The year 2009 was the centennial birth anniversary of U Thant who was born on January 22, 1909  in a town of Pantanaw,Myanmar. 
A Day of Commemoration was organized by the U Thant Institute, celebrating the legacy of U Thant with His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon and Mrs. Ban Soon-taek as honored guests at the United Nations Delegates Dining Room on June 3, 2009.
Photo Exhibition, “Toward One World” celebrating the life and work of U Thant was  opened by United Nations Under-Secretary-General Kiyo Akasaka at the  reception at  University of Connecticut, Stamford Campus.The exhibition reflects in pictures, “the assessment of his decade of experience in the cockpit of world tensions” as he wrote in his memoir. Mr. Akasaka stated that U Thant was a visionary who had realized that the UN “needed to meet the needs and hopes of peoples everywhere”.

A Day of Commemoration: Celebrating the Legacy of U Thant Honoring His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon and Mrs. Ban Soon-taek

The Centennial Birth Anniversary of U Thant was celebrated  at a luncheon on June 3, 2009 at the United Nations Delegates’ Dining Room.  Honored guests include United Nations Ambassadors, dignitaries representing the United Nations, as well as friends and supporters of the U Thant Institute who have proven instrumental in helping us realize our goal: “Toward One World.”

This event was part of a year-long celebration of U Thant’s lasting accomplishments—from defusing the Cuban missile crisis and bringing the civil war in the Congo to an end to establishing the World Food Programme, the United Nations Environment Programme, and the United Nations Development Programme. The year began with a gala at the Inya Lake Hotel in Myanmar's historical city of Yangon. That event was followed by the issuance of three commemorative stamps by United Nations Postal Administration. Tribute events will continue to occur at the UN and overseas, such as in India in November.

The U Thant Institute was established in 2003 to reflect U Thant’s vision of a global society guided by a spirit of “One World”—a world that is safe for diversity and one that fosters peaceful coexistence. The Institute’s mission is to advance peace through education with two main signature programs:

• Friendship Across Cultures connects students from different cultures, countries, and continents to deliver a global perspective and to foster international understanding. The program began by linking middle schools in Algeria and the Republic of Korea with the UN International School in New York.

• Emergency Myanmar Cyclone Relief Fund provides immediate assistance to Cyclone Nargis survivors by building houses and
purchasing farm animals, fertilizers, power tillers, and school supplies.

The Luncheon was organized in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Partnership and the United Nations Department of Public Information.


The U Thant Institute
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Website: www.uthantinstitute.org