This is the UN

A short overview

The UN is an international organization, not a world government. The United Nations is an organization of sovereign States. These States voluntarily join the UN to work for world peace, promote friendship among all nations and support economic and social progress. It formally came into being on 24 October 1945. At that time, it had 51 countries as Members. As of March 2007, 192 countries were UN members.

The UN is a forum, a meeting-place, for virtually all nations of the world. It provides them with the mechanism to help find solutions to disputes or problems, and to act on virtually any matter of concern to humanity.

Though sometimes described as a “parliament of nations”, the UN is neither a supra-State nor a government of governments. It does not have an army and it imposes no taxes. It depends on the political will of its Members to have its decisions implemented and relies on the contributions of its Members to carry out its activities.

The United Nations plays a central role in reducing international tensions, preventing conflicts and putting an end to fighting already under way. It deals with our environment, outer space and the sea-bed. It has helped wipe out many diseases and expand food production. It cares for and protects refugees, expands literacy and responds quickly to natural disasters. It also protects and promotes rights of individuals by setting a global standard for human rights.

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The six main UN organs

The General Assembly

The General Assembly is the main deliberative organ of the United Nations and includes all its Members. It may discuss any matter arising under the UN Charter and make recommendations to UN Members (except on disputes or situations which are being considered by the Security Council). In the Assembly, each nation, large or small, has one vote and important decisions are taken by a two-thirds majority vote.

The Assembly meets every year from September to December. Special sessions may be summoned by the Assembly, at the request of the Security Council, or at the request of a majority of UN Members.

The work of the General Assembly is also carried out by its six main committees, the Human Rights Council, other subsidiary bodies and the UN Secretariat.

The Security Council

The Security Council has primary responsibility under the Charter for maintaining peace and security. It can be convened at any time, whenever peace is threatened. Member States are obligated to carry out its decisions. When a threat to peace is brought before the Council, it usually first asks the parties to reach agreement by peaceful means. If fighting breaks out, the Council tries to secure a ceasefire. It may then send peacekeeping missions to troubled areas or call for economic sanctions and embargoes to restore peace.

The Council has 15 members, including five permanent members: China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. The other 10 are elected by the General Assembly on the basis of geographical representation for two-year terms. Decisions require nine votes; except on procedural questions, a decision cannot be taken if there is a negative vote by a permanent member (known as the “veto”). The Council also makes recommendations to the General Assembly on the appointment of a new Secretary-General and on the admission of new members to the UN. Many countries want to expand the membership of the Council to include new permanent and non-permanent members.

The Economic and Social Council

The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is the central body for coordinating the economic and social work of the United Nations and the UN family of organizations. It has 54 member nations elected from all regions. As much as 70 per cent of the work of the UN system is devoted to promoting higher standards of living, full employment, and conditions of economic and social progress and development. The Council recommends and directs activities aimed at promoting economic growth of developing countries, supporting human rights and fostering world cooperation to fight poverty and under-development.

To meet specific needs, the General Assembly has set up a number of specialized agencies, such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and programmes such as the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The work of these agencies and programmes is coordinated by ECOSOC.

The Trusteeship Council

The Trusteeship Council was assigned under the UN Charter to supervise the administration of Trust Territories — former colonies or dependent territories — which were placed under the International Trusteeship System. The system was created at the end of the Second World War to promote the advancement of the inhabitants of those dependent Territories and their progressive development towards self-government or independence.

Since the creation of the Trusteeship Council, more than 70 colonial Territories, including all of the original 11 Trust Territories, have attained independence with the help of the United Nations. As a result, in 1994, the Council decided formally to suspend its operation and to meet as and when occasion might require.

The International Court of Justice

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is the UN’s main judicial organ. Presiding over the ICJ, or “World Court”, are 15 judges, each from a different nation, elected by the General Assembly and Security Council. The Court settles legal disputes between nations only and not between individuals, in accordance with international law. If a country does not wish to take part in a proceeding it does not have to do so, unless required by special treaty provisions. Once a country accepts the Court's jurisdiction, it must comply with its decision.

The seat of the International Court of Justice is at The Hague in the Netherlands. The offices of the Court occupy the “Peace Palace”, which was constructed by the Carnegie Foundation, a private non-profit organization, to serve as the headquarters of the Permanent Court of International Justice, the predecessor of the present Court. The UN makes an annual contribution to the Foundation for the use of the building.

The Secretariat

The Secretariat is made up of an international staff working at UN Headquarters in New York, as well as UN offices in Geneva, Vienna, Nairobi and other locations. It consists of departments and offices with a total staff of around 16,000, drawn from some 175 countries. Including civil staff in peacekeeping missions the total number comprises approximately 30,000 staff. Staff members carry out the substantive and administrative work of the United Nations as directed by the General Assembly, the Security Council and the other organs.

The Secretariat is headed by the Secretary-General. He is appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council for a five-year term. As the chief administrative officer of the Organization, the Secretary-General directs its work. He is also responsible for implementing decisions taken by the various organs of the United Nations.

The Secretary-General may bring to the attention of the Security Council any matter which, in his opinion, may threaten international peace and security. He may use his “good offices” to prevent conflicts or promote peaceful settlement of disputes between countries. The Secretary-General may also act on his own initiative to deal with humanitarian or other problems of special importance.

There have been only eight Secretaries-General since the founding of the UN:

Trygve Lie (Norway), 1946-1952
Dag Hammarskjöld (Sweden), 1953-1961
U Thant (Burma, now Myanmar), 1961-1971
Kurt Waldheim (Austria), 1972-1981
Javier Pérez de Cuéllar (Peru), 1982-1991
Boutros Boutros-Ghali (Egypt), 1992-1996
Kofi Annan (Ghana), 1997-2006
Ban Ki-moon (Republic of Korea), since 2007.

Peace is not just a dream

UN peacekeepers with their blue helmets are the most visible symbols of the UN’s peace efforts. The peacekeepers, soldiers drawn voluntarily from various national armies, fulfil the role of an impartial third party. They help create and maintain a ceasefire and form a buffer zone between parties in conflict. Their presence helps make the search for peaceful settlement of conflict through diplomatic channels possible. As peacekeepers maintain peace on the ground, mediators from the United Nations meet with leaders from the disputing parties or countries and try to reach a peaceful solution.

Modern-day peacekeeping is more than maintaining peace and security. Peacekeepers are increasingly involved with assisting in political processes, reforming justice systems, training law-enforcement and police forces, disarming former combatants and clearing land mines.

In 2005, the International Atomic Energy Agency and its Director General Mohamed El Baradei were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. This was the ninth time the UN was honoured by the Nobel Committee with the peace award. Previous winners were: UN and Kofi Annan (2001), UN Peacekeeping Forces (1988), UN High Commissioner for Refugees (1954 & 1981), International Labour Organization (1969), UN Children’s Fund (1965), Dag Hammarskjöld (1961) and Ralph Bunche (1950).

Peacekeeping throughout the world

Since 1948 UN peacekeepers undertook 63 field missions and participated in the implementation of more than 170 peaceful settlements that ended regional conflicts, and enabled people in more than 45 countries to take part in free and fair elections. A total of 119 countries have contributed military and police personnel to UN peacekeeping.

UN peace operations are less expensive than other forms of international interventions. In June 2008, there were almost 110,000 personnel serving in 20 UN peacekeeping operations on four continents in ten time zones, directly impacting the lives of hundreds of millions of people. The approved peacekeeping budget from 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009 is approximately $6.8 billion, representing less than 0.5% of global military spending.

Human rights for everyone

When in 1948 the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it set a common standard of human rights for all nations. By this Declaration, Governments are expected to accept their obligation to ensure that all human beings, rich and poor, strong and weak, male and female, of all races and religions, are treated equally.

Since then, the UN has adopted numerous international treaties on human rights, covering such issues as women’s rights, racial discrimination and children’s rights. When Governments become parties to these treaties, they accept an obligation to honour them. When violations occur, specially created treaty bodies review them and make recommendations to rectify the situation. The UN can also censure a country for not honouring its obligations under an international human rights treaty.

The Human Rights Council established in June 2006 is the primary global forum for dialogue and cooperation on human rights. A subsidiary of the General Assembly, it is directly accountable to the full membership of the Organization and is administered by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Development is another name for peace

About 980 million people in the world now live in absolute poverty — earning less than $1 a day. These people often don’t have access to the fundamentals of a decent life — sufficient food, safe water, reliable health care, adequate shelter, and basic education, training and opportunities to sustain livelihoods. Lasting world peace cannot be achieved until social and economic development for all is achieved. The United Nations devotes more than 80 per cent of its resources to achieve this goal.

At the Millennium Summit in September 2000, the largest gathering of world leaders in history adopted the UN Millennium Declaration, committing their nations to a new global partnership to reduce extreme poverty and setting out a series of time-bound targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The MDGs are the world's targets for addressing extreme poverty in its many dimensions – income poverty, hunger, disease, lack of adequate shelter, and exclusion – while promoting gender equality, education, and environmental sustainability. They are also goals for basic human rights – the rights of each person to health, education, shelter and security.

60 ways the United Nations makes a difference

The United Nations was established, in the aftermath of a devastating war, to help stabilize international relations and give peace a more secure foundation.

