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Commentary: Celebration in San Francisco shows world's renewed commitment to UN Charter

Xinhua, June 27, 2015 Adjust font size:

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon was in San Francisco Friday for an event to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, demonstrating once again the international community's renewed commitment to the cornerstone document which has guided international relations over the past decades.

Celebrations were held in San Franciso, birthplace of the United Nations, and here at UN Headquarters in New York. Seventy years ago, representatives from 50 war-weary countries gathered in the U.S. West Coast city to create the United Nations -- an international organization aimed at saving future generations from the "scourge of war".

On June 25, 1945, the San Francisco Conference unanimously adopted the UN Charter, which set out an ambitious blueprint for " We the peoples of the United Nations" to come together to build a better world. The signing of the Charter took place there the next day, and this event resulted in the formation of the United Nations, opening up a new world for humanity.

Signing means commitment -- all the peace-loving UN member states vowed acceptance of the obligations contained in the Charter and willingness to carry out the obligations.

The Charter, written at the end of the darkest days in the history of human beings, represents a sign of new hope for the people who had experienced years of tears and fears during the Second World War. Now, it is also standing for a shared dream for more than 7 billion people in the world at large.

Today, the number of UN members has grown to 193 after the world body has gone through 70 years of ups and downs, yet the UN Charter still bears important practical significance. The Charter represents the common aspirations of mankind and its principles still serve as the cornerstone to guide contemporary international relations.

The fact that the current UN membership includes nearly all the countries across the world indicates universal acceptance and commitment to the UN Charter.

The UN Charter encourages multilateralism. Past unilateral moves for selfish targets had violated the international treaty and were widely condemned.

Under the UN Charter, the UN Security Council has the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, any unilateral move that bypasses the 15-nation Security Council is regarded as illegal and illegitimate.

Under the UN Charter, all countries, big or small, are equal, no country in the world is entitled to impose its own will on others or to topple the legitimate governments of other countries.

At present, some regions in the world are being plagued with turbulence and conflicts, and the fundamental way out of it is to strictly abide by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, as well as to safeguard the sanctity of the United Nations and its Security Council.

In the 21st century, all UN member states should join hands in opposing conflict, confrontation, hegemony and the zero-sum approach in developing international relations,

At the same time, extensive efforts should also be made to draw lessons from history and chart the course for the future. Not only should all countries stay true to the spirit of the UN Charter, they also need to act according to the trend of the times and in line with practical needs to add new dimensions to the Charter and bring to it new dynamism and vitality.

Facts have shown that the old mindset of confrontation should be discarded while consultation and cooperation among the parties should be encouraged in addressing the major issues affecting world and regional peace and development.

In today's globalized world, the United Nations is also leading the world's efforts to deal with such emerging issues as climate change, fatal diseases, food insecurity, gender inequality and terrorism. Therefore, all UN members need to come together to share rights and obligations and uphold justice while pursuing interests. In this regard, a new thinking of win-win and all-win cooperation and a new concept of community of common destiny would be among the best solutions.

Seventy years after its birth, the UN Charter still has great relevance today and continues to play an indispensable role in maintaining world peace and stability. Endite