Reading the “State of the Planet” ThroughUnited Nations Stamp Issues

Stanley D. Brunn

ContentsIntroduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Stamps and Visualization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3UN Stamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Major Themes of UN Stamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Related Themes: Countries on UN Map Stamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

AbstractThe question raised here is “how to obtain a reading on the state of the planet’swell-being?” The answer might come from examining the news content of majorinternational newspapers, speeches given at the United Nations, and awards foroutstanding film, art, science, and works of literature and music. I submit one canuse stamps to illustrate what topics and subjects are of most interest to the stamp-issuing organization. While most stamps are issued by individual states and theyrepresent what the state wishes those inside and outside its borders to know aboutits history, culture, worldview, and international standing, the United Nations isthe major multistate organization concerned with a wide variety of social, eco-nomic, and environmental issues. I examine the UN stamps issued since 1951 fortheir subject matter. The nearly 1100 stamps can be classified into three major andtwo minor subject categories. The major categories include issues about thehuman condition (refugees, children, diseases, food, and development), theenvironment (endangered species, water, forests, and climate change), and orga-nizations (the many intergovernmental organizations, some with histories

S. D. Brunn (*)University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USAe-mail: Stan.Brunn@uky.edu

# Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature 2018S. D. Brunn et al. (eds.), Handbook of the Changing World Language Map,https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-73400-2_14-1

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preceding the UN founding). The minor categories include those related to thepast and future (heritage issues and planetary futures) and indigenous peoples andarts. Many of these stamps and others contain the familiar UN symbols: flag,emblem, and UN offices. I also examine the uses of maps (not many), colors, andsubjects not represented (human trafficking, consumer protection, voter rightsand stateless peoples). Together these stamp topics and designs provide a usefulvisual reading on the planet’s development, history, and challenges.

KeywordsStamps · Human condition · Environment · Organizations · United Nations ·Visual communication

Collecting United Nations philately is like collecting a mini-world within the world. (Stage2017, p. 848)

Introduction

A critical question that often perplexes those interested in gaining a perspective onthe state of events on Planet Earth is the following: What is a good barometer orindex one might use? With the plethora of potential information sources that mightprovide an answer to this question, which is the best index and what are the bestsources? One might initially consider the reports or editorials by a major interna-tional newspaper or magazine, headline items in major international or nationalnewspaper, television or radio networks, and speeches before international bodies,such as the United Nations General Assembly and European Community. All theseare realistic and potential possible sources, as would be the documentaries producedby nongovernmental organizations; annual reports of organizations focusing onspecific initiatives, such as environmental issues, human rights and welfare, children,women, and minorities; and private and public documentaries about sex traffickingof children and women, alleviating poverty, legal and illegal immigration, andempowering the powerless. There are a number of specific organizations that provideawards each year that might strongly qualify as answering the question posed above.Examples would be the Nobel Prize for Peace, World Peace Council prizes,Templeton Prize, Pax Christi International Peace Award, Tipperary InternationalPeace Prize, Coventry International Prize for Peace and Reconciliation, WorldVision International Peace Prize, Global Environmental Citizen Award, GlobalPartners Capacity-Building Award and Global Environmental Change Award, Clin-ton Global Citizen Award, and the Human Rights Tulip (Netherlands) Award.

I would submit that one can also obtain a reading on the current state of planetaryaffairs by looking carefully at the content of postage stamps. Stamps are small piecesof art produced by a state that contain readily evident, visible, and subtle messages.They are official in the sense that the subjects, designs, denominations (high or low

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value), colors, and messages reveal what the state wishes those within its jurisdictionand those living outside its boundaries to know about its history, culture, politics,and geography. A detailed examination of the content of a state’s stamp issues duringa year or longer would reveal something about its place in regional and globalworlds, that is, how it sees itself or wishes to present itself in a larger context. Adetailed examination of the nearly 7500 stamps issued by more than 200 stamp-issuing countries and territories during a year might also provide the viewer andreader with a collective impression of the state of the world. One might also discernfrom such a detailed inquiry if there are any salient differences between old and newcountries on the world political map or economically and politically powerfulcountries from those who are marginal and less powerful.

