UN, 09 May 2013: More than 60 million people died in World War 2. About 40 million
were civilians, many of them children.
The United Nations has set aside a
two-day global observance that occurred on May 8 and 9 each year. It is known as the
“Time of Remembrance and Reconciliation for Those Who Lost Their Lives during the
Second World War
These dates serve as a tribute to all those who died during
World War II, and although many single states mark individual days of victory, liberation
and commemoration, the end of the conflict is generally marked during the second week
of May.
When, in 2010 the General Assembly established this observance inviting
all to pay tribute to all victims of the Second World War, it also highlighted the
fact that it was exactly this historic event that established the conditions for the
creation of the United Nations, designed to save succeeding generations from the scourge
of war. And it took the occasion to call upon Member States to unite their efforts
in dealing with new challenges and threats, with the United Nations playing a central
role, and to make every effort to settle all disputes by peaceful means in conformity
with the Charter of the United Nations and in such a manner that international peace
and security are not endangered.