United Nations Day, the anniversary of the entry into force of the United Nations Charter on 24 October 1945, has been celebrated since 1948. It has traditionally been marked throughout the world by meetings, discussions and exhibits on the achievements and goals of the U.N. In 1971, the General Assembly recommended that member states observe it as a public holiday.

Yesterday, the United Nations Association – Columbus Chapter held their own local event in honor of UN Day. The event brought together local NGO’s, students and faculty from the area – including the ONE Campaign – OSU Chapter. The event focused on the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the global fight against HIV and AIDS, and current World Health Organization initiatives.

Carol Welch from the Millennium Campaign, another partner of ONE, was a featured speaker at the event. Along with educating the audience about the MDGs, Ms. Welch encouraged attendees to get involved with ONE and ONE Vote ‘08 in order to create the political will necessary to achieve these goals.

With the presence of three partner organizations, the event helped to emphasize the effectiveness of working together to educate our communities about global poverty and disease. You, too, can partner locally with ONE partners or local NGOs. Check out our partner page to see the full list of our national partners which has grown to over 150 organizations—many groups have local chapters or may be based in your state.

-Katie Andrews, ONE Regional Organizer