Honourable senators, I rise today to mark the anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. On Tuesday, October 24, the UN celebrated its 72nd anniversary. In 1945, following a devastating world war, all of the nations met together in a spirit of cooperation to work toward a better world. Thus, the UN Charter was created to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, encourage respect for human rights, and harmonize the actions of nations in the attainment of these common ends.

Today, more than ever, we must recognize how essential the UN is to international cooperation. We must find global solutions to the major issues that affect us all. For example, every nation around the world must contribute to the efforts to combat climate change. Pollution and extreme weather events know no borders and no one is immune.

On this anniversary, I would especially like to recognize the work of the United Nations Framework on Climate Change. Thanks to this framework, 169 countries ratified the historic Paris agreement, which seeks to mitigate the effects of climate change. Although the United States has threatened to withdraw from the agreement, many states and 82 cities in the U.S. have announced that they will continue to abide by it.

The UN has also adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity. Its 17 sustainable development goals and 169 targets help nations work towards objectives such as combatting climate change, ending poverty, ensuring quality education, protecting ecosystems, and building resilient infrastructure.

In addition to environmental cooperation, the UN is essential for managing the global issues of refugees and human rights abuses. The UN reports that in 2016, more than 65 million people were displaced from their region of origin, with 28,300 people a day driven from their homes due to conflict and persecution. The UN’s scope of work is enormous. We need to support its international efforts to improve every human being’s quality of life.

Colleagues, remember that the UN supplies vaccines to 45 per cent of the world’s children, keeps the peace in war-torn regions, promotes cultural outreach, and much, much more. The UN is an organization that works for the planet and everyone living on it. This tribute to the UN’s global contribution is offered in celebration of its anniversary today. We need to work together to help it succeed in the decades and centuries to come.

Thank you very much.