Timeframe: The historic moment when the UAE flag rose over New York City in 1971

Ceremony marked the country's admission as the UN's 132nd member state

UN Secretary General U Thant delivers a speech to mark the UAE's admission as the 132nd member state of the United Nations on December 9, 1971. Photo: UN Photo

One week after the UAE’s formation on December 2, 1971, the new nation stepped on to the global stage. At noon on December 9, its green, white, black and red flag rose for the first time at the UN headquarters in New York, marking the UAE's admission as the organisation’s 132nd member state.

UAE Minister of State Adnan Pachachi, who was also chairman of the delegation, was present at the occasion, as well as U Thant, the third Secretary General of the UN, and several officials.

“It was a nice crisp, cold morning,” Pachachi told The National in 2015. “It was one of those great moments of history as you raise the flag of a new state and acknowledge its independence and its arrival on to the international arena.

“Secretary General U Thant, a friend of mine, at the time came out at the flag-raising to say a few words of welcome,” he added.

The flag of the UAE being raised for the first time at the UN headquarters in New York. Photo: UN Photo

The Iraqi statesman, who died in 2019 aged 96, was appointed Minister of State in the first government of the emirate of Abu Dhabi and took up office on July 1, 1971.

During a distinguished career Pachachi met leaders including US president John F Kennedy, Malcolm X and Egypt’s Gamal Abdel Nasser.

Within hours of the UAE’s formation, Pachachi flew to New York and submitted the application for UN membership. After a long career as Iraq’s foreign minister and ambassador at the UN, Pachachi had many colleagues and contacts at the UN.

“I saw that I had to convince two important permanent members of the Security Council, China and the Soviet Union, not to veto our application,” he recalled to The National.

“At the time, there were close relations with the Communist Party in the south of Yemen, who opposed the creation of the UAE. So I had long talks with them, and assured them that the UAE would not enter into any anti-communist alliances, would not be bound by any treaty obligations and would join the ranks of the non-aligned countries.”

UAE Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, with Adnan Pachachi in 1970. Photo: Adnan Pachachi

The application was approved by the Security Council and the General Assembly, and on December 9, the UAE flag was raised in New York.

Pachachi worked with UAE Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, to lay down the foundations for the new state.

“Truly an outstanding personality,” he said of Sheikh Zayed. “He knew what he wanted, and he went after it, slowly building a powerful nation with strong roots.

“My first task before independence was to draw up a basic law for an Abu Dhabi government organised along modern lines.

“Sheikh Zayed wanted a modern state, taking some of the best values from the West, while keeping the values of the East and preserving UAE’s identity.”

The UAE's UN ambassador Mohamed Abushahab with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. Photo: UN Photo

For the past 54 years, the UAE and the UN have worked together through numerous programmes and initiatives under the umbrella of global humanitarian aid, peace and security, climate and biodiversity. During its term as a non-permanent member of the Security Council from 2022 to 2023, the UAE also played an active role in work on climate change, women's security, international law and peacekeeping.

Mohamed Abushahab is the UAE's UN ambassador. Appointed last year, the Emirati diplomat had previously served as the Emirates' deputy ambassador to the UN.