Because today is the 75th anniversary of the day that the United Nations officially came into being, it’s a good time to reflect on what the UN stood for when it was founded, what it stands for today, and what it, broadly defined, might be in the future. The UN’s first 10 stamps, which were issued on October 24, 1951 (and together are today’s #stampoftheday) provide a useful to way structure those thoughts.

First, a little background. In June 1945, delegates from 51 countries who had been meeting in San Francisco since April, unanimously approved the UN Charter. However, that document, did not apply until it had been officially ratified by the original five members of the Security Council – China, France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the US – and a majority of the countries whose delegates had voted to approve it. That occurred on October 24, 1945.
The charter’s opening preamble is still relevant. It begins:

WE THE PEOPLES OF THE UNITED NATIONS DETERMINED

• to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, and
• to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small, and
• to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained, and to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,

AND FOR THESE ENDS

• to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbours, and
• to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security, and
• to ensure, by the acceptance of principles and the institution of methods, that armed force shall not be used, save in the common interest, and
• to employ international machinery for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples,

HAVE RESOLVED TO COMBINE OUR EFFORTS TO ACCOMPLISH THESE AIMS.

Since it was based in the US, the UN initially used US postage for its mail. But in 1948, Jose Arce, an avid stamp collector who represented Argentina at the UN, was elected president of the UN.s General Assembly. Arce successfully pushed for the UN to issue its own stamps, which it began doing in 1951, shortly after the UN moved into its new headquarters in New York City. While the stamps could only be used for mail sent from the UN, Arce believed they could advance the UN’s mission in three important ways. First, since issuing postage stamps was a privilege formerly reserved solely for sovereign states, it would give the UN more credibility and stature. Second, because the collectors would want them, the stamps could increase public awareness of and support for the UN and its mission. And finally, the stamps might be a good source of revenue.

Collectors like my father did snap up the stamps in part because there was broad popular support for the UN and its work. Taken together, the first ten stamps summarize those aspirations and views. According to the writeup of the stamps that was also part of my father’s album: “The 1- and 10-cent stamps both “show a group of five people, representing the principal races of mankind, liberated from their chains of bondage and looking towards the UN emblem rising over a peaceful and prosperous landscape.” The 5-cent stamp highlights UNICEF by picturing “a child’s hand held protectively by the hands of an adult” while the 20-cent stamp shows the “hemispheres of the world linked together by the text “UNITED NATIONS” in French and Spanish. Two stamps show the iconic new UN building and two more portray the UN’s increasingly ubiquitous flag.

Looking at these and the other UN stamps from the 1950s in my father’s collection, I am struck their hopefulness. That is, they suggest that the UN had the potential to effectively confront some of the world’s pressing issues and could, for example, advance human rights, spread scientific knowledge, raise living standards, and increase access to education. And I remember feeling that sense of optimism when I went to UN on school trips when I was young.

Of course, the reality of the UN and related global organizations is more complicated and at times controversial. But as was highlighted in Thursday night’s debate, the last few years have underscored the importance of global cooperation in the face of a variety of threats, particularly the pandemic, global climate change, and the continued plight of refugees.

That’s why it’s worth remembering the best of what drove the creation of the UN. As Harry Truman said in his speech after the Charter had been signed, “with this Charter the world can begin to look forward to the time when all worthy human beings may be permitted to live decently as free people….If we fail to use it, we shall betray all those who have died so that we might meet here in freedom and safety to create it. If we seek to use it selfishly – for the advantage of any one nation or any small group of nations – we shall be equally guilty of that betrayal. The successful use of this instrument will require the united will and firm determination of the free peoples who have created it. The job will tax the moral strength and fibre of us all. We all have to recognize-no matter how great our strength–that we must deny ourselves the license to do always as we please….That is the price which each nation will have to pay for world peace.”

Hopefully, in these unprecedented times, we will again recognize this truth and, in doing so, reaffirm our shared commitment to working together to address pressing needs and challenges.

Be well, stay safe, fight for justice, and work not only for peace but also for “the time when all worthy human beings may be permitted to live decently as free people.”