Stamps and Visualization

A useful conceptual framework to examine any country’s place or role on the worldpolitical map is through its stamp issues. Stamps are visible products of a state thatare meant to inform, educate, and influence the viewers who reside within acountry’s borders or those beyond. They have been considered as “paper ambassa-dors” or “vehicles of state propaganda” by scholars (Altman 1991; Rowley 2002).They could also be considered as ways to build a sense of national identity andcommunity (Billig 1995; Anderson 1991). Their importance in the contemporaryworld of geopolitics is accentuated because they are visible products and visualproducts are of increased importance in a world where there is much interest in “whatis happening where” and how states, as major territorial entities important to most ofthe planet’s residents, respond to issues on a national scale as well as regional andglobal scales (Brunn 2015a, b, c). Stamps as “products of state production” revealwhat the state wishes to “show” others about its heritage, its contemporary setting,and its place in a larger context. Contributing to these discussions about semiotics orsymbols, images and iconographies of states have been scholars from a number ofdisciplines (Panofsky 1982; De Young 1986; Wellsted et al. 1986; Reid 1989; Scott1992; Mirzoeff 1998; Child 2005; Rose 2007, 2011). A time analysis of articles,books, and chapters on stamp themes reveals a sharp increase in the past twodecades, the time when information and communication technologies, includingthose of a visual nature (Google, WWW, iPads, etc.), entered both the productionand consumption states. Rather than producing stamps or designing on topics aboutheritage or economies in less attractive colors and settings, states have become majorproducers of visual information for those inside and outside their political borders.Stamps are but one of those “visual efforts” where the state produces itself. Othersare from state-produced websites conveying a wide variety of information about astate’s heritage, culture, economy, environmental setting, and place within its regionand on a world stage. Place, setting, image, and environment, all crucial elements inwhat is shown and displayed on stamps, are complemented by state tourism promo-tion efforts. Countries that issue tourism stamps emphasize and promote unusual

Reading the “State of the Planet” Through United Nations Stamp Issues 3

visual elements, including heritage landscapes and cultures and unique and scenicphysical landscapes and settings.

The scholarly contributions to stamp issues of countries, as noted above, includethose from history, geography, anthropology, sociology, political studies, and thosewho come from education, science, and art backgrounds. The contributions can begrouped in four broad categories. First are those who study the stamp history ofindividual countries over a lengthy period or restricted time frame. These includestudies on Finland (Raento and Brunn 2005, 2008; Raento 2006), Germany (Jung1981; Di Napoli 1980; Lauritzen 1988), Australia (McQueen 1988; Marshall 2000;Yardley 2014), China (Leith 1971), Soviet Union (White 1925; Grant 1995; Rowley2002; Rowell 2010; Brunn 2011), Iraq (Reid 1984), Belgium and Switzerland(Schwarzenbach 1999), New Zealand (Collins et al. 1938), France (Hoisington1972; Scott 1992), the two Koreas (Johnson 2005), Japan (Frewer 2002), Japanand the United Kingdom (Dobson 2005), Taiwan (Deans 2005), the United States(Davidson and Diamant 1990), the United Kingdom (Easton 1958), Argentina(Bushnell 1982; Child 2004), Mexico (Hoya 2002), Sudan and Burkina Faso(Kevane 2008), Burkina Faso (Slemrod 2008), South Africa (O’Sullivan 1988;Hammett 2012), and Iraq (Reid 1989). Related studies are those that look at newstates on the world political map (Brunn 2000) and states in transition (Brunn 2011).

A second group of studies looks at regions, including colonial Africa (Abedze2004), the Portuguese empire (Cusack 2005), the French empire (Hoisington 1972),the Arab world (Brunn 2002), Latin America (Child 2009), Europe (Scott 1995;Jones 2001), and East Asia (Deans and Dobson 2005a, b).

A third group looks specifically at propaganda issues (Stoetzer 1953; Davis 1985;Lauritzen 1988; Dobson 2002; and Rowley 2002). A fourth group explores specificthemes including music (Covington and Brunn 2006), religion (Brunn 2015a, b, c),architecture (Levin 2004), tourism (Brunn 2015a, b, c), maps (Stamp 1966; Marshall2000), and those that increase the awareness of global environmental issues (Tothand Hillger 2013; Brunn 2017).

UN Stamps

While an analysis of an individual nation’s stamps would provide insight into thatcountry’s worldview, it does not answer the question about a global perspective onthe state of world affairs. That question might be answered by examining the contentof United Nations stamps, an organization of 193 members as of 2015 (last memberbeing South Sudan which joined in 2011) from around the world. The postal historyof the United Nations has not been the subject of much scholarly research (Patrick1955; Robinson 1985; Terins n.d.). Because this organization discusses and debatesissues, seeks to resolve conflicts peacefully, and also works with related organiza-tions to resolve issues about hunger, diseases, disasters, environmental quality, andhuman welfare and because it issues stamps calling attention to these issues, it isentirely appropriate to study its stamps. The organization is the leading globalorganization where large and small countries, old states and newly independent

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states, and powerful and powerless states can and do make decisions about issuesrelated to the planet, its heritage and future, and the living conditions of all residents.The impacts of its decisions affect the planet’s human and physical environments.The stamps reflect the concerns the organization has about the planet’s present andfuture. United Nations stamps in this view are considered a legitimate database tomeasure or provide a “reading” on the “state of the planet’s health or well-being.”UN stamps are also issued by its offices in Geneva (576 from 1976 to 2013) andVienna (539 from 1979 to 2013) and also its Kosovo operations (92 stamps issuedfrom 2002 to 2008). The New York office issues the lion’s share of UN stamps aswell as the largest number of stamp sets: New York 442, Geneva 75, Vienna 58, andKosovo 29. The stamp catalogue used in this study is Scott’s Standard PostageStamp Catalogue (2015), which is a standard catalogue used by collectors anddealers around the world. The analysis considers not only individual stamps, thatis, single stamps, but also souvenir sheets or sheetlets (which may contain six oreight or more individual stamps on a sheet). Since most of the UN stamps are issuedby the New York office, I am mostly discussing these stamp issues not those issuedfor use in Geneva, Vienna, or Kosovo. The European offices issue fewer stamps andhave different illustrative materials.

Below, I first discuss UN stamps in major categories. Then I discuss the UNstamp issues and what they reflect about the state of the contemporary world. Iconclude by identifying topics that merit additional research.

The organization, formed in 1945, began issuing stamps in 1951. In the first10 years, it issued about 10 stamps each year. Those numbers remained about thesame until 1980 when it began issuing about two dozen per year. That number hasremained fairly constant with the most recent peak years being 1997 (29 stamps),2001 (26), and 2007 (27 stamps). From 1951 to 2013, the New York office issued1,078 stamps and 442 sets. By comparison the number of stamps issued from the UNoffice in Geneva from 1976 to 2013 was 101 stamps and 75 sets and from Vienna118 stamps and 58 sets. Frequently the European offices issued one stamp, comparedto two or three with the same theme in the New York office. One needs to keep inmind for stamps issued by all three UN offices that a single stamp issue can mean onestamp or it can refer to a sheet which will have six or eight different stamps. Sheetletswere commonly about indigenous peoples, indigenous art, flags, World Ocean’sDay, millennium development, and One Planet – One Ocean.

UN stamps also illustrate features of the organization itself, that is, what isimportant in its daily life and concerns for the membership. Because it is an organi-zation of states and not a state institution, it does not issue stamps about nationalheroes or heroines, royalties, famous explorations and discoveries, noted battles,national holidays, museum exhibits, or national celebrations about historical or recentevents. These are common stamp topics for many countries. Religion themes are alsonot illustrated on UN stamps nor are those about famous athletes, actors and actresses,poets and writers, or famous cartoon characters, all of which are common themes onmany countries’ issues in the early twenty-first century. Major foods, beverages,ethnic dishes, and drinks are also not shown. However, some sculptures and paintings,especially by children (issued 2003–2008), are stamp subjects.