Amid the threat of nuclear war and seemingly endless regional conflicts, peacekeeping has become an overriding concern of the United Nations, and the activities of the blue-helmeted peacekeepers have emerged as among the most visible.

But the United Nations is much more than a peacekeeper and a forum for conflict resolution. Often without attracting attention, the UN and its family of agencies are engaged in a vast array of work that seeks to improve people’s lives around the world.

Child survival and development. Environmental protection. Human rights. Health and medical research. Alleviation of poverty and economic development. Agricultural development and fisheries. Education. Advancement of women. Emergency and disaster relief. Air and sea travel. Peaceful uses of atomic energy. Workers’ rights. The list goes on.

Here is a sampling of what the United Nations and its component bodies have accomplished since 1945, when the world Organization was founded.

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1 Maintaining peace and security

By sending 63 peacekeeping and observer missions to the world’s trouble spots over the past 60 years, the United Nations has been able to restore calm, allowing many countries to recover from conflict. There are now 17 peacekeeping operations around the world, carried out by some 88,500 brave men and women from 119 countries who go where others can’t or won’t go.

2 Making peace

Since the 1990s, many conflicts have been brought to an end either through UN mediation or the action of third parties acting with UN support. The list includes El Salvador, Guatemala, Namibia, Cambodia, Mozambique, Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, Burundi and the north-south conflict in Sudan. Research credits UN peacemaking, peacekeeping and conflict prevention activities as a major factor behind a 40-per cent decline in conflict around the world since the 1990s. UN preventive diplomacy and other forms of preventive action have defused many potential conflicts. In addition, UN peace missions in the field address post-conflict situations and carry out peacebuilding measures.

3 Preventing nuclear proliferation

For over five decades, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has served as the world’s nuclear inspector. IAEA experts work to verify that safeguarded nuclear material is used only for peaceful purposes. To date, the Agency has safeguards agreements with 163 States.

4 Promoting development

The United Nations has devoted its attention and resources to promoting living standards and human skills and potential throughout the world. Since 2000, this work has been guided by the Millennium Development Goals. Virtually all funds for UN development assistance come from contributions donated by countries. For instance, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), with staff in 166 countries, supports projects to reduce poverty, promote good governance, address crises and preserve the environment. The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) works in 155 countries, primarily on child protection, immunization, girls’ education and fighting HIV/AIDS. The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) helps developing countries make the most of their trade opportunities. The World Bank provides developing countries with loans and grants, and has supported more than 10,000 development projects since 1947.

5 Focusing on African development

Africa continues to be a high priority for the United Nations. In 2001, African Heads of State adopted the continent’s own plan, the New Partnership for Africa’s Development, which was endorsed by the General Assembly in 2002 as the main framework for channelling international
support to Africa. The continent receives 38 per cent of UN system expenditures for development, the largest share among the world’s regions. All UN agencies have special programmes to benefit Africa.

6 Seeking a global solution to climate change

Climate change is a global problem that demands a global solution. The United Nations has been at the forefront in assessing the science and forging a political solution. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which brings together 2,000 leading climate change scientists, issues comprehensive scientific assessments every five or six years: in 2007, it concluded with certainty that climate change was occurring and that human activities were a primary cause. The 192 members of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change are negotiating a long-term agreement that would both guide countries in reducing emissions that contribute to climate change and help countries adapt to its effects. The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and other UN agencies have been at the forefront in raising awareness.

7 Helping countries to cope with climate change

The UN helps developing countries to respond to the challenges of global climate change. Twenty-seven UN agencies have formed a partnership to deal comprehensively with the problem. For instance, the Global Environment Facility, which brings together the UN Development Programme, the UN Environment Programme and the World Bank, funds projects in developing countries. As the financial mechanism of the Climate Convention, it allocates about $250 million per year in projects on energy efficiency, renewable energies and sustainable transportation.

8 Protecting the environment

The United Nations is working to solve global environmental problems. As an international forum for building consensus and negotiating agreements, the UN is tackling global problems like climate change, ozone layer depletion, toxic waste, loss of forests and species, and air and water pollution. Unless these problems are addressed, markets and economies will not be sustainable in the long term, as environmental losses are depleting the natural “capital” on which growth and human survival are based.

9 Promoting human rights

Since the General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, the United Nations has helped to enact dozens of comprehensive agreements on political, civil, economic, social and cultural rights. By investigating individual complaints, the UN human rights bodies have focused world attention on cases of torture, disappearance, arbitrary detention and other human rights violations, and have generated international pressure on Governments to improve their human rights records.

10 Promoting democracy

The United Nations promotes and strengthens democratic institutions and practices around the world, including by helping people in many countries to participate in free and fair elections.
The UN has provided electoral advice and assistance, and in some cases election monitors, to more than 100 countries, often at decisive moments in their history, such as Cambodia, El Salvador, Mozambique, South Africa, Timor Leste, Afghanistan, Iraq, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Nepal.

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11 Promoting women’s rights

A long-term objective of the United Nations has been to improve the lives of women and empower them to have greater control over their lives. The UN organized the first-ever World Conference on Women (Mexico City, 1975), which, together with two World Conferences during the UN Decade for Women (1976-1985) and the World Conference in Beijing (1995), set the agenda for advancing women’s rights and promoting gender equality. The 1979 UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, ratified by 185 countries, has helped to promote the rights of women worldwide.

12 Prosecuting war criminals

By prosecuting and convicting war criminals, the UN tribunals established for the former Yugoslavia and for Rwanda have helped to expand international humanitarian and international criminal law dealing with genocide and other violations of international law. Both tribunals have contributed to restoring peace and justice in the affected countries and in the region. The International Criminal Court is an independent, permanent court that investigates and prosecutes persons accused of the most serious international crimes — genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes — if national authorities are unwilling or unable to do so. Situations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, northern Uganda, Sudan’s Darfur region and the Central African Republic have been referred to the Court, which has already established itself as the centrepiece of the system of international criminal justice. UN-backed courts in Sierra Leone and Cambodia are prosecuting those responsible for serious violations of international law, including mass killings and war crimes.

13 Ending apartheid in South Africa

By imposing measures ranging from an arms embargo to a convention against segregated sporting events, the United Nations was a major factor in bringing about the downfall of the apartheid system. In 1994, elections in which all South Africans were allowed to participate on an equal basis led to the establishment of a multiracial Government.

14 Promoting self-determination and independence

When the United Nations was established in 1945, 750 million people — almost a third of the world population — lived in non-self-governing territories dependent on colonial powers. The UN played a role in bringing about the independence of more than 80 countries that are now sovereign nations.

15 Strengthening international law

Over 510 multilateral treaties — on human rights, terrorism, global crime, refugees, disarmament, trade, commodities, the oceans and many other matters — have been negotiated and concluded through the efforts of the United Nations.

16 Providing humanitarian aid to refugees

More than 50 million refugees fleeing persecution, violence and war have received aid from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) since 1951, in a continuing effort that often involves other agencies. UNHCR seeks long-term or “durable” solutions by helping refugees repatriate to their homelands, if conditions warrant, or by helping them to integrate in their countries of asylum or to resettle in third countries. There are more than 25 million refugees, asylum-seekers and internally displaced persons, mostly women and children, who are receiving food, shelter, medical aid, education and repatriation assistance from the UN.

17 Aiding Palestine refugees

As the global community strives for a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), a relief and human development agency, has assisted four generations of Palestinian refugees with education, health care, social services, microfinance and emergency aid. Today, 4.4 million refugees in the Middle East are registered with UNRWA.

18 Alleviating rural poverty in developing countries

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) provides low-interest loans and grants to very poor rural people. Since 1978, IFAD has invested more than $10 billion, helping more than 300 million women and men increase their incomes and provide for their families. Today, IFAD supports more than 200 programmes and projects in 81 developing countries.

19 Promoting women’s well-being

The United Nations has helped to promote women’s equality and well-being. The UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) supports programmes in more than 100 countries that seek to eliminate violence against women, reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS, support women’s political participation and promote their economic security — for instance, by increasing their access to work and their rights to land and inheritance. The International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW) helps to improve women’s quality of life and promote women’s rights by carrying out action-oriented research and capacity-building on security, migration and governance. All UN agencies must take into account the needs of women.

20 Promoting reproductive and maternal health

By promoting the right of individuals to make their own decisions on the number, spacing and timing of their children through voluntary family planning programmes, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has helped people to make informed choices and given families, especially women, greater control over their lives. As a result, women in developing countries are having fewer children—from six in the 1960s to three today—slowing world population growth. Fewer unintended pregnancies also means less maternal death and fewer unsafe abortions. When UNFPA started work in 1969, under 20 per cent of couples practiced family planning; the number now stands at about 63 per cent. UNFPA and several partners also help to provide skilled assistance during childbirth and access to emergency obstetrical care to reduce maternal deaths. UNFPA supports safe motherhood initiatives in about 90 countries.

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21 Providing safe drinking water

During the first UN decade on water (1981-1990), more than a billion people gained access to safe drinking water for the first time in their lives. By 2002, another 1.1 billion people had clean water. In 2003, the International Year of Freshwater raised awareness of the importance of protecting this precious resource. The second international water decade (2005-2015) aims to reduce by half the number of people without a source of clean drinking water.

