Ahead of UN Day on 24 October, the World Tourism Organization, the only UN Specialized Agency with Headquarters in Spain, welcomed all UN agencies, funds and programmes based in the country to mark the occasion as the first activity of the official Spanish celebrations of the United Nations’ 70th Anniversary (Madrid, Spain, 23 October 2015).
“Today we think as one, we act as one, we feel as one and we reflect on the achievements and future challenges as one family. I strongly believe that the UN is one of the most significant achievements of mankind; a system which may not be perfect, but embodies the highest values of human ideals and strives to achieve them. On UN Day we celebrate the UN and its core objectives – peace, social progress and respect for human rights”, said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, welcoming the UN colleagues working in Spain.
The celebration will continue on 24 October, UN Day, with an event geared to the public, set to take place in Madrid’s Conde Duque cultural centre, and the official visit of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to Spain between 28 and 29 October.
2015 equally marks Spain’s 60th year of membership in the UN. A total of 14 UN agencies, funds and programmes have representation in Spain:
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR); United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), United Nations Support Base in Valencia (UNSB-V); United Nations Millennium Campaign in Spain; United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF); United Nations University Institute; United Nations Support Office for the International Decade for Action “Water for Life” 2005-2015; United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA); United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO); International Labour Organization (ILO); World Health Organization (WHO) – WHO Office for Health Systems Strengthening; World Tourism Organization (UNWTO); The United Nations Global Compact (UNGC, LN Spain), United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).
