Switzerland's accession to the UN

Special postage stamp

It took 57 years before Switzerland joined the United Nations. To celebrate this fact a special postage stamp was issued in September.

United Nations

The preamble to the charter of the United Nations dating from 1945 sums up the UN's main task of preserving peace with the stirring words "We the peoples of the United Nations determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war".

Membership of the UN

The Acceptance of full membership of the UN in a national referendum held on 3 March 2002 enabled Switzerland to intensify its efforts to further the organisation's interests and to consistently pursue the objectives of fostering peace, preserving human rights, promoting economic progress that is in harmony with the environment and combatting poverty.
Issue: Switzerland, 10 September 2002