Reading the “State of the Planet” Through United Nations Stamp Issues 5

Major Themes of UN Stamps

One can examine the multiple topics and themes of UN stamps and group them intomajor categories. These categories provide a “reading” on how this organizationlooks at the world or rather how it wishes to use its role as the major multistateorganization to be seen by the world. There are a number of categories one mightclassify UN stamps in the past nearly 65 years. I group them into seven categorieswith the first being labeled Generic (Table 1). These show the UN headquarters inNew York as well as offices in Geneva and Vienna, commemorate UN anniversaries,include words from the UN charter and preamble, and highlight the General Assem-bly, Secretariat, and early UN meeting sites. The UN flag is also a common theme; inthe 1980s sheets were issued with 16 flag stamps of UN members each year. Allprevious UN Secretaries-General have been honored with an issue following theirdeath. Doves are also a common feature. Many of the stamps in this category wouldhave small UN insignias or emblems (the polar projection map being common)somewhere in a corner. These topics have appeared on UN stamps since its inceptionand are not discussed here because of their common features.

Efforts to improve the human condition were clearly the major category in thenumber of stamps and stamp sets issued by the New York office. I counted 31 setsthat have been issued since 1951. These include stamps about human rights,refugees, food issues, eradicating diseases (AIDS, cancer, and smallpox), drugabuse, ending discrimination, peacekeeping, women, children, the disabled, andmany international years. There were also issues about the rights of peoples inNamibia, East Timor, West Irian, and Palestine. The single dominant themes in allUN Year have been Human Rights Day and the UN Declaration of Human Rights. Inthe past 20 years, stamps promoting autism awareness, gender empowerment,peacekeeping operations, intellectual property, the rights of Palestinian peoples,and eradication of diseases have been issued. Specific examples and years are listedin Table 2. The global coverage of this topic illustrates that the organization’s focusis not specifically tied to one major world region or culture. Examples of stamps inthis category are shown in Fig. 1.

Table 1 Major categories of UN stamps issued by the New York office, 1951–2014

Category # Themes # Stamp sets # Stamps

1-Generic 8 114 444

2-Human condition 107 84 315

3-Environmental awareness 35 31 176

4-Organizations 51 69 139

5-Heritage and future perspectives 16 33 105

6-Peace and peacekeeping

7-Multiple themes

Totals 217 321 1179

Source: Scott’s Postage Stamp Catalogue 2015

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The environmental awareness stamps began in earnest in the late 1970s andcontinue to the present. To date 31 different sets have been issued, with four stampsin each set, since 1973. Among the earliest stamps were those concerned withforests, water, disasters and disaster relief, and oceans. More recent issues havebeen on biodiversity, climate change, sustainable development, and endangeredspecies that call attention to animal species on all continents whose environmentsare threatened. Examples are listed in Table 3. International years of mountains,oceans, biodiversity, and forests have also been commemorated with colorful issues.The same global perspective noted above about human condition stamps is reflectedin these awareness issues. Examples of this theme are in Fig. 2.

There were 56 different organizations and groups that have been the subject ofUN issues. They are identified as having as their major agendas to increase socialawareness and improve the human condition and also bolster environmental aware-ness and protection. The supportive organizations have been a major thread in UNissues since 1951. The early years included stamps about the International LaborOrganization (ILO),Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), International Mon-etary Fund, World Health Organization (WHO), and UN operations in the Congo,Cyprus, Namibia, and West Irian (Western New Guinea). UNESCO and UNICEFhave also been highly visible organizations for their work on preservation heritageand children’s well-being. In the past several decades, stamps have been issued forUN Volunteer Programs, World Food Day, various UN development initiatives,United Nations University, and the Economic and Social Council. Specific examplesare listed in Table 4 and shown in Fig. 3.