22 Responding to HIV/AIDS

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) coordinates global action against an epidemic that affects some 33 million people. It works in more than 80 countries to provide universal access to HIV prevention and treatment services, as well as to reduce the vulnerability of individuals and communities and alleviate the impact of the epidemic. UNAIDS brings together the expertise of its 10 co-sponsoring UN organizations.

23 Eradicating smallpox

A 13-year effort by the World Health Organization (WHO) resulted in smallpox being declared officially eradicated from the planet in 1980. The eradication has saved an estimated $1 billion a year in vaccination and monitoring, almost three times the cost of eliminating the scourge itself.

24 Wiping out polio

Poliomyelitis has been eliminated from all but four countries — Afghanistan, India, Nigeria and Pakistan — as a result of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, the largest international public health effort to date. Thanks to the Initiative, spearheaded by the World Health Organization, UNICEF, Rotary International and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 5 million children are walking who would otherwise have been paralyzed by polio. A disease that once crippled children in 125 countries is on the verge of being eradicated.

25 Fighting neglected tropical diseases

A World Health Organization programme eliminated river blindness (onchocerciasis) in 10 West African countries while opening up 25 million hectares of fertile land to farming. Today, the disease is being controlled in 19 more countries under the African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control. In 1991, efforts by UN agencies in North Africa led to the elimination of the dreaded screw worm, a parasite that feeds on human and animal flesh. Guinea-worm disease (dracunculiasis) is on the verge of being eradicated, while other neglected diseases, such as leprosy — which has been eliminated in 116 out of 122 endemic countries — lymphatic filariasis, schistosomiasis and sleeping sickness (human African trypanosomiasis) are now under control.

26 Halting the spread of epidemics

The World Health Organization helped to stop the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). In March 2003, it issued a global alert and emergency travel advisory, and its leadership helped to stop this new disease, which had the potential to become a worldwide epidemic. WHO investigates over 200 disease outbreaks each year, 15 to 20 of which require an international response. Some of the more prominent diseases for which WHO is leading the global response include meningitis, yellow fever, cholera and influenza.

27 Pressing for universal immunization

Immunization saves more than 2 million lives every year. As a result of efforts by the World Health Organization, UNICEF, other organizations and Governments, an estimated 79 per cent of the world's children are now vaccinated with the diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus vaccine, up from 20 per cent in 1980. Between 2000 and 2006, measles deaths in Africa declined by 91 per cent, with a two-thirds reduction globally. Barriers to introducing new vaccines are gradually being overcome, and contacts forged through immunization are being used to provide additional life-saving assistance, such as insecticide-treated nets to protect against malaria and vitamin A supplements to prevent malnutrition.

28 Reducing child mortality

In 1990, 1 out of 10 children died before they were five years old. Through oral rehydration therapy, clear water and sanitation and other health and nutrition measures undertaken by
UN agencies, child mortality rates in developing countries had dropped to less than 1 in 12 by 2006. The goal is now to reduce the 1990 under-five mortality rate by two thirds by 2015.

29 Laying the groundwork for business

The United Nations is good for business. It has provided the “soft infrastructure” for the global economy by negotiating universally accepted technical standards in such diverse areas as statistics, trade law, customs procedures, intellectual property, aviation, shipping and telecommunications, facilitating economic activity and reducing transaction costs. It has laid the groundwork for investment in developing economies by promoting stability and good governance, battling corruption and urging sound economic policies and business-friendly legislation.

30 Supporting industry in developing countries

The UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) has served as a “matchmaker” for North-South and South-South industrial cooperation, promoting entrepreneurship, investment, technology transfer and cost-effective and sustainable industrial development. It has helped countries to manage the process of globalization smoothly and reduce poverty.

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31 Helping disaster victims

When natural disasters and emergencies arise, the United Nations coordinates and mobilizes assistance to the victims. Working together with Governments, the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement, major aid organizations and donors, the UN provides much-needed humanitarian assistance. UN appeals raise several billion dollars a year for emergency assistance.

32 Reducing the effects of natural disasters

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has helped to spare millions of people from the calamitous effects of both natural and man-made disasters. Its early warning system, which includes thousands of surface monitors, as well as satellites, has made it possible to predict with greater accuracy weather-related disasters, has provided information on the dispersal of oil spills and chemical and nuclear leaks and has predicted long-term droughts. It has also allowed for the efficient distribution of food aid to drought-affected regions.

33 Providing tsunami relief

Within 24 hours of the Indian Ocean tsunami of 26 December 2004, United Nations disaster assessment and coordination experts were dispatched. The UN leapt into action to assist the survivors, distributing food to more than 1.7 million individuals, providing shelter for more than 1.1 million made homeless, providing drinking water to more than 1 million and vaccinating more than 1.2 million children against measles — all in the first six months of relief operations. The quick and effective delivery of humanitarian relief meant that no additional lives were lost due to privation after the initial devastation, and the outbreak of disease was averted.

34 Protecting the ozone layer

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) have been instrumental in highlighting the damage caused to Earth’s ozone layer. As a result of a treaty known as the Montreal Protocol, Governments are phasing out chemicals that have caused the depletion of the ozone layer and replacing them with safer alternatives. This will spare millions of people from contracting skin cancer because of exposure to increased ultraviolet radiation.

35 Clearing landmines

The United Nations clears landmines in 42 countries or territories, including Afghanistan, Angola, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iraq, Mozambique and the Sudan. Landmines kill or maim thousands of civilians every year. The UN also teaches people how to stay out of harm's way helps victims to become self-sufficient, assist countries in destroying stockpiled landmines and advocates for full international participation in treaties related to landmines.

36 Providing food to the neediest

The World Food Programme (WFP), the world’s largest humanitarian agency, reaches an average of 90 million hungry people in 80 countries every year, including most of the world’s refugees and internally displaced people. WFP food assistance is designed to meet the special needs of hungry people, especially women and children — the vulnerable majority most often affected by hunger. WFP works to break the cycle of hunger at its root by targeting the poorest and most malnourished people. School-feeding projects provide free lunches or take-home meals to nearly 20 million schoolchildren — with each meal costing just 25 U.S. cents. The agency’s logistical expertise in emergency telecommunications enables it to dispatch help quickly in the most difficult and dangerous situations. With over 90 per cent of its staff working in the field, WFP uses a global network of planes, ships, helicopters, trucks and, if needed, donkeys, camels and elephants to reach those most in need. WFP serves as an advocate for the hungry, carrying the message from the grass roots to political leaders around the world.

37 Fighting hunger

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) leads global efforts to defeat hunger. The goal of universal food security — where people everywhere have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives — is at the heart of all its work. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum, where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and debate policy. FAO also helps developing countries to modernize and improve agriculture, forestry and fisheries practices in ways that conserve natural resources and improve nutrition.

38 Tackling fish stock depletion

Seventy per cent of the world’s major commercial fish stocks are exploited to their sustainable limits or beyond. FAO monitors global fisheries production and the status of wild fish stocks and works with countries to improve the management of fisheries, stamp out illegal fishing, promote responsible international fish trade and protect fragile species and environments.

39 Banning toxic chemicals

The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants seeks to rid the world of some of the most dangerous chemicals ever created. Ratified by 150 countries, the Convention targets 12 hazardous pesticides and industrial chemicals that can kill people, damage the nervous and immune systems, cause cancer and reproductive disorders and interfere with child development. Other UN conventions and action plans help to preserve biodiversity, protect endangered species, combat desertification, clean up seas and curb cross-border movements of hazardous wastes.

40 Protecting consumers’ health

To ensure the safety of food sold in the marketplace, FAO and the World Health Organization, working with Member States, have established standards for over 230 food commodities, safety limits for more than 3,000 food contaminants, and regulations on food processing, transport and storage. Standards on labelling and description seek to ensure that the consumer is not misled. More food than ever before is travelling the globe, and the United Nations works to make sure that it is safe.

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41 Combating terrorism

Member States have been coordinating their counter-terrorism efforts through the United Nations. In 2006, the UN adopted a global strategy to counter terrorism — the first time that all countries agreed to a common approach to fighting terrorism. UN agencies and programmes have helped countries to put in practice the common strategy, providing legal assistance and promoting international cooperation against terrorism. The UN has also put in place a legal framework to combat terrorism. Sixteen global legal instruments have been negotiated under UN auspices, including treaties against hostage-taking, aircraft hijacking, terrorist bombings, terrorism financing and, most recently, nuclear terrorism.

42 Helping to resolve major international disputes

By delivering judgments and advisory opinions, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has helped to settle international disputes involving territorial questions, maritime boundaries, diplomatic relations, State responsibility, the treatment of aliens and the use of force, among others.

43 Improving global trade relations

The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has helped developing countries to negotiate trade agreements and to win preferential treatment for their exports. It has negotiated international commodity agreements to ensure fair prices for developing countries, improved
the efficiency of their trade infrastructure and helped them to diversify their production and to integrate into the global economy.

44 Promoting economic reform

The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have helped many countries to improve their economic management, provided temporary financial assistance to countries to help ease balance-of-payment difficulties and offered training for government finance officials.

