Montréal’s United Nations organizations come together for inaugural 2026 UN Day celebration
As global challenges increasingly demand collective action, Montréal’s six United Nations organizations are coming together to demonstrate how international cooperation translates into tangible results for communities around the world.
On October 23, ahead of UN Day on October 24, Montréal will host receptions and round-table discussions to reaffirm the values and principles of the United Nations while highlighting Montréal’s role as a global city advancing multilateralism.
“At a time when multilateralism is being tested, Montréal’s first joint UN Day is an opportunity to reaffirm the enduring value of international cooperation. More than a celebration, this occasion will strengthen collaboration among the city’s diverse UN organizations, deepen partnerships, and highlight how working across institutions, sectors and borders can turn dialogue into practical solutions to shared challenges, benefiting people around the world,” said Juan Carlos Salazar, Secretary General of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
“Montréal has a remarkable history of connecting the world, and its United Nations organizations demonstrate the value of multilateralism in action. Our collective presence offers an opportunity to translate global commitments into tangible local impact. Cities like Montréal remind us that the true measure of multilateralism is not only what we agree upon internationally, but what we achieve together to improve people’s lives,” said Omar Siddique, Head of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) Canada Office.
Montréal’s status as a host city for UN organizations dates to 1946 with the establishment of the International Civil Aviation Organization. In the 1990s, the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity established its headquarters in Montréal, followed by the Secretariat of the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol in 1991, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Institute for Statistics (UNESCO Institute for Statistics) in 2001, and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, which has maintained a presence in Montréal since the early 1990s. Most recently, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) launched its Canada Office in Montréal in 2025.
“The presence of several United Nations organizations in Montréal is a reminder of the value of dialogue among international institutions, governments and civil society in addressing global challenges. Through this collaboration, local and subnational governments, such as Québec, can make a concrete contribution to advancing the Sustainable Development Goals and translating international commitments into tangible results on the ground. I am proud that the Government of Québec’s International Organizations Hosting Policy contributes to fostering this important dialogue here in Montréal”, said Jean Lemire, Québec Envoy for Climate change, Northern and Arctic Affairs.
“Montréal’s UN Day highlights our city’s unique role as Canada’s hub for the UN and international organizations. Through dialogue, collaboration and multilateral action, this community helps address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. Hats off to the organizers for bringing together the local ecosystem’s partners to advance collective solutions and chart the best path forward,” said Mélissa Denis, interim President & CEO, Montréal International.
Celebrating the anniversary of the UN Charter
“We the peoples of the United Nations” are the opening words of the United Nations Charter, reflecting a vision of international cooperation grounded in the lives, aspirations and dignity of people. Each year, United Nations Day commemorates the entry into force of the Charter in 1945 and the founding of the United Nations.
More than eight decades later, its principles remain central to international cooperation at a time of growing geopolitical tensions and increasingly interconnected global challenges. UN Day recognizes the work of the United Nations system around the world to advance peace and security, human rights, sustainable development and humanitarian action, while providing an opportunity to look ahead at how stronger cooperation, partnerships and multilateral action can respond to today’s global challenges.
Montréal’s UN Day will feature a diplomatic reception, hosted at the UN-Habitat Canada Office, which will provide a networking space for all levels of government, the Montréal diplomatic corps, international organizations and civil society partners to kickstart UN Day festivities. A Multi‑Agency Roundtable is also scheduled for the day, titled “The UN in Montréal, Canada: Delivering Global Agendas Locally.” The discussion comes at a critical moment for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. According to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals Report 2026, of the SDG targets for which sufficient trend data are available, only 15 per cent are currently on track, while nearly half are advancing only marginally or not at all. The roundtable will discuss how global commitments can be translated into tangible results at the local level.
