressed a comprehensive population growth strategy that includes education and economic opportunity for women. United Nations agencies such as the U.N. Development Program, U.N. Children's Fund, World Health Organization, and the Food and Agriculture Organization continue to make significant strides in improving basic health, increasing global food production, and alleviating poverty for all of the peoples of the Earth.

Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Monday, October 24, 1994, as "United Nations Day" and urge all Americans to acquaint themselves with the activities and accomplishments of the United Nations.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this twentieth day of October, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and nineteenth.

William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 2:40 p.m., October 24, 1994]