45 Promoting stability and order in the world’s oceans

The United Nations has spearheaded international efforts to regulate the use of the oceans under a single treaty. The 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which has gained nearly universal acceptance, provides the legal framework for all activities in the oceans and seas. The Convention lays down rules for the establishment of maritime zones, the rights and duties of coastal and landlocked States, including with regard to navigation, the protection of the marine environment, marine scientific research, and the conservation and sustainable use of marine living resources. The treaty includes mechanisms for settling disputes.

46 Improving aviation and shipping

UN agencies have been responsible for setting safety standards for aviation and shipping. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has contributed to making air travel the safest mode of transportation. In 1947, when 21 million travelled by air, 590 were killed in aircraft accidents; in 2007, the number of deaths was 581 out of 2.2 billion airline passengers. Likewise, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has helped to make the seas cleaner and shipping safer and more secure. Statistics show that shipping is becoming safer and is improving its environmental credentials. Ship losses are falling, fatalities are decreasing, pollution incidents are down, total oil pollution is down, and air pollution and pollution from sewage are being tackled—all while the amount of cargo carried by sea continues to increase.

47 Combating international crime

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) works with countries and organizations to counter translational organized crime by providing legal and technical assistance to fight corruption, money-laundering, drug trafficking and smuggling of migrants, as well as by strengthening criminal justice systems. It helps countries to prevent terrorism, it is a leader in the global fight against trafficking in persons and, together with the World Bank, it helps countries to recover assets stolen by corrupt leaders. It has played a key role in brokering and implementing relevant international Treaties, such as the UN Convention against Corruption and the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.

48 Containing the world drug problem

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) works to reduce the supply of and demand for illicit drugs under the three main UN conventions on drug control. The Office works with countries to improve public health, as well as public security, in order to prevent, treat and control drug abuse. Efforts to contain the global drug problem have reversed a 25-year rise in drug abuse and headed off a pandemic. Nevertheless, several countries and regions remain vulnerable to the instability caused by drug cultivation and trafficking. That is why the Office is particularly engaged in drug control in Afghanistan, the Andean countries, Central Asia, Myanmar and West Africa.

49 Promoting decent work

The International Labour Organization (ILO) has established standards and fundamental principles and rights for work, including freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining, the elimination of forced labour, the abolition of child labour and the elimination of workplace discrimination. Employment promotion, social protection for all and strong social dialogue between employers’ and workers’ organizations and Governments are at the core of ILO activities.

50 Improving literacy and education in developing countries

Today 83 per cent of adults in developing countries can read and write and 84 per cent of children attend primary school. The goal now is to ensure that by 2015 all children complete a full course of primary school. Programmes aimed at promoting education and advancement for women helped to raise the female literacy rate in developing countries from 36 per cent in 1970 to 79 per cent in 2007. The next goal is to ensure that by 2015 all girls complete primary and secondary school.

51 through 60

51 Generating worldwide commitment in support of children

From Afghanistan to Lebanon and from the Sudan to the former Yugoslavia, UNICEF has pioneered the establishment of “days of tranquillity” and the opening of “corridors of peace” to provide vaccines and other aid desperately needed by children caught in armed conflict. The Convention on the Rights of the Child has become law in 193 countries. Following the 2002 UN special session on children, 190 Governments committed themselves to a time-bound set of goals in the areas of health, education, protection against abuse, exploitation and violence and the struggle against HIV/AIDS.

52 Preserving historic, cultural, architectural and natural sites

The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has helped 137 countries to protect ancient monuments and historic, cultural and natural sites. It has negotiated international conventions to preserve cultural property, cultural diversity and outstanding cultural and natural sites. More than 850 such sites have been designated as having exceptional universal value.

53 Facilitating academic and cultural exchanges

The United Nations, through UNESCO and the United Nations University, has encouraged scholarly and scientific cooperation, networking of higher education institutions and promotion of cultural expression, including for minorities and indigenous people.

54 Encouraging creativity and innovation

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) promotes the protection of intellectual property rights and ensures that all countries are in a position to harness the benefits of an effective intellectual property system. Intellectual property, which at its core is a mechanism designed to recognize and reward inventors and creators for their ingenuity while safeguarding the public interest, helps to promote development and create wealth. The incentives built into the intellectual property system act as a spur to human creativity, pushing forward the boundaries of science and technology and enriching the world of literature and the arts.

55 Promoting press freedom and freedom of expression

To allow all people to obtain information that is free of censorship and culturally diverse, UNESCO has helped to develop and strengthen the media and supported independent newspapers and broadcasters. UNESCO also serves as a watchdog for press freedom, and publicly denounces serious violations like the assassination and detention of journalists.

56 Turning slums into decent human settlements

Cities are now home to half of humankind. They are the hub for much national production and consumption—economic and social processes that generate wealth and opportunity. But they also are places of disease, crime, pollution and poverty. In many cities in developing countries, slum-dwellers number more than 50 per cent of the population and have little or no access to shelter, water and sanitation. The UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT), with over 150 technical programmes and projects in some 50 countries, works with Governments, local authorities and non-governmental organizations to seek innovative solutions for towns and cities. These include providing security of tenure for the urban poor, which is in turn a catalyst for investment in housing and basic services for the poor.

57 Providing local access to a global network

The Universal Postal Union (UPU) facilitates the exchange of international mail and develops social, cultural and commercial communications between peoples and businesses with up-to-date postal services and products. Some 660,000 post offices around the world form one of the most extensive networks in the world, facilitating the transfer of information, goods and money. The Internet and new technologies have opened new opportunities for postal services, especially in the area of e-commerce, as goods ordered online still cannot be sent electronically. The post remains a critical bridge between physical, digital and financial operations and a key partner for global development.

58 Promoting the rights of persons with disabilities

The United Nations has been at the forefront of the fight for full equality for persons with disabilities, promoting their participation in social, economic and political life. The UN has shown that persons with disabilities are a resource for society, and has negotiated the first-ever treaty to advance their rights and dignity worldwide: the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which entered into force in 2008.

59 Improving global telecommunications

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) brings together Governments and industry to develop and coordinate the operation of global telecommunication networks and services. It has coordinated shared use of the radio spectrum, promoted international cooperation in assigning satellite orbits, worked to improve telecommunication infrastructure in the developing world and negotiated the global standards that ensure the seamless interconnection of a vast range of communications systems. From broadband Internet to the latest-generation wireless technologies, from air and sea navigation to radio astronomy and satellite-based meteorology, from phone services to TV broadcasting and next-generation networks, ITU is committed to connecting the world. Its work has enabled telecommunications to grow into a $1.3 trillion global industry.

60 Improving the plight of indigenous people

The United Nations has brought to the fore injustices against the 370 million to 500 million indigenous peoples who live in some 90 countries worldwide and who are among the most disadvantaged and vulnerable groups of people in the world. The 16-member Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, established in 2000, works to improve the situation of indigenous peoples all over the world in development, culture, human rights, the environment, education and health.

Nobel Peace Prizes to the United Nations

2007 | The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
2005 | The International Atomic Energy Agency and its Director General,
Mohamed ElBaradei
2001 | The United Nations and its Secretary-General, Kofi Annan
1988 | The United Nations Peacekeeping Forces
1981 | The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
1969 | The International Labour Organization
1965 | The United Nations Children’s Fund
1961 | Dag Hammarskjöld, UN Secretary-General
1954 | The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
1950 | Ralph Bunche, Director of the UN Division of Trusteeship

30 Ways the United Nations in Vienna Makes a Difference

The Vienna International Centre (VIC) is home to the following members of the United Nations family: Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR), International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Vienna Office/Interim Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Office in Austria, United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), United Nations Information Service (UNIS) Vienna, United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV), United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA), United Nations Register of Damage Caused by the Construction of the Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (UNRoD) and United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR).

The Vienna International Centre marks its 30th anniversary in 2009. Over the past 30 years, the United Nations family in Vienna has made a difference in…

... overcoming poverty

1. UNCITRAL helps build a modern and open global trading and financial system that is rule-based, predictable, non-discriminatory and good for business. By developing trade law standards on dispute resolution, transport, procurement, insolvency, secured transactions and electronic commerce, UNCITRAL contributes to the laws necessary to handle trade across borders effectively and efficiently, supporting good governance, sustainable development and poverty reduction.

2. UNIDO promotes entrepreneurship in rural areas. In Morocco, for instance, UNIDO supports some 200 small businesses that process agricultural products, and trains and graduates young entrepreneurs in agro-processing technologies, management and marketing, which increases employment through stimulating the rural economy.

3. In rural Mozambique and Zambia, UNIDO has established two solar-powered business and community centres. Targeting small-scale farming communities without access to electricity or modern communications, the centres will improve living standards by providing communication and business services, including public and mobile phones, Internet access, market information, new ways of selling and buying goods, as well as training.

4. UNIDO helps industries gain a competitive edge. To counter the stagnation of Ethiopia’s leather sales – formerly the country’s second export earner after coffee – UNIDO is helping the Ethiopian leather industry re-conquer global markets by increasing productivity and quality of finished leather products, integrating the industry into the global value chain. After three years, this strategy achieved increased leather exports, including footwear to the EU, and a breakthrough into the US market.

5. Experts at the IAEA, together with their colleagues at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) help countries fight hunger and increase food production by using nuclear techniques and related biotechnologies. The scientists provide advice on insect pest control, plant breeding, livestock health and soil and water conservation.

