Westport resident Aye Aye Thant, the daughter of the third Secretary-General of the United Nations, U Thant, speaks at Westport Town Hall on United Nations Day, Oct. 22, 2010. Photo: Tom Cleary / Westport News At a time when the United Nations has been challenged to expand its role around the globe, the annual celebration of its creation 65 years ago has become even more relevant, according to supporters of the international peace-keeping organization.

Westport residents gathered at Town Hall on Friday morning, along with town officials and students from Staples High School and nearby Trumbull High School, to recognize the mission that the UN carries out every day.

"We are living in a global village and we have come to realize it is an interdependent world," said Westport reisdent Aye Aye Thant, the daughter of U Thant, the third secretary-general of the UN. "Youth involvement in understanding the work of the United Nations is very important. After all, it is their world and their future."

Thant said it is important for education systems to start the process of solving the world's problems. She said "youth exchange programs" should be encouraged because they can "greatly expand cultural understanding."

Read more: Westport salutes founding of United Nations