We are all the United Nations

Nearly eight decades after its creation, the United Nations (UN) remains the only global forum where the entire world is represented to find common solutions for common goals. We will be celebrating United Nations Day at PNCA this Saturday, marking the 79th Anniversary of the creation of the UN.

"We the Peoples of the United Nations, determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war…" starts the Preamble of the UN Charter, explaining how nations resolved to combine their efforts in support of human rights, equality, and social progress.

While today the UN Charter is more relevant and needed than ever, the global multilateral system needs to reflect the realities of current times. Just last month, the UN Secretary-General organised the Summit of the Future driven by the notion that 21st century challenges require 21st century solutions. The summit adopted the Pact for the Future, which signifies our collective re-commitment to the SDGs and seeks to redefine our efforts in the areas of financing sustainable development, peace and security, science and digital cooperation, youth and future generations, and transforming global governance. The Summit of the Future showed that with a spirit of dialogue and compromise, we can join forces to steer our world to a more sustainable path.

We are all too aware that we stand and fall not by adopting agreements, but by our actions and their impact on the lives of the people we serve, leaving no one behind. And this is why the 24 UN Entities in Pakistan stand shoulder to shoulder with the Government and the people of Pakistan to accelerate our collaboration in areas such as food systems, energy transition, digital transformation, climate change and the transformation of the education and health sectors.

As I travelled through beautiful Pakistan, from the mountainous Northern areas to the vast plains in the South, I witnessed first-hand how communities face increasingly complex challenges. They are confronted with impossible dilemmas brought about by the high cost-of-living and by the diverse manifestations of climate change. The latter has unleashed stifling heatwaves, glacial melt and devastating floods, putting Pakistan at the forefront of tackling the impacts of climate change.

But my travels have not been about despair; they have been about hope. I have been inspired by the women and men who work every day to improve their living conditions. These everyday heroes immunise small children against deadly diseases such as polio in the remotest corners of the country. They help enroll more girls and boys in schools. They help improve labourers' working conditions, push for decent work and livelihoods, promote gender equality and opportunities for women. They help rebuild villages in areas affected by floods. They work on mitigating the effects of climate change.

All of us, no matter where we live and who we are, share the same aspirations – safety, peace, and prosperity on a healthy planet. This is why we must redouble our efforts to make sure every Pakistani is given the opportunity to realise their full potential.

Today is also the day to celebrate the many Pakistanis who have been instrumental in contributing to the norms and values of the UN – from Begum Shaista Ikramullah and Ahmad Shah Bokhari, UN delegates who supported the drafting of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and the creation of the UN agency for children, UNICEF, to Pakistani economist Mahbub ul Haq who created the Human Development Index and Dr Nafis Sadik, the first woman to lead one of the UN's major voluntarily funded programmes, UNFPA.

Their photos will be on display in an exhibition which the UN is organising to celebrate our links with Pakistan during a 'UN Day' family event at the PNCA in Islamabad on 26 October from 3-8pm. Open to all, it will help bring the public closer to the UN's work across Pakistan. It will also feature the prominent role of Pakistan in UN peacekeeping, to which it has been one of the largest contributors since the 1960s.

I invite you all to join us to celebrate UN Day at the PNCA, which will feature free concerts, a UN career booth to learn how to join the UN, information stalls, an exhibition, giveaways, food and children's activities. We are all the United Nations; come and celebrate our common humanity.