6. As of May 2009, there are 436 nuclear power plants in 30 countries, providing approximately 15 per cent of the world’s electricity. The IAEA has fostered the efficient and safe use of nuclear power, while helping countries implement safe policies when dealing with nuclear waste. To strengthen safety and security of nuclear technologies, IAEA supports countries in agreeing and implementing international standards, binding international conventions; international peer reviews to evaluate national operations; and an international system of emergency preparedness and response.

7. More than 80 per cent of world trade is carried by ship. UNCITRAL has developed a new international convention that modernizes and consolidates maritime transport law for the 21st century by providing for door-to-door container transport including an international sea leg. This common legal framework is expected to improve efficiency and commercial certainty, which will reduce transport costs for the benefit of business and consumers alike.

8. In times of economic crisis, insolvency cases involving assets or creditors in more than one country are often in the news. For more effective resolution of cross-border insolvency cases, UNCITRAL has promoted cross-border cooperation among courts and legal professionals that will lead to greater procedural and cost efficiency and increase the returns to employees, creditors and investors.

... making the world safer

9. Once the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) has entered into force, all tests of nuclear weapons will be banned. It will then be almost impossible to develop nuclear weapons in the first place or to improve existing designs in a militarily relevant way. But even before entry into force, the CTBT has set a powerful norm against nuclear testing: While 2048 nuclear tests occurred before the treaty’s opening for signature, only five were conducted since – and these provoked universal condemnation.

10. CTBTO is building a global monitoring network to make sure that no nuclear tests will go unnoticed. When complete, the system will consist of nearly 340 stations, located in 89 countries. Seismic, hydroacoustic, and infrasound stations will detect any movement underground, in the oceans or in the atmosphere. Radionuclide stations will sniff the air for any signs of radioactivity. The network is already 75 per cent complete, already creating an important deterrent against potential violators.

11. The IAEA helps prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons by ensuring that countries using nuclear technologies are not secretly developing nuclear weapons. More than 150 States have a safeguards agreement in force with the IAEA. Based on these agreements, the IAEA inspectors verify the peaceful use of nearly 1,000 nuclear facilities globally.

12. More than 420 million sea containers move around the globe every year, virtually uninspected. But organized crime syndicates and terrorists can use containers for criminal purposes. UNODC and the World Customs Organization have therefore designed a Container Control Programme to help Governments control the movement of sea freight. From four ports in Ecuador, Senegal, Ghana and Pakistan, the Programme is expanding worldwide. It assists port enforcement teams in establishing profiling systems and modern control techniques to inspect high-risk containers.

13. West Africa has become a key transit hub for hundreds of millions of dollars worth of cocaine smuggled from Latin America to serve a booming market in Europe. Operating largely with impunity, the exploding drug trade is breeding widespread corruption and threatening security in the region. It was UNODC that first sounded the alarm on the crisis and spearheaded initiatives to address the dearth of information on crime, security sector reform, legal needs and communications between airports.

14. The Information Technology Service (ITS) of UNODC offers IT solutions for government agencies in intelligence, law enforcement, criminal prosecution and drug monitoring. ITS develops, deploys and then supports these solutions which are now in use in over 40 countries. The National Drug Control System (NDS) and the PEN Online software systems automate the tracking of licenses for the production and import/export of controlled substances and medical products. The “go” family of software solutions includes the goAML system, designed to detect money laundering; goCASE, a case management system for intelligence, law enforcement and prosecution agencies; and the goIDM model, which sets a government office standard for implementing IT infrastructure, including servers, PCs, local area networks and Internet connectivity.

15. Satellite imagery and other space-based technology can provide life-saving information for the prevention of natural and man-made disasters, and for rescue and relief efforts after such disasters occur. Since 2003, the victims of over 80 major disasters have benefited from access to space-based information, facilitated by UNOOSA, including the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, the 2008 cyclone in Myanmar and the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. UNOOSA aims to ensure that all countries are able to access and use space-based information to support disaster management and emergency response, and also provides technical advisory support to ensure speedier delivery time of such information during emergencies.

16. UNOOSA is organizing training of experts around the world to use the international COSPAS-SARSAT Satellite Search and Rescue System, which assists search and rescue operations at sea, on land and in the air. The system comprises emergency beacons which send distress alert signals and location information via satellites that then transmit the information to search and rescue teams. The system is available to any country free of charge for the end-user and has so far saved more than 25,000 people in distress in 6,800 search and rescue events. The system is now upgraded to address piracy and terrorist attacks.

... making the world healthier

17. International efforts to contain the global drug problem have reversed a 25-year rise in drug abuse and headed off a pandemic. UNODC works to reduce both the supply of and demand for illicit drugs under the three international agreements on drug control, working with countries to improve public health as well as public security in order to prevent, treat and control drug abuse. INCB works with Governments to ensure adequate supplies of drugs are available for medical purposes and to prevent their diversion to the illicit market.

18. UNODC’s publications on illicit crops like opium and coca are considered the gold standard of research in this field, contributing to powerful knowledge-based policy. Governments, the media and even intelligence agencies rely on UNODC’s authoritative crop surveys and trend analysis. Generated by satellite imagery or field researchers, the data help Governments to plan strategies to tackle the illicit crops. To monitor cultivation, UNODC works with the main producer countries - Colombia, Peru and Bolivia for coca, Afghanistan, Myanmar and Lao People’s Democratic Republic for opium and Morocco for cannabis.

19. UNSCEAR systematically evaluates global and regional levels and trends of radiation exposure, and provides the scientific basis for international radiation protection standards. UNSCEAR has recently reassessed radiation exposures from natural sources, from medical procedures, from accidents such as the one at Chernobyl in 1986, as well as due to weapons production and testing. Nuclear weapons tests, of which over 2,000 were carried out before the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) opened for signature in 1996, caused radioactive contamination to humans and the environment. Increased levels of the radioactive strontium-90, for example, were found in baby teeth around the globe. The CTBT will ban all nuclear explosions on Earth once it has entered into force, thereby contributing greatly to human health and to a sounder environment.

20. There are about 1,400 infectious diseases, of which some are among the most important causes of death in developing countries. Half of the world’s population lives in affected areas. Malaria alone infects up to 300 million persons each year, killing at least a million. UNOOSA helps countries use space applications in fighting the spread of diseases. Satellite remote sensing, global navigation satellite systems and geographic information systems make it easier to integrate ecological, environmental and other data to predict the spread of diseases such as malaria and dengue fever.

21. The IAEA has a long history of fighting cancer by supporting successful diagnosis and treatment measures including radiation therapy and nuclear medicine, and making these available to developing countries. IAEA's technical cooperation programme has delivered over $200 million worth of radiotherapy and nuclear medicine projects over the past 30 years.

... protecting the environment

22. The global CTBTO monitoring network that detects nuclear explosions is also helping Tsunami warning centres become faster. By providing seismic and hydroacoustic data directly to Tsunami warning centres in the Indian and Pacific Ocean regions (including in Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia and United States), the CTBTO network helps these centres warn populations up to two and a half minutes earlier than they can with data from other networks. CTBTO monitoring data is second-to-none regarding data timeliness, availability and quality. The CTBTO monitoring network can also help forecast volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, detect accidental radioactive release, and increase the wealth of knowledge on climate change.

23. UNIDO helps industries adopt clean technology. For example, Venezuela is phasing out chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), used mainly for refrigeration and air conditioning, and known to deplete the ozone layer. UNIDO is partnering with Venezuelan institutions to train refrigeration technicians in environmentally sound technologies, and distribute the necessary equipment. Close to 3,000 technicians have been certified and a code of practice was developed and implemented. Moreover, recovered CFC is now purified and recycled.

24. Nuclear techniques can help identify and mitigate environmental problems caused by pollution. The IAEA helps protect the world’s oceans, operating the UN’s only Marine Environment Laboratory, which studies the ocean environment and co-ordinates technical aspects of international ocean protection, training and assistance programmes.

25. Over 14,100 man-made space objects are orbiting the Earth, including nearly 3,300 satellites, manned spacecraft or their components, less than a third of which are still operational. UNOOSA manages the only international Register of official information provided by Governments on space objects launched into Earth orbit or beyond. By registering a space object, the launching country or organization declares responsibility for the operation and its potential liability for any damage caused by the space object. The Register facilitates the implementation of other international treaties and legal principles governing the exploration and peaceful uses of outer space.

26. Mountain areas are some of the most environmentally delicate regions, with problems including soil erosion, flooding, avalanches, drought, forest fires and water shortage. Climate change in mountain areas can reduce the stability of rock (permafrost), increasing landslides. Space technology can provide the information needed to protect mountain ecosystems on Earth, through remote sensing, satellite communications and global navigation satellite systems. UNOOSA helps countries make use of these technologies for the sustainable development of mountainous regions. Since 2004, UNOOSA has been assisting mountain regions such as the Hindu Kush-Himalayan and Andean regions.

27. The Carpathian mountain region spans the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Ukraine. In the Carpathian Convention, these countries agree to cooperate, with the support of UNEP in Vienna, to protect the mountain ecosystems by enabling sustainable regional development. Through international cooperation, public-private partnerships and experience exchange at the regional and global levels, mountain protected areas are better managed, sustainable tourism in mountains is promoted, mountain ecosystem services are better valued and mountain products are successfully marketed.

