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You Should Check Out These Pictures From The First U.N. General Assembly
Seventy years later, the world looks very different than the first gathering of the international body.
posted on Sept. 28, 2015, at 11:15 a.m.
Hayes Brown
BuzzFeed World News Editor
On January 10, 1946, the first session of the United Nations General Assembly was gaveled into session. The body was less than a year old — World War II had only just ended months earlier.
UN Photo
Though most of the power of the new U.N. was delegated to the smaller Security Council, the General Assembly was designed to be a place where all the countries of the world could gather to debate ideas and help try to prevent a third World War.
UN Photo
They didn’t come together in New York, at the giant glass building on the East River. Instead, before a permanent site was chosen for the UN’s headquarters, they met in London’s Central Hall.
UN Photo
UN Photo
In some ways, the gathering looked more like a model United Nations than the real thing, with none of the grandeur that would be incorporated into the permanent headquarters.
UN Photo
Some of the countries present — like Yugoslavia — would cease to exist over the years, broken up into numerous independent states.
Un Photo
Others would find their seat newly occupied, like the Chinese delegation seen here.
UN Photo
(The Republic of China held China’s seat until 1971, even after the Communist takeover leading to the RoC’s retreat to Taiwan and the mainland being renamed the People’s Republic of China.)
The swell of decolonization in the 1960s significantly changed the make-up of the organization, allowing it to grow from the fifty-one countries who met in London to the 193 member organization it is today.
UN Photo
Some things remain depressingly the same, though. Two weeks after the opening of the session, the United Nations produced its first resolution: a pledge to rid the world of nuclear weapons.
UN Photo
By fall, the U.N. still hadn’t chosen a permanent home, but had moved the party to Flushing Meadows, New York.
Un Photo
Former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt, a longtime supporter of the UN, would later help lead the drafting of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights.
And the U.S. was super stoked to have the United Nations arrive.
UN Photo
UN Photo
Seven decades later, the U.N. is still wrestling with many of the issues that it was discussing when it first met, including questions of self-determination and how to keep small countries from being dominated by the large ones.
UN Photo
And there have been a depressing number scandals and disappointments. But hey, at least that world war hasn’t happened yet. So that’s something.
UN Photo
You Should Check Out These Pictures From The First U.N. General Assembly
Seventy years later, the world looks very different than the first gathering of the international body.
posted on Sept. 28, 2015, at 11:15 a.m.
Hayes Brown
BuzzFeed World News Editor
On January 10, 1946, the first session of the United Nations General Assembly was gaveled into session. The body was less than a year old — World War II had only just ended months earlier.
UN Photo
Though most of the power of the new U.N. was delegated to the smaller Security Council, the General Assembly was designed to be a place where all the countries of the world could gather to debate ideas and help try to prevent a third World War.
UN Photo
They didn’t come together in New York, at the giant glass building on the East River. Instead, before a permanent site was chosen for the UN’s headquarters, they met in London’s Central Hall.
UN Photo
UN Photo
In some ways, the gathering looked more like a model United Nations than the real thing, with none of the grandeur that would be incorporated into the permanent headquarters.
UN Photo
Some of the countries present — like Yugoslavia — would cease to exist over the years, broken up into numerous independent states.
Un Photo
Others would find their seat newly occupied, like the Chinese delegation seen here.
UN Photo
(The Republic of China held China’s seat until 1971, even after the Communist takeover leading to the RoC’s retreat to Taiwan and the mainland being renamed the People’s Republic of China.)
The swell of decolonization in the 1960s significantly changed the make-up of the organization, allowing it to grow from the fifty-one countries who met in London to the 193 member organization it is today.
UN Photo
Some things remain depressingly the same, though. Two weeks after the opening of the session, the United Nations produced its first resolution: a pledge to rid the world of nuclear weapons.
UN Photo
By fall, the U.N. still hadn’t chosen a permanent home, but had moved the party to Flushing Meadows, New York.
Un Photo
Former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt, a longtime supporter of the UN, would later help lead the drafting of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights.
And the U.S. was super stoked to have the United Nations arrive.
UN Photo
UN Photo
Seven decades later, the U.N. is still wrestling with many of the issues that it was discussing when it first met, including questions of self-determination and how to keep small countries from being dominated by the large ones.
UN Photo
And there have been a depressing number scandals and disappointments. But hey, at least that world war hasn’t happened yet. So that’s something.
UN Photo
You Should Check Out These Pictures From The First U.N. General Assembly
