ISLAMABAD (GNP): United Nations Day 2026 was observed in Islamabad with a ceremony addressed by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, held on the 81st anniversary of the UN Charter’s entry into force.
Dar reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to multilateralism and the UN Charter. He stressed the value of dialogue, diplomacy and the peaceful settlement of disputes, and thanked the UN Country Team for its continued partnership with Pakistan.
He said the Jammu and Kashmir dispute remains an unfinished item on the UN’s agenda, and that the Kashmiri people’s legitimate right to self-determination must not be forgotten or placed below geopolitical considerations.
Guided by the vision of founding father Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, he said, Pakistan’s foreign policy rests on sovereign equality, non-interference, self-determination and peaceful dispute settlement.
Pakistan has consistently preferred diplomacy to confrontation, engagement to isolation and partnership to polarisation.
It supports a multilateralism that is inclusive, representative and reformed, and developing countries, he said, must have a stronger voice in decisions that affect them. He also warned that the spirit of multilateralism is under growing strain.
UN Resident Coordinator in Pakistan Pernille Ironside welcomed the guests and recalled Pakistan’s long partnership with the UN, which began when it joined in September 1947. Multilateral cooperation, international solidarity and the protection of human dignity, she said, matter more than ever amid growing conflict and division.
Diplomacy and dialogue are essential to preventing conflict and securing lasting peace, and international cooperation is a necessity rather than a luxury.
Referring to UN Secretary-General António Guterres’s recent visit, she said the award of the Nishan-e-Imtiaz reflects the strength of the Pakistan-UN partnership. She also pointed to Pakistan’s role in facilitating dialogue between the United States and Iran as proof of what diplomacy can achieve.
Ironside praised Pakistan’s contribution to peacekeeping, saying more than 235,000 Pakistani men and women have served under the UN flag since 1960 and over 180 have died in the cause of peace.
She cautioned that weakening international cooperation could deepen conflicts, climate disasters and humanitarian crises, with the heaviest impact on women, girls, displaced families, people in poverty and persons with disabilities.
With a population of about 255 million, she said, Pakistan’s greatest asset is its people, especially its young generation. Securing a sustainable future requires more investment in education, health care, decent jobs and equal opportunities for women and girls.
She closed by calling for a more efficient, accountable and effective UN, saying institutional reform and stronger commitment from member states are needed to deliver results.
Also read: British HC Meets Economic Affairs Minister to Discuss Reforms
Pakistan and the UN, the event highlighted, continue to strengthen their partnership, from peacekeeping abroad to vaccination at home. UN-supported polio campaigns in 2025 each reached around 45 million children, and cooperation spans peacekeeping, diplomacy, health, education and disaster preparedness.
Sohail Majeed is a Special Correspondent at The Diplomatic Insight. He has twelve plus years of experience in journalism & reporting. He covers International Affairs, Diplomacy, UN, Sports, Climate Change, Economy, Technology, and Health.
