Bonn,
24 October 2013 - Today is UN Day, a day to celebrate this organization and all its efforts for humankind and the environment in the areas of peace, conflict resolution, disaster response, humanitarian assistance, health, disease prevention, education, equality, human rights, governance, poverty reduction, sustainable development, climate change mitigation, biodiversity and species conservation.

In his message for 2013, UN Secretary-General Ban Kimoon said: “United Nations Day is a chance to recognize how much this invaluable Organization contributes to peace and common progress.”



The United Nations Organizations in Germany already observed the event on Bonn’s Market Place on 19 October 2013 to celebrate the annual “UN Day” under the theme “8:0 for development - Water connects!”

Access to clean drinking water is one of the eight UN Millennium Development Goals which have been a focus of UN Day celebrations since 2005 and the year 2013 also marks the International Year of Water Cooperation declared by the UN General Assembly.



According to UN Water, approximately 783 million people do not have access to clean drinking water and 2.5 billion people have no access to adequate sanitation. In view of the impacts of climate change, drought, land degradation and flooding, international cooperation on water issues is essential and water diplomacy is becoming increasingly important.

The importance of water is also reflected in the work of all 18 Bonn-based UN organisations. To give citizens a better understanding about how water links the different UN organizations in Bonn, a quiz was developed and distributed amongst visitors with questions related to water and the work of each UN agency. The answers could be found at the information stands of the individual UN agencies, where visitors were informed about the work of the agencies, illustrated by posters, stickers and other information material.

>UN Day is celebrated globally to highlight the aims and achievements of the United Nations. The day marks the anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter on 24 October 1945 and has been observed annually in Bonn since the city became host to several United Nations organizations in 1996.