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United Nations
The United Nations was founded in 1945 as a successor to the League of Nations.
The term 'United Nations' was first used by Winston Churchill in the 1942 'Declaration by United Nations' which united allied countries under the Atlantic Charter.
In April 1945 the UN Conference on International Organisation took place and the Charter of the United Nations was drawn up. This was ratified by the five permanent members of the Security Council - France, the Republic of China, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the United States of America - and the United Nations officially came into existence.
The UN General Assembly met for the first time in London in January 1946 with over fifty-one nations being represented.
The United Nations is divided into five departments: the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Secretariat and the International Court of Justice.
The UN's main aims are to promote and facilitate international co-operation in the fields of international law and security, economic development, social progress, human rights and has the ultimate aim of achieving world peace.
Click on the thumbnails for larger versions of the images.
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Excerpt of speech made by Gilbert Longden, delegate of the UK, in debate on peaceful co-existence at the 1st Committee of the United Nations, 13 December 1957, published by the South West Herts. Conservative and Unionist Association, January 1958. Copyright of the Conservative Party Archive Trust. (LONGDEN/6/1)
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"A Permanent United Nations Force", report published by the Federal Union, 1960. Copyright of the Federal Union. (LONGDEN/6/1)
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Cover of 'United Nations News' published by the United Nations Association, October 1960. Copyright of the United Nations Association UK. (FEDERAL TRUST/A/4/46)
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Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 10 December 1948 as a response to the Second World War.
The declaration was influenced by President Franklin D. Roosevelt's speech to the United States Congress in 1941 championing the four freedoms: freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom from fear and freedom from want.
The declaration was drafted by the Canadian human rights advocate John Peter Humphrey and contributors included Eleanor Roosevelt, Jacques Maritain, René Cassin and Charles Malik, and consists of thirty articles which seek to promote and encourage respect for the human rights that belong to every man, woman and child.
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Cover of the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights approved by the General Assembly of the United Nations", published by HMSO, 1949. Copyright of HMSO, reproduced under the terms of the Click-Use License. (LONGDEN/6/1)
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