1975 United Nations 30th Anniversary

These stamps commemorated the 30th anniversary of the signing of the United Nations Charter.

In 1975, the United Nations issued a souvenir sheet commemorating the 30th anniversary of the signing of the U.N. Charter.  The U.N. Charter was signed by the 50 nations attending the San Francisco Conference in June of 1945.  In October of the same year, the required number of nations approved the charter, and the U.N. became a reality.

The Charter sets forth the purposes and principles of the United Nations.  The main purpose of the U.N. is to preserve world peace and security.  It also sets membership requirements, the first members being those who signed in 1945.  The charter states that membership is open to all “peace-loving states.”  It also set up the main departments of the United Nations, such as the General Assembly and the Security Council.  The preamble of about 200 words was written by Jan Christiaan Smuts of South Africa, and truly expresses the guiding principles of the organization.