The Commemorative Covers: The United Nations
The UN family of organizations, i.e., the United Nations System, is made up of the UN Secretariat, the UN Programmes and Funds (such as UNICEF, UNHCR, WFP, or UNDP) and the Specialized Agencies (such as ILO, UNESCO, WHO, WMO, FAO, IMO, ITU, UPU or ICAO).
As a Specialized Agency of the UN, ICAO works closely with the UN, and particularly with the Economic and Social Council. Moreover, for its technical activities; ICAO works closely too with other UN Specialized Agencies and International Organizations, such as:
1. The International Telecommunications Union (ITU);
2. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA);
3. The International Labour Organization (ILO);
4. The International Maritime Organization (IMO);
5. The Universal Postal Union (UPU);
6. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO);
7. The World Health Organization (WHO); and
8. The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
In other chapters of this Postal History, it can be seen that several countries had shown on their stamp issues the close relationship that exists among the organizations of the United Nations System; a few ones are listed hereafter:
- Costa Rica (see at the following link: Costa Rica – 1961 - United Nations Day);
- Equatorial Guinea (see at the following link: Equatorial Guinea : 30th Anniversary of the United Nations);
- Liberia (see at the following link: Liberia – 1954 - United Nations Technical Assistance Program); and
- Philippines (see at the following link: Philippines – 1994 - Anniversaries and Events ‑ United Nations Day).
To obtain the comprehensive list of such issues, it is suggested to click on the following link: Stamp issues related to ICAO : Introduction and highlight the following words: UNITED NATIONS.
In 1958/1959, a group of countries shared a common design (i.e., omnibus or joint issue) to commemorate special events related to the United Nations. The planning and agreement between the postal administrations are what it identifies this as a joint issue. The circumstances of the issues varied, e.g., the United Nations Day (24 October), or the opening of UNESCO Headquarters in Paris (3 November 1958), or Tribute to the Technical Assistance, or the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (10 December 1948). In addition to the scroll with the names of 9 Agencies (including ICAO), the design shows Geneva’s and New York coats of arms (See footnotes 1 and 2) surmounted by the flags of the respective countries Switzerland and New York, respectively on the left and right sides of the UN emblem, thus indicating the main location of two UN sites at that time. At the top, one can see the initials of HR for Human Rights and UNEF for the United Nations Emergency Force.
UNITED NATIONS DAY
The idea of United Nations started on 14 August 1941, when US President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill proposed a set of principles for international collaboration in maintaining peace and security. This document was signed aboard the Prince of Wales and is known as the Atlantic Charter. The First Washington Conference, also known by the code name Arcadia Conference, was held in Washington, D.C. from 22 December 1941 to 14 January 1942; the Arcadia Conference had a wider international diplomatic and political aspect concerning the terms of the post-war world, which followed from the Atlantic Charter. On 1 January 1942, 26 governments attending the Conference agreed to the Declaration by United Nations. The first blueprint of the United Nations was prepared at the Dumbarton Oaks Conference held in Washington, D.C. that ran from 21 September through 7 October 1944. The United Nations (UN) Charter was drawn up by the representatives of 50 countries at the United Nations Conference on International Organization (UNCIO), which met at San Francisco (at the Opera House) from 25 April to 26 June 1945. The representatives adopted unanimously the 111-article Charter on the latter day. Poland, not represented at the Conference, signed it later, and became one of the original 51 Member States.
The UN officially came into existence on 24 October 1945, when the Charter had been ratified by China, France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the United States, and by a majority of signatories. 24 October is celebrated each year as the United Nations Day. On 10 January 1946, the first General Assembly opened in the Central Hall in Westminster, London, Great Britain, with 51 nations being represented and they elected Trygve Lie of Norway as the first Secretary General of the United Nations. Then on 24 October 1948, the cornerstone was laid for the United Nations headquarters in New York City.
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GHANA United Nations Day 24 October 1958 Font and centre pages of the presentation folder. Only 300 of these folios exist. |
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TOGO United Nations Day 24 October 1958 Font and centre pages of the presentation folder. |
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UNITED NATIONS UN Day 24 October 1958 The 2 stamps were issued to commemorate the work of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). As one of the six main organs of the United Nations established by the UN Charter in 1946, ECOSOC is the principal body for coordination, policy review, policy dialogue and recommendations on economic, social and environmental issues, as well as for the implementation of the internationally agreed development goals. |
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OPENING OF UNESCO’S HEADQUARTERS IN PARIS
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is known as the "intellectual" agency of the United Nations. On 16 November 1945, representatives of 37 countries meet in London to sign UNESCO’s Constitution which came into force on 4 November 1946, after ratification by 20 signatories. Located on the Place de Fontenoy, in Paris, the main building which houses the Headquarters of UNESCO was inaugurated on 3 November 1958. The Y-shaped design was created by three architects of different nationalities under the direction of an international committee. Nicknamed the ‘three-pointed star’, the entire edifice stands on seventy-two columns of concrete piling. It is world famous, not only because it is the home of a well-known organization, but also because of its outstanding architectural qualities.
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TUNISIA First Day Cover issued on 3 November 1958. Opening of UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. |
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MOROCCO First Day Cover issued on 23 November 1958. Opening of UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. |
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MONACO First Day Cover issued on 16 May 1959. Opening of UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. The stamp shows the UNESCO building and cultural emblems; the inauguration date of the UNESCO (3–XI-58) Headquarters is printed on the stamp. |
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BULGARIA First Day Cover issued on 6 June 1959. Opening of UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. Note that the stamp was issued on 28 March 1959.
