Proclamation 7143.
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113 STAT. 2023 Proclamation 7143 of October 23, 1998 United Nations Day, 1998 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Every year on October 24, we celebrate the United Nations, a unique institution conceived in the crucible of World War II. Although the U.N. is an international body, the term “United Nations” was coined by an American, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who vigorously advocated for the creation of an assembly, composed of representatives from nations around the globe, devoted to the promotion of world peace and prosperity.
The member countries of the United Nations are large and small, with diverse social, cultural, and political values, but each has a voice in shaping the world's destiny. Maintaining peace and security; promoting democracy, development, and human rights—this is the noble mission put forth in the U.N. Charter. The U.N. has been effective in fulfilling this formidable mission, winning Nobel Peace Prizes for its peace-keeping operations, its promotion of children’s and workers’ rights, and its assistance to refugees.
The U.N. has also enabled people in more than 45 countries to participate in free and fair elections by providing electoral advice and assistance and monitoring results. Its day-to-day operations—supplying safe drinking water, fighting disease, giving food and shelter to victims of emergencies and political tumult— have made a difference in the lives of millions of people around the world. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, one of the first major achievements of the U.N.
The Declaration has become the standard for international human rights law, beginning with the uncompromising statement: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” Over the years, the Declaration has been used countless times in countless ways to advance and defend human rights. As Secretary General Kofi Annan has stated, “Human rights are universal, indivisible, and interdependent and lie at the heart of all that the United Nations aspires to achieve in peace and development.
” Despite the U.N.’s extraordinary accomplishments, many challenges lie before us. Lasting peace can be realized only through wide social and economic development. Today, three-fourths of the world’s people live in developing countries, and 1.3 billion live in abject poverty. The ever-widening gap between the world’s richest and poorest countries remains one of our most pressing challenges. The U.N. and its agencies, including the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, provide vital assistance to developing countries through grants and loans of over $25 billion a year.
With the current disruption in the world financial markets, the U.N. also plays a pivotal role as a stabilizing force, attracting investment in emerging economies in the developing world by promoting political stability, transparency, and good governance. And the U.N. continues to serve the world as an effective forum for instant consultation and cooperation among governments when attacking such shared threats as terrorism, drug trafficking, environmental degradation, and infectious disease. 113 STAT. 2024 The United States can best honor and celebrate the good work and many accomplishments of the United Nations by ensuring its continued strength and effectiveness.
The U.N. has made great strides in streamlining its programs and cutting its costs. I applaud this progress, and I deeply regret the failure of this Congress to agree to pay our overdue U.N. dues. I pledge to work with the next Congress to meet our financial treaty obligations to the U.N. America played a vital role in the birth of the United Nations more than 50 years ago, and, if we are to remain true to our values and goals, we must work constructively with this great institution and maintain our vote in its deliberations.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 24, 1998, as United Nations Day. I encourage all Americans to acquaint themselves with the activities and accomplishments of the United Nations and to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies, programs, and activities furthering the goal of international cooperation. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-third day of October, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-eight, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-third.
WILLIAM J. CLINTON 7144 October 29, 1998 National American Indian Heritage Month, 1998 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Proclamation 7144 of October 29, 1998 National American Indian Heritage Month, 1998 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation American Indians and Alaska Natives—the first Americans—have made enormous contributions to the life of our country. When the first Europeans arrived on this continent, they did not find an empty land; they found instead a land of diverse peoples with a rich and complex system of governments, languages, religions, values, and traditions that have shaped and influenced American history and heritage.
Generations of American Indians have served and sacrificed to defend our freedom, and no segment of our population has sent a larger percentage of its young men and women to serve in our Armed Forces. But American Indians are not just an important part of our country’s past; they are also a vital part of today’s America and will play an even more important role in America’s future. There are more than 2 million American Indians living in our country today, from the hardwood forests of Maine to the Florida Everglades, across the Great Plains to the Pacific Coast, and throughout the State of Alaska.
