The United Nations system in China held a commemorative event at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on Monday to celebrate the 66th anniversary of the global organization.

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, UN Under-Secretary-General, Director-General of UN Office at Geneva and Personal Representative of the UNSG to the Conference on Disarmament delivers a speech at the ceremony. [Van der Maav / China.org.cn]

Since its establishment, the UN has made remarkable strides in the promotion of global peace and security, human rights, and development.

In an interconnected world that has recently seen financial, political and environmental crises occur almost simultaneously, the global body has also provided an opportunity for reflection on the need for a globally coordinated response.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said during a video message that the sight of people across the globe simultaneously standing up for their freedom and rights was a sign of tremendous progress. However, he cautioned that such progress is also undermined by the social and economic fallout from the economic crisis, as well as issues such as climate change.

"In these turbulent times, there is only one answer: Unity of purpose," said Ban Ki-Moon. "Global problems demand global solutions."

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, UN Under-Secretary-General, Director-General of UN Office at Geneva and Personal Representative of the UNSG to the Conference on Disarmament, delivered a speech on the need to mark the 2011 UN Day with a renewed commitment to fulfill the trust the world places in the organization.

"UN Day is an opportunity to step back and reflect on what the United Nations has achieved," said Mr. Tokayev. "But, most importantly, it is an opportunity to look ahead at how the United Nations can do even better to honor the trust that the world places in us."