HR0178 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0178 LRB104 12683 LAW 23490 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, On October 24, 1945, the United Nations (UN) was formed following World War II, the most devastating armed conflict in human history, succeeding the League of Nations, which was widely recognized as a failed intergovernmental organization; and

WHEREAS, Since its inception, the UN has operated with the goal of preventing future world wars, consisting of a group of independent countries that have voluntarily joined together to work towards world peace and economic and social progress; and

WHEREAS, The UN's mission to preserve world peace was initially complicated, largely due in part to Cold War tensions between the United States and the USSR, leading it to enlist the help of unarmed military observers and lightly armed peacekeepers primarily tasked with monitoring; by the 1970s, the organization's budget for economic and social development programs largely exceeded its spending on peacekeeping, and after the fall of the USSR in 1991, it expanded its field operations, undertaking a wide variety of complex tasks; and

WHEREAS, Over the years, the UN has depended on the support and leadership of the United States to successfully achieve its goals and objectives; and

WHEREAS, Today, the UN is the foremost global organization striving for women's rights and the advancement of women as well as the health and development of communities around the world; and

WHEREAS, The UN's largest nongovernmental organization (NGO) is Zonta International, which promotes the advancement of the status of women internationally, nationally, and locally through building better lives for women and girls around the world; the Zonta Club of Kankakee, led by President Amy LaFine, cares for women and girls in its community by providing food for the local unhoused community and donating a Christmas tree to the county museum; and

WHEREAS, The UN General Assembly has celebrated United Nations Day since establishing the day in 1947, later recognizing it as an international holiday in 1971; the day is celebrated with meetings, discussions, exhibits, and cultural performances as people come together in cities around the world to promote global unity and international cooperation, raise awareness of the UN's goals and aspirations, promote global support for the UN's missions, celebrate the UN's achievements, and recognize the UN's work in achieving peace, human rights, and sustainable development; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we declare October 24, 2025 as United Nations Day in the State of Illinois to honor the United Nations (UN) for the positive impact it has had on the global community; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to the United Nations and President Amy LaFine of the Zonta Club of Kankakee as a symbol of our respect and esteem.