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TRIBUTE TO THE UNITED NATIONS AND THE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
Under the auspices of the United Nations, the Expanded Programme of Technical Assistance (EPTA) was formally established by the General Assembly in December 1949, which also created a mechanism for the participation of specialized agencies, i.e., the Technical Assistance Board. EPTA marked a significant advance for the developing countries, as it was the first multilateral development programme financed from voluntary contributions. A Technical Assistance Conference was held at Lake Success, New York, from 12 to 14 June 1950 and attended by 54 members of the United Nations; thus, the EPTA started operations in July 1950. States pledged a total of US$20 million for the first year’s operations, and by October 1950, a sufficient amount of money had been paid into the Technical Assistance Fund to enable the participating organizations to get their programmes under way. EPTA would have a wider scope than the UN regular technical assistance programme, with a wide variety of activities for the developing countries, such as economic planning; public administration; education and training; agriculture including fisheries, forestry and livestock; public health; transport and communications; and civil aviation (in fact, all sectors covered by the UN, and its Specialized Agencies and Programmes, including ICAO).
In the 1950s, Haiti was assisted by EPTA programmes provided through the UN Agencies, such as UNESCO (UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), UNICEF (UN International Children's Emergency Fund), FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization), UNRRA (United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration) and OMS (or WHO, World Health Organization), as listed on the stamps of the issue.
By the end of 1951, forty-three requests for technical assistance had been received by ICAO from thirty-two governments, including Haiti. From 1960, Haiti received ICAO’s technical assistance missions for the first time to establish an authority responsible for civil aviation and to advise on the improvement of the passenger facilities and general arrangements at the international airport at Port-au-Prince.
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HAITI First Day Cover issued on 5 December 1958. Tribute to the United Nations. |
UN UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS
As stated in the Preamble to the United Nations Charter, the peoples of the United Nations (UN) declare their determination to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom. Article I of the Charter proclaims that one of the purposes of the UN is to achieve international co-operation in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction. One of the first major achievements of the UN was the adoption by the General Assembly, on 10 December 1948, of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Assembly proclaimed the Declaration as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, and it called upon all Member States and all peoples to promote and secure the effective recognition and observance of the rights and freedoms set forth in the Declaration. In 1950, the General Assembly decided that 10 December of each year should be observed as Human Rights Day all over the world.
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AFRIQUE ÉQUATORIALE FRANÇAISE (See footnote 4) First Day Cover issued on 10 December 1958. 10th Anniversary of UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. |
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AFRIQUE OCCIDENTALE FRANÇAISE (See footnote 3) First Day Cover issued on 10 December 1958. 10th Anniversary of UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. |
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CEYLON (now Sri Lanka) First Day Cover issued on 10 December 1958. 10th Anniversary of UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. |
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EGYPT First Day Cover issued on 10 December 1958. 10th Anniversary of UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. |
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YUGOSLAVIA First Day Cover issued on 10 December 1958. 10th Anniversary of UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. |
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MEXICO Font and centre pages of the presentation folder issued on 15 December 1958. 10th Anniversary of UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
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CAMEROON First Day Cover issued on 22 May 1959. 10th Anniversary of UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Note that the stamp was issued on 10 December 1958.
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Footnote 1: The coat of arms of the city of Geneva.
The shield is divided vertically in two, gold
and red; left, half of a black eagle emerging from the partition with red beak,
claws, and crown; right, a key turned to the left in gold. The eagle is the
Eagle of the Holy Roman Empire (the bishops of Geneva were Princes of the
Empire, once upon a time) and the Key is one of the Keys of Heaven held by St.
Peter. The full coat of arms includes, below the shield, the words, "Post
Tenebras Lux" (After Darkness, Light) which was the motto of the
Protestant Reformation.
Footnote 2: The coat of arms of the city of New York.
The
center displays two beavers and two flour barrels in the spaces between a
windmill’s sails. This is the most basic part of the seal, and most often it is
used without the other elements.
Prized for their pelts that were used for fur, and their skins that were made into felt for hats, beavers were the foundation for Nieuw Amsterdam’s economic success under the Dutch.
Arduous and multi-staged, the process of separating wheat into flour and bran was called bolting. The new law, the Bolting Act took its name from the process itself. Governor Andros’ decree did for New York what the Erie Canal would do for it 125 years later: boosting the economy and putting New York at the center of regional, national, and international commerce. Because of bolting the cooper’s trade (barrel-making) became a booming business. As a result, the flour barrel earned its prized place on the seal.
Picturing the sails of a windmill on the seal is an acknowledgment of three important parts of New York City’s history. Although associated with the Dutch in popular culture, when the sails of a windmill first appeared on the seal the city was under English rule. Reason number one was that windmills were used to grind wheat to flour. The second two reasons involve the city’s Dutch heritage; many Dutch families, some in positions of authority, had windmills on their coats-of-arms.
Footnote 3: The Afrique occidentale française (AOF) was a federation which brought together from 1895 to 1958 Côte d'Ivoire, Dahomey (now Bénin), French Guinea, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Sudan (now Mali), Upper Volta (new Burkina Faso). The capital was Dakar.
Footnote 4: The Afrique équatoriale française (AEF) was the name given to the general government created in 1910 which brought together until 1958 in a federation the four French territories of Equatorial Africa: Gabon, the Middle Congo (now Congo, informally named Congo-Brazzaville), the Oubangui-Chari (now Central African Republic) and Chad. Its capital was Brazzaville, residence of the Governor General.
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