Monday, June 02, 2003

• The name "United Nations", coined by United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt, was first used in the "Declaration by United Nations" of 1 January 1942, during the Second World War, when representatives of 26 nations pledged their Governments to continue fighting together against the Axis Powers.
• The forerunner of the United Nations was the League of Nations, an organization conceived in similar circumstances during the first World War, and established in 1919 under the Treaty of Versailles "to promote international cooperation and to achieve peace and security."
• In 1945, representatives of 50 countries met in San Francisco at the United Nations Conference on International Organization to draw up the United Nations Charter. Those delegates deliberated on the basis of proposals worked out by the representatives of China, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the United States at Dumbarton Oaks, United States in August-October 1944. The Charter was signed on 26 June 1945 by the representatives of the 50 countries. Poland, which was not represented at the Conference, signed it later and became one of the original 51 Member States.
• The League of Nations ceased its activities after failing to prevent the Second World War.
• The United Nations officially came into existence on 24 October 1945, when the Charter had been ratified by China, France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, the United States and by a majority of other signatories.

"Ideas and concepts are a main driving force in human progress, and they are arguably the most important contribution of the United Nations. Yet, there is no adequate historical study of the origins and evolution of the history of ideas cultivated within the United Nations and of their impact on wider thinking and international action. The United Nations Intellectual History Project (UNIHP) is filling this gap by tracing the origin and analyzing the evolution of key ideas and concepts about international economic and social development born or nurtured under UN auspices. The motivations behind these ideas, as well as their relevance, influence, and impact are being assessed against the backdrop of the socio-economic situations of individual countries, the global economy, and major international developments."

"The second main activity of the project is conducting oral history interviews with key participants in the evolution of UN ideas; Oral histories are essential, both to inform the various publications of the project and to provide a key historical resource for future generations of scholars."