Archie Mackenzie, the only surviving member of the UK delegation to the San Francisco Conference in 1945 where the UN was born, played a prominent part in a service in London to mark the UN's 60th Anniversary. On 24 October 2005, a Service of Thanksgiving and Rededication to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the UN was held in St Paul's Cathedral.
In the presence of the Queen, the lessons were read by the Prime Minister and the Duke of Edinburgh to a packed congregation which included the Diplomatic Corps, political and civic leaders, representatives of Britain's faith communities, and large numbers of people who have served the UN in various capacities over the years.
In a sermon full of challenge and hope for the future, the Bishop of London, Richard Chartres, spoke of the need for determined leadership from the faith communities....'since mere appeals for ethical fraternity without the energy of faith do not seem to generate the dynamic for change which is required.'
This was followed by an Act of Dedication and Commitment to the Future, led by Archie Mackenzie, the only surviving member of the UK delegation to the San Francisco Conference in 1945 where the UN was born. He read the opening lines of the preamble of the Charter. Succeeding sentences were read by young people of different faiths.
Mackenzie, who met Frank Buchman and his work of Moral Re-Armament before the Second World War, worked as a British diplomat for over 32 years in Burma, Cyprus, France, Thailand, Tunisia, the United States and Yugoslavia. His book Faith in Diplomacy gives insider stories from war-time Washington with Isaiah Berlin; Tito’s Yugoslavia and beyond; the Brandt Commission; and the United Nations from its very start at Dumbarton Oaks and San Francisco.
The day after the church service, 14 of Mackenzie’s UN staff from his years in New York gave a lunch at a famous London Club to celebrate his 90th birthday. The spirit of the occasion was summed up by one of them who said 'Thank you for keeping the faith'.
Archie Mackenzie died on 15 April 2012, aged 96.
English