Table 2 Examples of United Nations stamps focusing on the human condition

Human Rights Day, refugees and Worldrefugee years

1952, 1953, 1956–1959, 1988, 1973 1979, 1994,1998, 2000

Children’s fund 1961

Housing and urban development 1962

Food and hunger 1963, 1965, 1984, 2005

Campaign to eradicate illiteracy 1964

Rights of the child 1966, 1991

Fight against drug abuse 1973

Equality between men and women 1975

Combat racism 1977

Eradication of smallpox 1978

International court of justice 1979

Immunization of every child 1987

Palestinian refugees 1994

International conference on women 1995

Food for life 2000

AIDS awareness 2002

We can end poverty 2008

End of violence against children 2015

Reading the “State of the Planet” Through United Nations Stamp Issues 7

Fig. 1 United Nations stamps about the human condition (All stamp images in this chapter areused with permission granted by the United Nations Postal Administration)

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Another category includes many fewer stamps and sets, but they identify clearly atopic that relates to heritage themes and future perspectives (Table 5). The stampsillustrate World Heritage Sites in different countries and also the cultures of indig-enous, and often endangered, peoples in various regions (Fig. 4). The first WorldHeritage stamps were issued in 1984, 1991, and 1992. Specific stamps honoringWorld Heritage Sites have been issued since 1999 and to date show officiallydesignated heritage sites in 11 countries and 3 regions: South America, NordicEurope, and Africa. Almost 20 countries have been represented on these stamps.The indigenous peoples have been depicted on single sheets of stamps issued in2009, 2010, and 2011. Peoples have been depicted from 13 countries: FrenchPolynesia, Thailand, Australia, Namibia, Indonesia, Japan, China, Ethiopia, Mon-golia, Tanzania, Malaysia, Seychelles, and Papua New Guinea. Indigenous art setswere issued in 2003, 2004, and 2006. Six stamps were included on each sheet.Examples include drums from Sudan, wood crafts from Chile, lacquer boxes fromRussia, embroidery from Mexico, bronze figures from Czech Republic, harp fromCongo, woven hats from Bolivia, and a matador’s suit from Spain. Sculpture stampswere in sets issued in 2005, 2006, 2008, and 2009. Stamps with a future themerelated to Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (issues in 1962 and 1975), the Exploration ofOuter Space (1982), the UN in the twenty-first century (2000), Millennial Develop-ment Goals in 2009, and Human Space Travel in 2010.

The next category is for peace and peacekeeping, a major objective of the UNsince its start. The earliest stamps were for the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons(1982), Peacekeeping Forces (1975), and Exploration and Peaceful Uses of OuterSpace (1982) (Table 6). UN Peacekeeping Forces have been issued also in 1980,1989, 1995, 1998, and 2007. Related issues include Living Together in Peace(1978), Peace in Seven Languages (1986), the Banning of Chemical Weapons(1991), International Peace Day (1993), Children’s Drawings Related to MyDream of Peace theme (2004), the International Flag of Peace (2007), and Sportsfor Peace (2008). Examples of various peace-related themes are shown in Fig. 5.

The final category includes stamps with Multiple Themes. Examples include theMontreal World Fair (1965), Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons (1972), United

Table 3 Examples of United Nations stamps focusing on environmental awareness

Water, oceans, seas and the seabed 1974, 1977, 1983, 1992, 1998, 2009

UN Disaster Relief Coordinator 1979

Conservation and protection of the environment 1982

Survival of the forests 1986

Mission to Planet Earth 1992

Clean oceans 1992

Endangered species 1993 to present

Rainforests 1998

One planet, one ocean 2010

Sustainable development 2012

World wildlife conference 2016

Reading the “State of the Planet” Through United Nations Stamp Issues 9

Fig. 2 UN stamps to increase environmental awareness

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Nations University (1985), Medicinal Plants (1996), Victims of the Baghdad Bomb-ing (2003), and Autism Awareness (2012). Others are listed in Table 7. Examples ofstamps are shown in Fig. 6.

