"U THANT"

Former Myanmar refugee Thant Zin Maung returned home last year from Thailand. After years in a rural camp, he and his family are now adjusting to their new life in big city Yangon. More refugees in Thailand are considering returning to Myanmar. UNHCR

Seventy-one refugees from Myanmar are returning home after decades in camps in Thailand through a pilot initiative led by the two governments. The initial group includes mainly ethnic Karen and Burmese refugees returning to locations that include Yangon, Tanintharyi region, Kayin, Mon and Rakhine states. UNHCR

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today at UN headquarters to inform him of his intention to submit an application for membership in the United Nations this Friday. UNTV / ARCHIVE

The UN General Assembly has officially endorsed the appointment of Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon of the Republic of Korea as the world body's next Secretary- General to succeed Kofi Annan when he steps down on 31 December. UNTV

Tanzania's U.N. ambassador, taking on the presidency of the Security Council for January, said Wednesday that the world body should pick its next secretary-general on the traditional regionally rotating basis -- meaning that the next UN chief would have to come from an Asian country. UNTV

From its headquarters in Tokyo, the United Nations University is establishing a unique world-wide network of research and intellectual communication.

Poet W.H. Auden reads his poem "Hymn to the United Nations" which was performed days earlier on the occasion of the 26th anniversary of the United Nations, on October 24, 1971, by Spanish cellist and composer Pablo Casals. Commissioned by UN Secretary-General U Thant.

1971 UN Day Concert at the General Assembly Hall in New York: The Orchestra of the Festival Casals, conducted by Pablo Casals and Alexander Schneider. FOR LISTENING PURPOSES ONLY.

1970 UN Day Concert at the General Assembly Hall in New York: The Los Angeles Philharmonic, conducted by Zubin Mehta. FOR LISTENING PURPOSES ONLY.

1969 UN Day Concert at the General Assembly Hall in New York: The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Rudolf Kempe. FOR LISTENING PURPOSES ONLY.