28. Covering 19 countries in Europe, the Danube region is the most international river basin in the world. The ICPDR is a platform for Danube countries to work together to make the river cleaner, and also to deal with the common problem of floods. Devastating floods in the 1990s have triggered a process of rethinking fundamental attitudes – rather than trying to dominate nature, the Danube countries are learning to co-exist with floods, and are working together to mitigate their impact through the International Action Programme for sustainable Flood Protection.

... making the world more just

29. Millions of people suffer the exploitation of human trafficking – the 21st-century form of slavery. Criminals obtain victims through force, abduction or fraud, to exploit them in ways including prostitution, forced labour and the removal of organs. No country is immune. Through the UN anti-trafficking Protocol, countries have agreed to work together to prevent this crime, protect victims, and prosecute the perpetrators. UNODC is spearheading the Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking which builds awareness of trafficking, broadens the information available on the crime and helps individual states to fight it. In 2009, UNODC published the first global assessment of the scope of human trafficking.

30. In the last decade, corrupt leaders have stolen billions of dollars from the countries they ruled. UNODC, together with the World Bank, helps poor countries recover stolen assets which can then be used for development purposes. The Stolen Asset Recovery (StAR) Initiative fosters cooperation between developing and developed countries, and between the public and private sectors, to repatriate looted assets. The aim is to reduce vulnerability to this crime, eliminate safe havens for dirty money and help countries get their money back.

The United Nations System

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) www.fao.org
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) www.iaea.org
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) www.icao.int
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) www.ifad.org
International Labour Organization (ILO) www.ilo.org
International Maritime Organization (IMO) www.imo.org
International Monetary Fund (IMF) www.imf.org
International Telecommunication Union (ITU) www.itu.int
Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) www.unaids.org
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) www.ohchr.org
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) www.unhcr.org
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) www.opcw.org
PrepCom for the Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization www.ctbto.org
United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) www.uncdf.org
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) www.unicef.org
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) www.unctad.org
United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) www.unifem.org
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) www.undp.org
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) www.unep.org
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) www.unesco.org
United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) www.unhabitat.org
United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) www.unido.org
United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW) www.un-instraw.org
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) www.unodc.org
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) www.unfpa.org
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) www.un.org/unrwa
United Nations University (UNU) www.unu.edu
United Nations Volunteers (UNV) www.unv.org
Universal Postal Union (UPU) www.upu.int
World Bank Group www.worldbank.org
World Food Programme (WFP) www.wfp.org
World Health Organization (WHO) www.who.org
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) www.wipo.int
World Meteorological Organization (WMO) www.wmo.ch
World Tourism Organization (WTO) www.world-tourism.org
World Trade Organization (WTO) www.wto.org

The United Nations in Vienna

Along with New York, Geneva and Nairobi, Vienna is one of the four headquarters of the United Nations. The Vienna International Centre (VIC), commonly known as "UNO City", was designed by Austrian architect Johann Staber. Opened on 23 August 1979, it has been rented to the United Nations for 99 years at a symbolic rate of 1 Austrian schilling (7 Euro cents) annually.

More than 4,000 employees from over a 110 countries work for the Vienna-based organizations. About a third of them are Austrians. Some 24 million Euros in annual operations costs are borne by the Organizations themselves. According to a study commissioned by the Austrian Ministry for European and International Affairs in 2009, the presence of international organizations in Vienna generates an economic benefit of more than 400 million Euros annually.

Numerous international conferences and meetings are organized by the United Nations in Vienna and held mainly at the Vienna International Centre.

Located at the Centre are the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO PrepCom),the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the United Nations Commission for International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) and the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA).

Other United Nations organizations and entities with offices at the VIC are the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR), the International Narcotic Control Board (INCB), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations Information Service (UNIS), the United Nations Office of Internal Oversight (OIOS), the United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA), the United Nations Register of Damage Caused by the Construction of the Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (UNRoD) and the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR).

United Nations Office at Vienna

The United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV) provides administrative support to VIC-based programmes in conference planning, language interpretation and building security. The Director-General of UNOV represents the Secretary-General in dealings with the host country and diplomatic missions in Vienna.

Fighting drugs and crime

Effective 1 November 1997, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) was formally established in Vienna with the mandate to support Member States in the prevention of illicit drugs, crime and terrorism. From headquarters at the Vienna International Centre and through a network of field offices around the world, UNODC helps Member States to reduce their vulnerability to drugs and crime, and to promote security and justice for all.

The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) is an independent, quasi-judicial expert body established by the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961. The mandate of INCB is to promote Government compliance with the provisions of the international drug control conventions.

Industrial development

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) is the specialized agency helping developing countries and transition economies alleviate poverty by enhancing the productive capacities of their small and medium-sized industries. UNIDO does this through integrated programmes (IPs) that work at the policy, institutional and enterprise levels. The UNIDO IP is designed to build a competitive economy, create productive employment and ensure a sound environment.

Nuclear cooperation / verification

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the first United Nations organization in Vienna (since 1957), serves as the world's central intergovernmental forum for scientific and technical cooperation in the nuclear field. It is also the international inspectorate for the application of nuclear safeguards and verification measures covering civilian nuclear programmes.

The Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO PrepCom) carries out the preparations for the implementation of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), which bans all nuclear weapons test explosions. To monitor compliance with the CTBT, the Commission uses seismic, hydroacoustic, infrasound and radionuclide technologies. The Commission's main task is the establishment of the worldwide International Monitoring System (IMS) of 337 facilities, and the International Data Centre (IDC) in the Vienna International Centre.

United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1955. UNSCEAR’s mandate is to assess and report levels and effects of exposure to ionizing radiation.

Outer space

The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) implements the decisions of the General Assembly, the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space and its two Subcommittees: the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee and the Legal Subcommittee. These intergovernmental fora promote international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space for social and economic development, particularly for the benefit of developing countries.

Public information

The United Nations Information Service (UNIS) Vienna is part of a 63-strong network of United Nations Information Centres spanning the globe, from Accra to Yaoundé, which are part of the Department of Public Information (DPI). They share a common goal: to help fulfill the substantive purposes of the United Nations by communicating the activities and concerns of the Organization to the public. UNIS Vienna plays a dual role: it serves as the local voice of the UN in four client countries (Austria, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia) and provides public information support and promotional services to the substantive programmes of the United Nations based in Vienna. UNIS Vienna also runs the Visitors Service, which provides access to the Vienna International Centre for the general public with 50,000 visitors annually.

Trade law

The International Trade Law Branch is the secretariat for a United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) which promotes world trade by working to harmonize the relevant national regulations.

Refugees

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees opened its representation in Vienna in 1951, the founding year of the United Nations refugee agency. UNHCR monitors the implementation of the relevant asylum laws in Austria according to the Geneva Refugee Convention and makes suggestions on refugee related questions to the authorities. It also works with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) dealing with refugees and asylum seekers.

Environment protection

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the voice for the environment in the United Nations system and headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya. The UNEP office in Vienna liaises with international organizations based in the region, provides the Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention on an interim basis, hosts UNEP's Balkan Programme including the coordination of the Environment and Security Initiative in South Eastern Europe and provides the mountain reference centre of UNEP.

The the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR) was founded to implement the International Danube Convention. Its mandate is to promote and coordinate sustainable and equitable water management, including conservation, improvement and rational use of waters for the benefit of the Danube River Basin countries and their people.

Postal administration

On 24 August 1979, one day after the opening of the Vienna International Centre, the United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA) issued its first UN stamps in Austrian currency. United Nations stamps are now issued simultaneously at UN offices in New York, Geneva and Vienna. Each issue carries a related design theme, with different denominations for each office. Human rights, the environment, endangered species and peace - to name just a few - are all subjects of universal concern to the peoples of the world and are visualized on the stamps of (UNPA).

Register of Damage

The United Nations Register of Damage Caused by the Construction of the Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (UNRoD) was established by United Nations General Assembly in 2007 following an Advisory Opinion given by the International Court of Justice in 2004 on the legal consequences of the construction of the Wall in the West Bank. UNRoD's mandate is to serve as a record, in documentary form, of the damage caused to all natural and legal persons concerned as a result of the construction of the Wall by Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including in and around East Jerusalem.

Democracy and the United Nations

Democracy is one of the universal and indivisible core values and principles of the United Nations. It is based on the freely expressed will of people and closely linked to the rule of law and exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Democracy in international law

Although the United Nations Charter includes no mention of the word “democracy”, the opening words of the Charter, “We the Peoples”, reflect the fundamental principle of democracy that the will of the people is the source of legitimacy of sovereign states and therefore of the United Nations as a whole.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the General Assembly in 1948, clearly projected the concept of democracy by stating “the will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government.”ii The Declaration spells out the rights that are essential for effective political participation. Since its adoption, the Declaration has inspired constitution-making around the world and has contributed greatly to the global acceptance of democracy as a universal value.

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966) lays the legal basis for the principles of democracy under international law, particularly:
• freedom of expression (Article 19); the right of peaceful assembly (Article 21);
• the right to freedom of association with others (Article 22);
• the right and opportunity to take part in the conduct of public affairs, directly or through freely chosen representatives (Article 25);
• the right to vote and to be elected at genuine periodic elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret ballot, guaranteeing the free expression of the will of the electors (Article 25).