Through a variety of innovative enterprises, many tribes are sharing in the unprecedented prosperity our country enjoys today, prosperity that is reflected in the construction of community centers, schools, museums, and other cultural centers. However, many people who live in Indian Country are caught in a cycle of poverty made worse by poor health care and a lack of educational and employment opportunity. If we are to honor the United States Government’s long-113 STAT. 2025standing obligations to Indian tribes, we must do all in our power to ensure that American Indians have access to the tools and opportunities they need to make the most of their lives.
As part of this endeavor, my Administration has strengthened the special government-to-government relationship between the Federal Government and the sovereign nations of Indian Country, expanded the role of American Indians and Alaska Natives in the Administration, and sought to increase educational opportunities and economic development throughout Indian Country. Earlier this year, I signed an Executive order directing the Federal Government to work together with tribal and State governments to improve Native American achievement in math and reading, raise high school graduation rates, increase the number of Native American youth attending college, improve science education, and expand the use of educational technology.
We are also striving to boost economic development in Indian Country by working with tribal governments to meet their technology infrastructure needs, to coordinate and strengthen existing Native American economic development initiatives, and to help Native Americans obtain loans more easily for building homes and starting new businesses. Today’s Native Americans are among the youngest segments of our population—a new, large generation of young people who, if empowered with the education, skills, opportunity, and encouragement they need to thrive, can lead Indian Country into a future as bright and promising as its extraordinary past.
As we observe National American Indian Heritage Month, let us resolve to work together to make that future a reality. NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim November 1998 as National American Indian Heritage Month. I urge all Americans, as well as their elected representatives at the Federal, State, local, and tribal levels, to observe this month with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-ninth day of October, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-eight, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-third. WILLIAM J. CLINTON 7145 October 29, 1998 National Adoption Month, 1998 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Proclamation 7145 of October 29, 1998 National Adoption Month, 1998 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Every child deserves a safe and loving family.
But each year, thousands of American children grow up without such families, lacking the stability and sense of permanency they need to thrive. More than 100,000 such children—orphaned, abandoned, abused, or unable to remain at home for other serious reasons—will need homes in the next few years. Although foster care provides a good supportive temporary environ-113 STAT. 2026ment for these children, adoption can provide them with the sustained love and care of permanent families and can give adults the chance to open their hearts and homes to a child they will cherish.
My Administration has worked hard both to improve the experience of children awaiting adoption and to increase their chances of adoption. Last November, I signed into law the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, which made sweeping changes in our Nation’s child welfare system. This legislation underscores the importance of safety and permanency for children awaiting adoption and focuses on the urgency of finding adoptive families. In addition to achieving passage of this landmark legislation, we have made adoption easier by barring discrimination by race or ethnicity, by providing a tax credit for newly adoptive parents, and by ensuring that adoptive parents are covered by the Family and Medical Leave Act.
We must strengthen such efforts if we are to meet our national goal of doubling the number of adoptions by the year 2002. In addition, while adoption in America has increased in recent years, more than 25,000 young Americans each year reach the age of 18 and leave the child welfare system without permanent homes or families. This statistic tells us that we still have much to do. We must not only secure the placement of young children in families, but also move aggressively to place in permanent families our older children, as well.
I have directed the Federal Government to work with State and local governments to continue identifying and removing the barriers that prevent young people from moving from our child welfare system into adoptive families. Working together—policymakers, government officials, family welfare agencies, religious and community organizations, and families—we can make a difference in the lives of thousands of children. My Administration will continue to support efforts to recruit and strengthen adoptive families and to shorten the time it takes to move children from foster care to permanent homes; to reduce the backlogs in our Nation’s juvenile and family court systems; and to promote strong, supportive adoption programs that meet the needs of every child.
During National Adoption Month, let us recommit ourselves to the goal of finding a safe, permanent, and loving home for every child in need. Let us also honor the many caring families across our Nation who have opened their arms and their hearts to a child through adoption. By making such a profound and loving commitment to our Nation’s most vulnerable children, they are also making a lasting investment in America's future. NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim November 1998 as National Adoption Month.
I urge all Americans to observe this month with appropriate programs and activities to honor adoptive families and to participate in efforts to find permanent, loving homes for waiting children. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-ninth day of October, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-eight, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-third. WILLIAM J. CLINTON 7146 November 9, 1998 Veterans Day, 1998 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation