22 May 2012

On Tuesday, 22 May 2012, Croatia marks 20 years of membership of the United Nations. To celebrate this anniversary, the United Nations in Croatia are organizing, in close cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia, a public concert on 22 May 2012 at Zrinjevac Square in Zagreb, starting at 17:00h.

President Ivo Josipović and UN Resident Coordinator in Croatia, Louisa Vinton, will open the event. The festivities that follow will feature a variety of musical performances, including Belcante - Martina Tomčić and Sandra Bagarić, Klapa Sveti Juraj and the Croatian Armed Forces Orchestra, Lazy Bones - Zoran Misić and Livio Berak, Nina Korban and the Apokalipso band. The programme host is Pedja Bajović, Komedija s nogu (Stand-up comedy). 

May 22nd is considered to be one of the most important dates in Croatian history. On that day in 1992, Croatia became a full member of the United Nations, an international organization of equal and independent states. Since then the country has taken a very active role, including through its Presidency of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in 2002, its membership of the UN Peacebuilding Commission in 2006, and its membership of the UN Security Council in 2008-09. In addition, Croatia has sent its soldiers and police officers to serve in 15 different UN peacekeeping missions.

The highest-ranking Croatian in the UN, Ivan Šimonović, serves as Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights in New York.

Croatian president Ivo Josipović joined the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's Network of Men Leaders to end violence against women, which currently numbers 17 men in prominent global leadership positions.

UN Secretary-General has hailed Croatia's commitment and engagement. "Croatia's active contribution to the United Nations has surpassed its size," said Ban Ki-moon, in a 2010 interview. "Croatia's successful transformation from a country that receives international assistance to a country which offers assistance is an unbelievable achievement."