Eight decades after the United Nations Charter was first signed by 50 allied nations in San Francisco at the close of World War II, the foundational treaty continues to shape global cooperation, and small island nations remain vocal in their steadfast support for its guiding principles. Last Thursday, Antigua and Barbuda stood alongside other member states of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) at United Nations Headquarters in New York for a symbolic ceremony marking this milestone anniversary, reaffirming its unwavering dedication to the values enshrined in the document that forms the bedrock of the modern rules-based international order.
The event was organized to highlight the enduring importance of the UN Charter in advancing inclusive multilateralism and coordinated collective action — two frameworks widely recognized as essential to tackling interconnected 21st century global challenges, from climate change to public health crises and cross-border security threats. At the ceremony, Antigua and Barbuda was represented by its Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Walton Webson, who joined fellow permanent representatives from across the globe in adding his signature to a symbolic replica of the original 1945 charter.
Historical context underpins the nation’s long-standing alignment with the UN mission: 51 original founding nations finalized and signed the charter in 1945, created in the wake of the devastation of the Second World War as a promise to prevent large-scale future conflict and prioritize collaborative diplomacy over unilateral aggression. Antigua and Barbuda, which gained full sovereignty in 1981, moved swiftly to join the UN and become an official signatory to the charter shortly after independence, embedding the document’s principles into its foreign policy from the earliest days of nationhood.
“As a committed member of the United Nations, Antigua and Barbuda recognizes that the principles enshrined in the Charter remain as relevant today as they were when the Organization was founded in 1945,” Webson stated following the symbolic signing. Beyond the CARICOM collective ceremony, the 2025 milestone marks the 80th anniversary of both the UN Charter and the founding of the United Nations itself, sparking a series of commemorative and advocacy initiatives across UN offices. The Antigua and Barbuda Permanent Mission in New York has maintained active, full participation in all these related activities, underscoring the nation’s consistent support for multilateral solutions to shared global problems. The symbolic re-signing served not just as a commemoration of history, but as a public demonstration of the Caribbean nation’s ongoing, wholehearted backing for the United Nations and its core mission of maintaining global peace and collective progress.