DÉCLARATION DU DIRECTEUR GÉNÉRAL DE L'ONUG À L'OCCASION DU SOIXANTE-DIXIÈME ANNIVERSAIRE DU DÉCLENCHEMENT DE LA SECONDE GUERRE MONDIALE (en anglais)

Following is a statement issued today by Sergei Ordzhonikidze, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, on the occasion of the seventieth anniversary of the outbreak of World War II:

“Today, we mark the seventieth anniversary of the outbreak of World War II, which claimed the lives of 55 million fellow human beings all over the world. Over 20 world leaders are meeting in Poland on this occasion to pay their respects to the victims. This anniversary holds special importance for the United Nations. Our Organization was founded on the ashes of the most ferocious war the world has ever seen; it was founded to prevent a re-occurrence. Our main purpose is, as it says in our Charter, to “save succeeding generations from the scourge of war”, which has “brought untold sorrow to mankind”. This is our raison d’être.

The key principles of the Charter and all modern principles of international law, such as non-aggression, the peaceful settlement of disputes and human rights, were direct reactions to the War. This Organization embodies all the lessons learned from that tragedy. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that these lessons live on and are acted upon.

This anniversary takes on particular significance here at the Palais des Nations, which housed the League of Nations. The League was also built on the ruins of a world war, but did not manage to prevent World War II. Here, we are constantly reminded of the horrific consequences when the international community fails to act collectively on the challenges we face. This anniversary is therefore a reminder of the need to nurture multilateral efforts and to support our multilateral institutions.
It is also a reminder of the need to continue our work for disarmament and non-proliferation, as well as human rights.

The development of nuclear weapons was also a product of World War II. We need to ensure that future generations can live in a world free of nuclear dangers. This anniversary is a call for strengthened multilateral disarmament and non-proliferation efforts by all Member States and a reminder of the special responsibility of the Conference on Disarmament.”


For use of the information media; not an official record

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