The United Nations was established in order to maintain international peace and promote cooperation in solving international economic, social, and humanitarian problems. Representatives of 50 countries met in San Francisco in 1945 to draw up the United Nations Charter. The United Nations officially came into existence on October 24, 1945 upon ratification of the Charter by the five then-permanent members of the Security Council—France, the Republic of China, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the United States—and by a majority of the other 46 signatories.
The first meetings of the General Assembly and the Security Council, took place in London beginning in January 1946. Before moving to the new United Nations Headquarters building located on international territory in New York City in 1953, the organization was based at the Sperry Gyroscope Corporation's facility in Lake Success, New York from 1946 to 1952,
The United Nations' system is based on five principal organs: the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the Secretariat, and the International Court of Justice. The first four organs are at the United Nations headquarters in New York. (The International Court of Justice is located in The Hague).
The views on my postcards are 50+ years old. The postcard above has a view of the United Nations Headquarters in New York from across the East River.
The postcard of the mural by Jose Vela Zanetti ''Mankind's Struggle for a Lasting Peace'' at the United Nations headquarters is composed of three panels which fold for mailing. It is the width of 3 postcards (16-1/2") when open. The United Nations website describes it as follows:
The huge mural - 20 yards long and nearly four yards high - depicts mankind’s struggle for a lasting peace, beginning with the destruction of a family and ending with the resurrection, showing a bright-eyed child looking toward a generation of peace. Concentration camps, bombings and all the agony of modern war are symbolized in the painting, in the centre of which a gigantic four-armed figure is implanting the emblem of the United Nations, as mankind reconstructs a war-torn world.
This seemed like a good subject for trying out the MapLib widget as described by Mister Mike in last week's Sepia Saturday post: http://temposenzatempo.blogspot.com/2013/03/adolphe-dumont-and-chicago-philharmonic.html .
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Ah, a lasting peace. Wouldn't that be a wonderful thing?
ReplyDeleteWonder if it will ever happen.
Nancy
It worked really. That's quite some mural.
ReplyDeleteNoble ideals, and there's no doubt that they've achieved a great deal since then, and yet I have some misgivings about the way the UN operates ...
ReplyDeleteI agree with Marilyn, it worked very well.
But still the UN turns a blind eye when it suits some nations.
ReplyDeleteImpressive postcards but now all the buildings need is a running screening of what is going on in places like Syria.
The postcards give us a glimpse of the enormity of nations coming together.
ReplyDeleteOh this is just what the doctor has ordered....ever lasting peace is something for all to thrive for. Great photos and what a mural!
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to get home and look through my postcards as I think I have one of the UN.
ReplyDeletethanks for all that amazing information, I wrote a poem about the same
ReplyDeleteThat is a great tie-in with the theme, and great postcard as well. I am so disappointed that when we were in New York the year before last we never got to see the UN building.
ReplyDeletethe architecture evokes an almost Star Trek 'feel'.....I suppose they wanted a futuristic view of International Diplomacy?
ReplyDeleteYou must have an excellent collection of cards. You turned up all of these related to the theme. A fine post. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThat fourth card does looks futuristic despite being 50 years old. Maybe we'll get peace in the future. The mural card is a neat idea.
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping by and visiting.
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned Kevin's socks as well, I think my father took that photo and I doubt that changing the angle of the photo would have even entered his head!
A remarkable collection.
ReplyDeleteThe organization may not be perfect
or most efficient, but this is the one we have to deal with crisis right now. Maybe things will evolved,
in a positive manner. The number of countries registered certainly has grown over time.
Peace!!
:)~
HUGZ