Related Themes: Countries on UN Map Stamps

Stamps with maps, aside from those that displayed the UN familiar polar projection,were not a common feature on UN stamps. Discounting these, there were 19 sets thathad a world, region, or country map. The most common world maps showed thecontinents without political boundaries; examples include the stamp for the UNDeclaration for Human Rights (1952), Human Rights Day in 1958 and various UNorganizations: ICAO (1955), Technical Assistance to Developing Countries (1979),Second Disarmament Decade (1982), World Food Program (1983), World WeatherWatch (1989), UNCTAD (1994), and World Summit on Sustainable Development inJohannesburg (2012). The Geneva office issued a stamp in 1978 about smallpox andthe Vienna office in 1980 on the Decade for Women.

A second group of stamps showed regional maps, usually for some economicprogram, for example, the Economic Commissions for Latin America and Africa,both issued in 1961, two for ECAFE (East Asia) in 1960 and another for the LowerMekong Basin in Vietnam (1970). Four stamps for different regions were issuedin1994 for the International Decade for Natural Disaster Prevention and in 1989 forthe east coast of the North America and Northwest Pacific for World Weather Watch.In 2003 and 2006, the UN issued stamps for UN operations in Kosovo thatincluded maps.

Table 4 Examples of United Nations stamps focusing on cooperative international organizations

UN Children’s Fund 1951, 1961

World Health Organization 1956

New economic commissions for Europe, Asia, Latin America(respectively)

1959, 1960, 1961

International Bank for Reconstruction and Development 1960

International achievements in control of narcotics 1964

International maritime organization 1964

World federations of UN associations 1966, 1986

Law of the sea 1974

UN postal administration 1976, 1991, 2001

UN volunteer program 1973, 1981, 1988, 2000,2007

World international property organization 1977

New international economic order 1980

Economic and social council 2011

UN convention against corruption 2015

Reading the “State of the Planet” Through United Nations Stamp Issues 11

Fig. 3 UN stamps about cooperative international organizations

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A third group included individual maps of countries. Maps showing individualcountries are rarely issued. There were stamps issued for UN military operations,including Peacekeeping Forces: Namibia (several years: 1973, 1974, and 1979),Operations in the Congo (1962), West Irian (1963), and Cyprus (1965). There was astamp issued for the new state of East Timor in 2012; however it did not contain amap. A stamp was issued noting the “Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People” in1980, but it contained no map.

Not all countries or UN members have appeared on UN stamps issued fromNew York, Geneva, and Vienna from 1951 to 2013. There are countries associatedwithWorld Heritage Sites (14 countries), indigenous peoples (13), indigenous art (32),other art (paintings, sculptures, children’s competition, etc.) (29), and peacekeeping(7). Some artists in the other art category are noted European, Russian, and NorthAmerican artists including van Gogh, van Eyck, Picasso, Klee, and Kandinsky. Othersare children who won international competition for “My Dream for Peace” sponsoredby the Lions Club International in 2004, 2005, and 2006; autism awareness; andsculptures for various peace themes. Altogether 69 countries, about one-third of theUN members, are represented in some way on the stamps. All continents arerepresented, yet there is some unevenness in the continents represented in the catego-ries. For example, the United States (12 stamps) and France (9) comprise over half ofthose in the other art categories. Africa, Latin American, and Asian countries are allrepresented in the indigenous arts and peoples issues. Some countries have yet toappear on any of these categories (through 2013); these include Nigeria, South Africa,India, Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Singapore, and New Zealand.

Discussion

A careful reading of United Nations stamps reveals some interesting facts about theorganization’s stamp issues. UN stamps are printed in light and eye-pleasing colors,not colors that are considered harsh or bold or may convey violent meanings. Lightblues, greens, browns, and yellows are common colors.