The Covenant is binding on those States that have ratified it. As of April 2008, the number of parties to the Convention was 161, which constitutes approximately 80 per cent of the United Nations membership.

Supporting democracy around the world

United Nations activities in support of democracy and governance are implemented through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF), and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), among others. Such activities are inseparable from the UN’s work in promoting human rights, development, and peace and security, and include:
• assisting parliaments and decentralized local governance structures to enhance
the checks and balances that allow democracy to thrive;
• promoting human rights, the rule of law and access to justice by helping to
strengthen the impartiality and effectiveness of national human rights machinery and judicial systems;
• ensuring freedom of expression and access to information by strengthening legislation and media capacities;
• electoral assistance and long-term support for electoral management bodies; and
• promoting women’s political empowerment.

Approximately $1.5 billion each year is provided through UNDP alone to support democratic processes around the world, making the United Nations one of the largest providers of technical cooperation for democracy and governance globally.

The political work of the United Nations requires that it promote democratic outcomes; the development agencies seek to bolster national institutions like parliaments, electoral commissions and legal systems that form the bedrock of any democracy; and the human rights efforts support freedom of expression and association, participation and the rule of law, all of which are critical components of democracy.

The UN General Assembly and democracy

Since 1988, the General Assembly has adopted at least one resolution annually dealing with some aspect of democracy. Democracy has emerged as a cross-cutting issue in the outcomes of the major United Nations conferences and summits since the 1990s and in the internationally agreed development goals they produced, including the Millennium Development Goals. Member States at the World Summit in September 2005 reaffirmed that “democracy is a universal value based on the freely expressed will of people to determine their political, economic, social and cultural systems and their full participation in all aspects of their lives.”

The Summit Outcome Document also stressed that “democracy, development and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms are interdependent and mutually reinforcing,” and pointed out that “while democracies share common features, there is no single model of democracy.”

Five years earlier, world leaders pledged in the Millennium Declaration to spare no effort to promote democracy and strengthen the rule of law, as well as respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. They resolved to strive for the full protection and promotion in all countries of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights for all and to strengthen the capacity of all countries to implement the principles and practices of democracy and respect for human rights.

First International Day of Democracy

On 8 November 2007, the General Assembly proclaimed 15 September as the International Day of Democracy, inviting Member States, the United Nations system and other regional, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to commemorate the Day. The International Day of Democracy provides an opportunity to review the state of democracy in the world. Democracy is as much a process as a goal, and only with the full participation of and support by the international community, national governing bodies, civil society and individuals, can the ideal of democracy be made into a reality to be enjoyed by everyone, everywhere.

Violence Against Women

Women aged 15-44 are more at risk from rape and domestic violence than from cancer, car accidents, war and malaria, according to World Bank data.

Violence against women in police custody is common and includes sexual violence, inappropriate surveillance, strip searches conducted by men and demands for sexual acts in exchange for privileges or basic necessities.

The Situation

Violence against women takes many forms – physical, sexual, psychological and economic. These forms of violence are interrelated and affect women from before birth to old age. Some types of violence, such as trafficking, cross national boundaries.

Women who experience violence suffer a range of health problems and their ability to participate in public life is diminished. Violence against women harms families and communities across generations and reinforces other violence prevalent in society.

Violence against women also impoverishes women, their families, communities and nations.

Violence against women is not confined to a specific culture, region or country, or to particular groups of women within a society. The roots of violence against women lie in persistent discrimination against women.

Up to 70 per cent of womenexperience violence in their lifetime.

Violence by an intimate partner

The most common form of violence experienced by women globally is physical violence inflicted by an intimate partner, with women beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused.

A World Health Organization (WHO) study in 11 countries found that the percentage of women who had been subjected to sexual violence by an intimate partner ranged from 6 per cent in Japan to 59 per cent in Ethiopia.

Several global surveys suggest that half of all women who die from homicide are killed by their current or former husbands or partners.

In Australia, Canada, Israel, South Africa and the United States, 40 to 70 per cent of female murder victims were killed by their partners, according to the World Health Organization.
In Colombia, one woman is reportedly killed by her partner or former partner every six days.

Psychological or emotional violence by intimate partners is also widespread.

Sexual violence

It is estimated that, worldwide, one in five women will become a victim of rape or attempted rape in her lifetime.

The practice of early marriage – a form of sexual violence – is common worldwide, especially in Africa and South Asia. Young girls are often forced into the marriage and into sexual relations, causing health risks, including exposure to HIV/AIDS, and limiting their attendance in school.

One effect of sexual abuse is traumatic gynecologic fistula: an injury resulting from severe tearing of the vaginal tissues, rendering the woman incontinent and socially undesirable.

Sexual violence in conflict

Sexual violence in conflict is a serious, present-day atrocity affecting millions of people, primarily women and girls. It is frequently a conscious strategy employed on a large scale by armed groups to humiliate opponents, terrify individuals and destroy societies. Women and girls may also be subjected to sexual exploitation by those mandated to protect them.

Women as old as grandmothers and as young as toddlers have routinely suffered violent sexual abuse at the hands of military and rebel forces.

Rape has long been used as a tactic of war, with violence against women during or after armed conflicts reported in every international or non-international war-zone.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo approximately 1,100 rapes are being reported each month, with an average of 36 women and girls raped every day. It is believed that over 200,000 women have suffered from sexual violence in that country since armed conflict began.
The rape and sexual violation of women and girls is pervasive in the conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan.
Between 250,000 and 500,000 women were raped during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.
Sexual violence was a characterizing feature of the 14year long civil war in Liberia.
During the conflict in Bosnia in the early 1990s, between 20,000 and 50,000 women were raped.

Violence and HIV/AIDS

Women’s inability to negotiate safe sex and refuse unwanted sex is closely linked to the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS. Unwanted sex results in a higher risk of abrasion and bleeding and easier transmission of the virus.

Women who are beaten by their partners are 48 per cent more likely to be infected with HIV/AIDS.

Young women are particularly vulnerable to coerced sex and are increasingly being infected with HIV/AIDS. Over half of new HIV infections worldwide are occurring among young people between the ages of 15 and 24, and more than 60 per cent of HIV-positive youth in this age bracket are female.

Female Genital Mutilation/Genital Cutting

Female Genital Mutilation/Genital Cutting (FGM/C) refers to several types of traditional cutting operations performed on women and girls.

It is estimated that more than 130 million girls and women alive today have undergone FGM/C, mainly in Africa and some Middle Eastern countries.
2 million girls a year are thought to be at risk of genital mutilation.

Dowry murder

Dowry murder is a brutal practice where a woman is killed by her husband or in-laws because her family cannot meet their demands for dowry — a payment made to a woman’s in-laws upon her marriage as a gift to her new family.

While dowries or similar payments are prevalent worldwide, dowry murder occurs predominantly in South Asia.

“Honour killing”

In many societies, rape victims, women suspected of engaging in premarital sex, and women accused of adultery have been murdered by their relatives because the violation of a woman’s chastity is viewed as an affront to the family’s honour.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) estimates that the annual worldwide number of so-called “honour killing” victims may be as high as 5,000 women.

Trafficking in persons

Between 500,000 to 2 million people are trafficked annually into situations including prostitution, forced labour, slavery or servitude, according to estimates. Women and girls account for about 80 per cent of the detected victims.

Violence during pregnancy

Violence before and during pregnancy has serious health consequences for both mother and child. It leads to high-risk pregnancies and pregnancy-related problems, including miscarriage, pre-term labour and low birth weight.

Female infanticide, prenatal sex selection and systematic neglect of girls are widespread in South and East Asia, North Africa, and the Middle East.

Discrimination and violence

Many women face multiple forms of discrimination and increased risk of violence.

Indigenous women in Canada are five times more likely than other women of the same age to die as the result of violence.
In Europe, North America and Australia, over half of women with disabilities have experienced physical abuse, compared to one-third of non-disabled women.

Cost and Consequences

The costs of violence against women are extremely high. They include the direct costs of services to treat and support abused women and their children and to bring perpetrators to justice.

The indirect costs include lost employment and productivity, and the costs in human pain and suffering.

The cost of intimate partner violence in the United States alone exceeds $5.8 billion per year: $4.1 billion is for direct medical and health care services, while productivity losses account for nearly $1.8 billion.
A 2004 study in the United Kingdom estimated the total direct and indirect costs of domestic violence, including pain and suffering, to be £23 billion per year or £440 per person.

What is the United Nations doing to end violence against women and girls?

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign aims to prevent and eliminate violence against women and girls in all parts of the world.

UNiTE brings together a host of UN agencies and offices to galvanize action across the UN system to prevent and punish violence against women. Through the campaign, the UN is joining forces with individuals, civil society and governments to put an end to violence against women in all its forms.

By 2015, UNiTE aims to achieve the following five goals in all countries:

Adopt and enforce national laws to address and punish all forms of violence against women and girls.
Adopt and implement multi-sectoral national action plans.
Strengthen data collection on the prevalence of violence against women and girls.
Increase public awareness and social mobilization.
Address sexual violence in conflict.

Just some of the UN’s many efforts towards attaining these goals are highlighted below.

