The UN says the annual observance marking the official creation of the organisation is overshadowed by the rising toll of suffering and sacrifice in Gaza, where 35 staff members with the Palestine refugee agency (UNRWA) have now lost their lives.

UN Day on October 24 marks the anniversary of the entry into force in 1945 of the UN Charter – the day the organisation officially came into being.

The dead in Gaza include many teachers, the agency noted in a tweet on Monday.

“We grieve and we remember. These are not just numbers,” the UN. “These are our friends and colleagues…UNRWA mourns this huge loss.”

The 13,000-strong agency, which operates across the Palestine Occupied Territory, has been working tirelessly with other UN humanitarians inside Gaza and across the region to aid stricken civilians, often at great personal risk.

Through the UN Charter, countries are united in their resolve to “save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.”

UN secretary general Antonio Guterres recalled that the charter “is rooted in a determination” to build peace.

“On this United Nations Day, let us commit with hope and determination to build the better world of our aspirations,” he said.

The UN chief called on all nations to commit to a future that lives up to the name of the indispensable organisation.

“We are a divided world. We can and must be united nations,” Mr Guterres stated.

 (NAN)