Portugal · 75 years of Vereinte Nationen

Issue date7 Oct 2020

Total mintage509,994

EU maximum510,000

Editions3

Edge lettering5 Wappenschilde + 7 castles, evenly distributed

Inscription2020 / PORTUGAL / UN 75 YEARS / ONU / ANOS / CASA DA MOEDA / ANDRÉ LETRIA

DesignerAndré Letria

mintImprensa Nacional Casa da Moeda S.A., Lisboa

Issue occasion

The commemorative coin honours the 75th anniversary of the United Nations (Vereinte Nationen). The design shows the UN logo and the inscription “UN 75 YEARS” with the Portuguese equivalents “ONU” and “ANOS”. Above these are the issue year “2020” and “PORTUGAL”; at the sides are the names “CASA DA MOEDA” and “ANDRÉ LETRIA”.

The design

The design depicts the UN logo. At the top are the year of issue “2020”, the name of the issuing country “PORTUGAL” and the inscription “UN 75 YEARS”. Beneath the words “UN” and “YEARS”, the Portuguese translations “ONU” and “ANOS” are shown. On the left is the name of the mint “CASA DA MOEDA” and on the right the name of the engraver “ANDRÉ LETRIA”.

The twelve stars of the European flag are depicted on the coin’s outer ring.

Background on the topic

The United Nations emerged in response to the Second World War and the failure of the League of Nations to ensure lasting collective security. The UN Charter was signed on 26 June 1945 in San Francisco and entered into force on 24 October 1945. Its established objectives include maintaining world peace, the peaceful settlement of international conflicts, promoting human rights, and cooperation on economic, social and humanitarian tasks.

The principal organs include the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the International Court of Justice, the Secretariat and the Trusteeship Council, which no longer actively meets today. China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States hold permanent seats and possess veto rights on the Security Council. This system, created after the Second World War, continues to shape the organisation’s political possibilities and limitations. In addition to peacekeeping missions, the United Nations is involved in refugee protection, health, food, development and international law, among other areas.

Portugal was not one of the founding members. The country was admitted on 14 December 1955 together with several other states. During the authoritarian Estado-Novo dictatorship, relations with the United Nations were strained, above all because of Portuguese colonial policy. Following the Carnation Revolution (Nelkenrevolution) of 1974, democratisation and decolonisation, multilateral cooperation became a permanent component of Portuguese foreign policy. It acquired a particular personal connection through the former Portuguese Prime Minister António Guterres, who assumed the office of UN Secretary-General in 2017.

The organisation’s emblem combines a world map with olive branches. The world map represents the worldwide scope of membership, while the branches are a traditional symbol of peace. The round anniversary gave Portugal an occasion to commemorate the emergence of the post-war international order and its own integration into this organisation. The issue also fell during the term of a Portuguese UN Secretary-General.