8th of May: Time of Remembrance and Reconciliation for Those Who Lost Their Lives during the Second World War

On this day, 76 years ago (on the 8th May of 1945 to be exact) the Western Allies celebrated the end of World War II in Europe with the surrender of the German forces [1]. With World War 2 being the most devastating war in recorded human history, with an estimated number of 85 million victims [2], we need to remember these victims.

The United Nations declared the day of the victory of the Western Allies the day for remembering the victims of the Second World War [3] and on 2 March 2010, the United Nations called upon all the members of the UN to find a way to honor the memory of all the lives lost [4]. That is why the United Nations decided to make the 8th and 9th of May the Time of Remembrance and Reconciliation for Those Who Lost Their Lives during the Second World Warintending to pay tribute to all the victims of World War 2 [5]. 

References 

[1]      “When and How Did World War II End?” [Online]. Available: https://www.thoughtco.com/when-did-world-war-2-end-3878473. [Accessed: 07-May-2021].

[2]      J. R. Nash, Darkest Hours. M. Evans, 1976.

[3]      “A/RES/59/26 - E - A/RES/59/26 -Desktop.” [Online]. Available: https://undocs.org/A/RES/59/26. [Accessed: 07-May-2021].

[4]      “A/RES/64/257 - E - A/RES/64/257 -Desktop.” [Online]. Available: https://undocs.org/A/RES/64/257. [Accessed: 07-May-2021].

[5]      “Time of Remembrance and Reconciliation for Those Who Lost Their Lives during the Second World War | United Nations.” [Online]. Available: https://www.un.org/en/observances/second-world-war-remembrance-days. [Accessed: 07-May-2021].