
RIPresident'sMessage–Nov2019
RotaryDayattheUnitedNations,whichwecelebrateeachNovember,
isan importantreminderof the historicrelationshipbetweenour
organizations. But this year’s event is even more important than
usual, because we are building up to the 75th anniversary of the
signingoftheUNCharterinJune2020.
You might ask, why celebrate this anniversary? For Rotary, it is
entirely appropriate, because we played such a criticalleadership
roleintheSanFranciscoConferencethatformedtheUnitedNations
in1945.ThroughoutWorldWarII,Rotarypublishedmaterialsabout
theimportanceofformingsuchanorganizationtopreserveworld
peace.
NotonlydidRotaryhelpinluencetheformationoftheUN,butthis
magazinealsoplayedaleadingpartincommunicatingitsideals.Rotaryeducatedmembersaboutplans
tocreatetheUNthroughnumerousarticlesinTheRotarianandthroughabooklettitledFromHere
On!WhenthetimecametowritetheUNcharter,Rotarywasoneof42organizationstheUnitedStates
invitedtoserveasconsultantstoitsdelegationattheSanFranciscoConference.
Eachorganizationhad seats forthreerepresentatives,so RotaryInternational’s 11representatives
servedinrotation.ThepeopleoficiallyrepresentingRotaryincludedthegeneralsecretary,thecurrent
andseveralpastpresidents,andtheeditorofTheRotarian.Inaddition,RotariansfromAfrica,Asia,
Australia,Europe,andNorthandSouthAmericaservedasmembersoforconsultantstotheirown
nations’delegations.
WehaveadeepandlastingrelationshipwiththeUNthatdeservestobecelebratedandappreciated.To
recognizethisrelationship,RotarywillhostivespecialeventsbetweennowandJune:RotaryDayatthe
UNinNewYorkonthe9thofthismonth;threepresidentialconferencesnextyearinSantiago,Chile,in
Paris,andinRome;andainalcelebrationjustbeforetheRotaryInternationalConventioninHonolulu.
ThefocusontheUNintheyearaheadisnotonlyaboutthepast;italsolightsapathtoourfuture.There
aresomanyparallelsbetweentheworkwedothroughourareasoffocusandtheworkoftheUN
Sustainable Development Goals. While those goals are indeed incredibly ambitious, they provide
inspirationanddirection—andaresimilartomanyRotarygoals,whichhaveproventocreatelasting,
positivechangeinourworld.Thegoalscanbeachieved,butonlyifundertakenwiththesamelong-term
commitmentandtenacitythatRotaryunderstandssowell.Alone,wecannotprovidecleanwaterforall,
wecannoteliminate hunger, wecannot eradicatepolio. Buttogether withpartners liketheUnited
Nations,ofcoursewecan.
PleaseconsiderattendingoneofouriveUNcelebrations.Ilookforwardtosharingnewsofthesespecial
eventswithyouthroughouttheyear.
MarkDanielMaloney
President2019-20