By resolution 59/26 of 22 November 2004, the UN General Assembly declared 8–9 May
as a time of remembrance and reconciliation and, while recognizing that Member States
may have individual days of victory, liberation and commemoration, invited all Member
States, organizations of the United Nations System, non-governmental organizations and
individuals to observe annually either one or both of these days in an appropriate manner
to pay tribute to all victims of the Second World War.
The Assembly stressed that this historic event established the conditions for the creation
of the United Nations, designed to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war,
and called upon the Member States of the United Nations to unite their efforts in dealing
with new challenges and threats, with the United Nations playing a central role, and to
make every effort to settle all disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the Charter
of the United Nations and in such a manner that international peace and security are not
endangered.