RI - U.N. Celebrate 68Th Anniversary Of World Body

Jakarta, Oct 24 (Antara) - Indonesia and the United Nations (UN) on Thursday celebrated the 68th anniversary of the world body, which was established on October 24, 1945. The UN`s mission has the complete support of the Indonesian government and people, said the Director General for Multilateral Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hasan Kleib, at a function to mark UN Day 2013 here on Thursday. The anniversary celebrations must not only focus on remembering and lauding what has been achieved through Indonesia and the UN`s partnership, but also on finding ways and means to foster better, broader, and deeper ties in the fields of economy, human rights and other developments in the future, Kleib noted. "Today`s celebration should be about preserving our past and framing our future," he added. UN Resident Coordinator in Indonesia, Douglas Broderick, highlighted the country`s role in piloting development and peace initiatives that contribute to the global storehouse of knowledge on best practices. Indonesia has been a part of the UN Peacekeeping Forces since 1957, with the country`s troops serving in six different conflict areas, Broderick noted. Now, Indonesia has set a target of sending 3,500 personnel by 2014 so it can figure among the top ten contributing countries on UN missions, he added. Indonesia has been the first country to win the Global Champion of Disaster Risk Reduction award from the UN. The award was received by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in 2011. Presiden Yudhoyono co-chaired the UN High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons (HLPEP) on the Post-2015 Development Agenda along with the UK Prime Minister David Cameron and Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in May this year. "Now, more than ever, it is time to call attention to Indonesia`s deep-rooted commitment to the UN," he said. As a democratic, pluralistic country with an enterprising generation of young people, Indonesia will serve as a bedrock of support for the UN in years to come, Broderick added. "We welcome this engagement with the UN and Indonesia in partnership, and we applaud these efforts to make public both our deep history of collaboration and our achievements," he said. UN Day 2013 was marked with a half-day seminar on "Indonesia-UN Partnership towards the Future" and a photo exhibition showcasing Indonesia`s role in the UN and the UN agencies` work in the Indonesian archipelago since the earliest period to the present. The photo exhibition is being held at Pancasila Building in the premises of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is open to public from October 24 to October 30. The exhibition will be open from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m on October 24, October 28, and October 29. On the rest of the days, the exhibition timings will be 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.