Table 5 Examples of United Nations stamps focusing on humankind’s heritage and futureperspectives

Peaceful uses of outer space 1963, 1975

Exploration and use of outer space 1982

Future of refugees 1984

World heritage 1984, 1992, 1999–2007, 2011, 2012, 2016

Education, keystone for the twenty-first century 1998

UN in the twenty-first century 2000

Indigenous art 2003, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2013

Space for humanity 2007

Millennial development goals 2009

Human space travel 2010

Reading the “State of the Planet” Through United Nations Stamp Issues 13

Fig. 4 UN Stamps about heritage themes and future perspectives

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First, the stamps clearly illustrate global concerns and major international orga-nizations, including the UN itself, and their efforts to improve the human conditionand increase the awareness of environmental issues affecting all regions on theplanet. These stamps highlight the role of intergovernmental organizations in erad-icating poverty, illiteracy, and major diseases; the treatment of refugees; steps toimprove economic development; and more recently calling attention to issues aboutengendered environments and human, animal and plant communities, and theimpacts of global climate change. While many UN members have issued stampsabout these themes, that the UN organization has devoted attention to them throughits stamp program illustrates that they need to be addressed by all regions, cultures,economies, and governments.

More than 40 international organizations have been the subject of UN stamps.These include organizations that have longer histories than the UN, including theUniversal Postal Union (UPU), Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), WorldHealth Organization (WHO), World Meteorological Organization (WMO), andInternational Labor Organization (ILO). Others with a long history concerned withhuman rights and protection are UNESCO, UNICEF, the International Court ofJustice, global economic development (IBRD, World Monetary Fund, InternationalMaritime Council, Housing and Urban Development, WIPO, UNIDO, UNITAR,UNCTAD, UNDP), and regional development (Economic Commissions on Europe,

Table 6 Examples of United Nations stamps with peace themes

Peacekeeping Forces 1962 (Congo), 1963 (West Irian), 1965 (Cyprus), 1975, 1978,1991 (Namibia), 2001 (East Timor)

Signing test ban treaty 1964

Chagall’s “the kiss of peace” 1967

Peace and justice 1970

Treaty on Non-Proliferation ofNuclear Weapons

1972

UN disarmament decade 1973

United Nations PeacekeepingForces

1975, 1980, 1989 (Nobel prize), 1998, 2007, 2016

Living together in peace 1978

Living together through peace 1978

Exploration and Peaceful Usesof Outer Space

1982

Peace in seven languages 1986

Banning nuclear weapons 1991

International peace day 1993

Plea for peace 1996

Children’s drawings of “mydream of peace”

2001

International flag of peace 2005

Peace dove 2006

Sports for peace 2008

Reading the “State of the Planet” Through United Nations Stamp Issues 15

Fig. 5 UN Stamps about peace themes

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Africa, and Latin America). Also commemorated are the UN Volunteer Program andWorld Federation of UN Associations.

Highlighting the United Nations’ global concerns were stamps issued for majorinternational conferences and Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries(1978), New and Renewable Sources of Energy (1981), Earth Summit (1992, 1999),Women (1995), City Summit (1996), and Heritage (1997). More than two dozeninternational years and days have been commemorated with sets. These includePeace (1956), Tourists (1967), Support for Refugees (1971), Against Racial Dis-crimination (1971, 1977), Water (1975), Women (1975), Trade and Development(1976), the Child (1981), Rights of Palestinian People (1981), Peace (1986, 1994),Shelter for Homeless (1987), Youth (1984, 1993, 1995), Natural Disaster Prevention(1994), Freshwater (2002), Mountains (2002), Sport (2005), Families (2006), Holo-caust Memorial Day (2008), Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2008), Forests(2011), Sustainable Development (2012), World Wildlife (focus on Africa) (2016),Trade in Endangered Species (2016), Anti-Corruption (2016), Environment Day(2017), and Yoga (2017).

