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1946: First UN General Assembly opens

With the peace that ended the Second World War just a few months old, London's historic Central Hall Westminster is the site of what radio announcers call "an occasion of unparalleled importance to our generation" -- the convening of the First Session of the United Nations General Assembly. Nearly 2,000 people from 51 nations are here to witness the birth of an organization sworn to "maintaining peace on the basis of full international cooperation, and so alleviating the ills that beset mankind."

The session is opened by the chairman and temporary president, Colombia's Eduardo Zuleta Angel, who led the Preparatory Commission for the first general assembly. He addresses the international delegates in French, and is followed by the official interpreter, who delivers Angel's speech in English.
• The term "united nations" was first used by U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt as a term for the Allied nations in the Second World War.
• The United Nations replaced the League of Nations, formed after the First World War to achieve world peace and security. It was ended after failing to prevent the Second World War.

• Canada sent its own delegates to the League of Nations in 1919 to assert independence from Britain. Most of the Allies of the First World War were original members except the United States, whose senate refused to sign the Treaty of Versailles.
• Canada also became a member of the International Labour Organization, an offshoot of the League of Nations. Canada's involvement in the League and ILO was minimal due to a reluctance to get involved in European affairs.

• In 1945, representatives from 50 countries including Canada met in San Francisco to draw up the United Nations Charter. It was signed on June 26, 1945. Poland later signed the charter, becoming one of the 51 original member states.
• The United Nations officially came into existence on Oct. 24, 1945 when a majority of nations ratified the charter.

• A key purpose of the Jan. 10 first meeting of the General Assembly was to elect a secretary-general. The representatives chose Trygve Lie, a Norwegian diplomat who helped draft the Security Council provisions of the charter. He stepped down in November 1952.

• According to the charter, the purpose of the United Nations is "to maintain international peace and security; to develop friendly relations among nations; to cooperate in solving international economic, social, cultural and humanitarian problems and in promoting respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms; and to be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations in attaining these ends." (www.un.org)

• Issues addressed in the first year of the United Nations General Assembly: affirming the principals of international law, recognizing genocide as a crime under international law, controlling nuclear weapons and establishing the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF.)


• Canada was active in the United Nations from the start. Canadian delegates to the first session included Paul Martin Sr. and Louis St-Laurent. In 1947 Canada was elected to the UN Security Council for the first time.
• At the invitation of the U.S. Congress, the United Nations permanently relocated to New York City. John D. Rockefeller Jr. donated prime land in Manhattan for the UN buildings, which were completed in 1952. They are on "international land," owned by no country.

Also on January 10:
1799: Residents of Lower Canada (now Quebec) celebrate their first Thanksgiving.
1815: Britain prohibits American citizens from settling in Canada.
1910: The first issue of Montreal's "Le Devoir" newspaper is published.
2002: James Bartleman is named the first native lieutenant-governor of Ontario. Bartleman is a member of the Mnjikaning First Nation.
2004: Police seize the biggest indoor marijuana operation ever found in Canada - plants with an estimated street value of $30 million - at a closed-down Molson's brewery in Barrie, Ontario.
Medium: Radio
Program: CBC Radio Special
Broadcast Date: Jan. 10, 1946
Guest(s): Richard Attlee
Duration: 6:49
Photo: United Nations Photo Library / 24480 UN/DPI

Last updated: February 26, 2013

Page consulted on February 26, 2013

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