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<img height='225' src='http://vaticanstamps.org/VPS/images/296/988.jpg'>
<img height='225' src='http://vaticanstamps.org/VPS/images/296/989.jpg'> 
<img height='225' src='http://vaticanstamps.org/VPS/images/296/990.jpg'>
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<img height='225' src='http://vaticanstamps.org/VPS/images/296/992.jpg'> 
50th Anniversary of the Foundation of the United Nations 
Scott 988-992 (1995) </center>
 
On October 3, 1995, Vatican City issued a set of five stamps to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the United Nations (UN).
 
The UN can be defined as an intergovernmental organization whose roles include the maintainance international peace and security, the development of friendly relations among nations, and the fostering of international cooperation. It is the world's largest international organization and is headquartered on international territory in New York City, with additional offices in Geneva, Nairobi, Vienna, and The Hague (home to the International Court of Justice).
 
Formed after World War II with a stated goal of "preventing future wars", the UN succeeded the League of Nations, which was formed after World War I and can be generally viewed as having failed to attain its stated objectives. As World War II was drawing to a close, on April 25, 1945, a conference of fifty governments met in San Francisco to begin the process of drafting a charter for the newly-proposed United Nations. The Charter was adopted on June 25, 1945 and took effect on October 24, 1945. In addition to its stated objective of maintaining world peace and security, additional goals include protecting human rights, delivering humanitarian aid, promoting sustainable development, and upholding international law. The UN currently has 193 members, representing almost all of the world's sovereign states. The Holy See (and Vatican City) is not a member of the United Nations, but maintains "non-member observer state" status in the UN General Assembly. Since Pope Paul VI's 1965 visit to the UN, every pope has addressed the UN General Assembly, with two exceptions. Pope John Paul I died just 33 days into his pontificate and did not travel during that time, and Pope Leo XIV has yet to engage in international travel since his election in May. 
 
It can be said that the goals and objectives of the United Nations align with many of those of the Vatican. That explains why the Vatican City State has issued a number of stamps and other philatelic items honoring the United Nations and supporting its activities. In addition to the 50th anniversary issue, the Vatican issued stamps for the 25th anniversary and the 70th anniversary of the United Nations (shown below). One example of a stamp issue aligned with UN activities would be the current 10-year United Nations Decade of Ecosystem Restoration campaign. Vatican City has issued stamps annually since 2022 highlighting this initiative.
 
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<img height='225' src='http://vaticanstamps.org/VPS/images/296/492.jpg'>
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<img height='225' src='http://vaticanstamps.org/VPS/images/296/494.jpg'> 
25th Anniversary of the Foundation of the United Nations 
Scott 492-494 (1970)</center>
 
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<img height='275' src='http://vaticanstamps.org/VPS/images/296/1593.jpg'> 
70th Anniversary of the End of World War II 
and the Formation of the United Nations Scott 1593 (2015)</center>
 
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<img height='275' src='http://vaticanstamps.org/VPS/images/296/1804.jpg'> 
United Nations Decade of Ecosystem Restoration 
Scott 1804 (2022)</center>
 
REFERENCES: 
<li>Wikipedia.com, <a href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations'>United Nations</a> 
<li>UFN, October 3, 1995, <a href='https://vaticanstamps.org/UFN/images/1995-2-08-1.jpg'>50th Anniversary of the Foundation of the United Nations Organization</a> 
<li>Vatican Philatelic Society website (www.vaticanstamps.org), Stamp Database Search

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