Finally, some subjects have not appeared to date: religious freedom, social mediaincluding the addition of the Internet, empowering humankind’s right to vote,victims of human trafficking (women, men, or children), or countries where therehave been fraudulent elections as noted by outside election observers. Also, nostamps have been issued for outstanding films, works of music, or operas; however,other art themes, as noted above, have been issued. No individual women haveappeared on UN stamps; however, six men have. These include major leaders and

Table 7 Examples of United Nations stamps with mix of topics

Theme Year

Montreal world fair 1965

International coffee agreement 1966

Nations that granted independence 1967

UN international school 1971

Equality between men and women 1975

United Nations University 1985

African crisis in hunger 1985

Medicinal plants 1990

Crime prevention 1990

Powered flight 2003

Victims of the bombing in Baghdad 2003

Japanese peace bell 2004

Road safety 2004

Humanitarian mail 2007

Wheel chair accessibility 2008

Autism awareness 2012

Nature’s wisdom 2015

20th anniversary of test ban treaty 2016

Reading the “State of the Planet” Through United Nations Stamp Issues 17

Fig. 6 UN stamps on a mix of topics

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previous UN Secretaries-General: Hammarskjold (1963 and 2001), Lie (1987),Anon (2001), Bunche (2003), and Thant (2009). Gandhi is the only other individualwho has appeared on an issue (2009). There have also been no cartoon characters onUN stamps, which is unlike many countries that have issued stamps for popularcomic, cartoon, and television series in the past decade. Popular culture is definitelynot a theme on UN stamps. There was a souvenir sheet with Dr. Seuss’s characters;he was a noted children’s author. The three sheets containing several cartoon fishcharacters were issued as part of World Ocean Day in 2013.

Second, no stamps were issued in places where border conflicts or unresolvedconflicts remain, for example, Israel and Palestine, North and South Korea, Kashmirbetween India and Pakistan, contentious claims between China and its neighbors inthe South China Sea, disputed areas between India and China, and Russia andEastern Ukraine.

Third, while human rights and organizations committed to improving the humancondition are dominant themes, as noted above, no stamps are related to consumerrights and protection, improved working and living conditions of workers andimmigration reforms, and empowering unrepresented groups in the political processor stateless populations (save the 1981 issue on the Rights of the Palestinian people)or nationalities seeking greater political independence (Kurds, Tibetans, Uyghurs,Muslims in Mindanao, First Nations in Canada, and aborigines in Australia).

Finally, as noted above, some countries with rich cultural diversities are not yetrepresented on stamps depicting indigenous art and peoples and natural or humanheritage sites. One would expect these countries would be among those featured onstamps in the coming decade.

Summary

An examination of the content, themes, and topics that appear on United Nationsstamps provides a useful database to assess the state of the world’s cultural, envi-ronmental, and geopolitical condition. The stamps do not represent concerns ofindividual countries but rather concerns of the major international organizationwith a global membership in many organizations and associations that are concernedwith improving quality of life for all the planet’s citizens, increasing both environ-mental awareness and respect for our collective cultural heritages, and bringingabout peaceful resolutions to regional problems. Three interrelated topics meritcareful scrutiny about the United Nations. First, what is the decision process in thestamp program? What is the procedure for submitting a topic for consideration?Second, what committee or person makes final decisions on stamp topics and alsodesigns? Are the committee members from a mix of Global North and Global Southcountries? Third, where do the stamp designers come from? We know that from1951 to 1986, the UN stamp designers came from 33 countries (Stamp Catalogue,Postal History of the United Nations n.d.). Almost half of these came from Europeancountries. We know from the information provided that of the 851 stamps with thehome countries of designers noted, most came from Denmark 240 (28%), the United

Reading the “State of the Planet” Through United Nations Stamp Issues 19

States 224 (21%), and China 124 (15%). The next countries were Australia (29),Israel (28), Germany (27), Pakistan (25), and France (22). Nearly two dozencountries had less than ten stamps; these countries accounted for about 6% of thetotal stamps designed. It would be worth knowing if there is now more globalrepresentation of artists and designers, especially from the Global South. Answersto these questions will help us understand the global decision-making that probablyoperates in the selection of topics, artists, and themes.

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