Following the Second World War, the desire for an international body to aid world peace and security resulted in conferences held among the victorious powers. The outcome, the United Nations Charter, was signed at San Francisco on 26 June 1945 and subsequently ratified on 24 October that year. In 1961, the Indian Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, suggested that 1965, the 20th anniversary of the UN, be designated International Cooperation Year (ICY) to emphasise the role of the international community in world development. This idea was passed by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1963.
On 8 April 1964 the Chairman of the Committee for ICY wrote to the Director-General of the Universal Postal Union advising that the United Nations Postal Administration in New York intended to issue stamps to mark ICY. The UPU was requested to ask member states to consider issuing a stamp of the same design as that of the United Nations with only minimal variations. This was to feature the ICY symbol with ‘Peace and Progress through Co-operation’, and would differ from country to country only in language and denomination. The choice of colour was also left to the postal administrations of those countries that chose to participate.
Details
- Date of Issue: 25 October 1965
- Date Withdrawn: 24 January 1966*
- Date Invalidated:
- Designer: Victor Whiteley
- Printer: Harrison and Sons Ltd
- Process: Lithography
- Paper:
- Watermark: Multiple St Edward’s Crown Block CA
- Perf: 14.5 (comb)
- Plates: A1 A1
- Sheet: R12 x 5 (60 stamps)
- Quantity:
- ½d – 30,000 (500 sheets)
- 1s – 180,000 (3000 sheets)
Note: The ½d value sold out within a week of release. Many mail orders were returned as the post office could not fill the orders, and Harrison & Sons Ltd could not provide more.
Subjects
First Day Covers (Unofficial)
References
- British Caribbean Philatelic Journal Vol.6 No.2 (1966)
- Postal Museum: 20th Anniversary of The United Nations and International Co-operation Year (PDF)