WASHINGTON, Oct. 23, 2019 – The American Bar Association joins with advocates of peace, justice, and the rule of law around the world Thursday to celebrate United Nations Day 2019, marking the anniversary of the day the UN Charter was officially ratified in 1945.
The ABA’s steadfast support of the UN dates to 1943, when ABA members participated in a series of conferences for lawyers and legal scholars that resulted in the development of provisions that would be adopted into the UN Charter. Today, the ABA continues to work closely with the UN to advance the rule of law throughout the world.
The theme for UN Day 2019 is “Our Planet, Our Future,” which addresses a defining issue of our time: climate change. At the ABA Annual Meeting in August in San Francisco, the House of Delegates updated long-standing policy on climate change, now calling on governments to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and to hold the global average temperature to the lowest possible increase above pre-industrial levels.
Climate change presents significant environmental, security, economic and social risks to this and future generations. The sustainable development we strive for can only be achieved through good governance and the rule of law.
The ABA is the largest voluntary association of lawyers in the world. As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law. View our privacy statement on line. Follow the latest ABA news at www.americanbar.org/news and on Twitter @ABANews.