Goal 1
Adopt and enforce national laws to address and punish all forms of violence against women and girls

The UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), working with local partners, has supported the adoption of laws against domestic and sexual violence, and rape and family law provisions, in Colombia, Sierra Leone, Vietnam and Zimbabwe, amongst others.
In Rwanda, support given by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) to women parliamentarians contributed to the drafting of a law criminalizing gender-based violence.
In 2007, capacity-building workshops for judges and parliamentarians, which focused on violence against women, were organized by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, in collaboration with the UN Division for the Advancement of Women.
The UN Economic Commission for Africa, in collaboration with the African Union and other partners, has created the Network on Gender-Based Violence/Violence against Women, which reviews global and regional legal commitments and the obligations of States to end violence against women.

Goal 2
Adopt and implement multi-sectoral national action plans

In Jamaica, the findings of UNDP research on gender-based violence – which included identification of school-based initiatives and the role of the family in ending violence against women – were fed into the country’s national action plan.
The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) has supported sensitivity training of medical professionals to meet the health needs of women affected by violence in Ecuador, Lebanon, Nepal, Russia and Sri Lanka, among others.
In Nigeria, UNIFEM and partners supported police training on violence against women and human trafficking in Nigeria.
UNICEF has developed a manual for football coaches, designed to encourage them to talk to boys about violence against women and girls, in order to promote a culture of non-violence and non-discrimination.

Goal 3
Strengthen data collection on the prevalence of violence against women and girls

Training and reporting assistance for police and civil society organizations has been provided by UNIFEM, UNDP and UNICEF.
Efforts to improved data collection and national statistical monitoring on gender-based violence have been supported by UNIFEM in, among other places, Afghanistan, Algeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Mexico, Morocco, Senegal and Venezuela.
UNHCR – the UN refugee agency – is working with UNFPA and the International Rescue Committee to develop a gender-based violence information management system to improve data collection and information sharing.
Through its Safer Cities Programme, UN-HABITAT has undertaken surveys on violence against women in South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, Cameroon and Papua New Guinea, with the aim of assisting policy development and advocacy.

Goal 4
Increase public awareness and social mobilization

Say NO – UNiTE to End Violence against Women (www. saynotoviolence.org) is the social mobilization platform for the UNiTE campaign. Say NO – UNiTE counts, showcases and facilitates local and national advocacy efforts towards ending violence against women and girls by individuals, governments, civil society and UN partners. Through an interactive and social media-friendly website, Say NO – UNiTE engages people from all walks of life and links local actions to an expanding global network.
In 2009, UNFPA produced an international photography exhibition called Congo/Women: Portraits of War, which compels viewers to acknowledge and respond on some level to the suffering endured by women and girls in the Democratic Republic of Congo and to recognize the human faces behind it. Congo/Women has been shown in cities across the United States and continues to travel in the US and Europe. An online slide show which juxtaposes the photographs with reactions of the people viewing them can be viewed online at http://www.unfpa.org/congowomen/
In Cambodia, an estimated 2,485 villagers participated throughout 2008 in community conversation sessions, organized by village facilitators and UNDP, to promote the communities’ understanding of social and legal issues related to domestic violence.
Partners for Prevention: Working with Boys and Men to Prevent Gender-based Violence, is an initiative of UNDP, UNFPA, UNIFEM and UN Volunteers in Asia and the Pacific. The programme works to reduce violence against women and girls in part through a public awareness campaign to mobilize boys and men to do more to prevent violence, and through supporting local campaigns in local languages.

Goal 5
Address sexual violence in conflict

Stop Rape Now (http://stoprapenow.org/get-cross/) is a joint effort by a network of UN agencies known as UN Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict to prevent the use of rape as a tactic of war and respond effectively to the needs of survivors. Its GET CROSS! initiative calls on members of the public, as well as celebrities and other prominent figures at the national level, to submit a photograph of themselves adopting the crossed-armed ‘X’ gesture, sending the message that sexual terror will not be tolerated. Photos will be showcased on the Stop Rape Now website and in a large global mosaic at UN Headquarters.
With reports of widespread rape and other atrocities pouring in from the eastern Kivu provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC – MONUC – sent some 40 teams to the region during 2009 to bolster the protection of civilians. The teams identify early warning signs of potential threats to civilians so that peacekeepers can react rapidly to counter them.
Through the Global Programme on Strengthening the Rule of Law in Conflict and Post-Conflict Situations, UNDP has supported 20 conflict and post-conflict countries to strengthen national capacity to end impunity for gender-based violence.
In 2009, the African Union/United Nations Hybrid operation in Darfur – UNAMID –conducted a workshop on sexual and gender-based violence in an internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in Tawilla, North Darfur. Thirty women leaders participated in the workshop, which focused on ways of stopping sexual and gender-based violence in their community and on reporting mechanisms. Similar workshops have also been conducted in Al Salam IDP camp, just outside of El Fasher.

Enhancing information sharing

In March 2009, UN Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro launched the Secretary-General’s database on violence against women, the first global “one-stop shop” for information on measures undertaken by UN Member States to address violence against women, as well as available data and statistics. It contains information on services for victims and survivors, and relevant data on capacity-building and awareness-raising activities for public officials, and on the prevalence of violence and the criminal justice sector response to it. The database can be accessed at http://webapps01.un.org/vawdatabase/home.action

Giving grants to stop violence against women and girls

The UN Trust Fund in Support of Actions to Eliminate Violence against Women – managed by UNIFEM on behalf of the UN system – is the only multilateral grant-making mechanism that supports local, national and regional efforts to end violence against women and girls. Since the Trust Fund began operation in 1997, it has distributed more than $44 million to 291 initiatives in 119 countries and territories (as of May 2009).

UN Security Council addressing sexual violence in conflict

In September 2009, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1888, which demands that all parties to armed conflict take immediate action to protect civilians, including women and children, from all forms of sexual violence, and urges greater measures by States and the UN to end this scourge.

Sixty-third session of the General Assembly

Basic information about the sixty-third session of the General Assembly, which was held in September 2008.

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Sixty-fourth session of the General Assembly

Basic information about the sixty-fourth session of the General Assembly, which has begun on 15 September 2009.

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Sixty-fifth session of the General Assembly

Basic information about the sixty-fifth session of the General Assembly, which has begun on 14 September 2010.

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The Year in Review 2009

United Nations takes on a range of tough global challenges

UN foto, Mark Garten - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addresses the UN Climate Change Conference on its final day, 18 December. 2009 was the year in which the world absorbed the full impact of the worst global economic setback since the Great Depression, was startled by the arrival of a novel influenza virus that quickly reached pandemic scale, and was shocked by a crisis in Gaza, which dealt another setback to prospects for peace in the Middle East. It also witnessed the most tangible evidence yet that a changing climate is refashioning the face of the planet.

But with the end of 2009 only days away, and at the conclusion of a grueling conference on climate change in Copenhagen, the outlines of a global deal emerged. Breaking a virtual deadlock that had prevailed for years, the Copenhagen Accord – in the words of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon – “marks a significant step forward in negotiations for the first truly global agreement that can limit and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, support adaptation for the most vulnerable and help to establish a new era of environmentally sustainable growth.”

The meeting of some 120 Heads of State and Government led to agreement that climate change adaptation projects and prevention of deforestation and forest degradation will be supported through ramped-up funding: $30 billion for immediate implementation over the next three years, and $100 billion a year by 2020. The funding would go through a newly established Copenhagen Green Climate Fund. Many developing countries, including Brazil, China, India and South Africa, have adopted new climate strategies with proposed emission reductions, and the accord would provide a way to record those efforts. And for the first time, countries agreed to limit global temperature rise to below 2°C.

While falling short of a new, binding international convention, the historic meeting responded to the challenge the UN Secretary-General set when he hosted a climate change summit in New York in September. It also sets the stage for further negotiations toward binding international agreement in Mexico in 2010.

Protecting the poor, movingtoward economic recovery

The year started off with the devastating economic downturn gathering force and continued turmoil in financial sectors, especially in the developed world. In contrast to the beggar-thyneighbour policies that followed the crash of 1929, however, the global community responded swiftly and with an unprecedented level of cooperation:

The UN Secretary-General was among the first to advocate behind closed doors for a massive effort to re-start economic growth and avert deeper economic damage and impoverishment. The G20 – itself a hastily contrived response to the crisis – agreed to a package of $1.1 trillion at its London meeting in April.
Under the pressure of crisis, reform measures advocated by the UN began falling into place. Developing economies received incrementally larger voting rights within the Bret-ton Woods Institutions. A new allocation of $250 billion in “Special Drawing Rights” provides a tentative first step toward global capacity to move away from reliance on a single national currency for settling debts and holding reserves, toward a more stable global basket.
A feared pullback of official development assistance (ODA) did not materialize. Although still short of the targets agreed at the 2005 Gleneagles G8 meeting, aid rose to an all-time high in 2008. Backed by the Secretary-General’s assertion that the poor must be protected during the crisis and by concerns that progress towards achievement of the Millennium Development Goals would be reversed, projections indicate that ODA will increase further in 2009-2010.
Secretary-General Ban led the UN’s continued focus on the plight of the poor in launching a new Global Impact and Vulnerability Alert System to provide real-time data on how the most vulnerable are affected by economic crisis, and called for a summit in September 2010 to review progress and gaps in attaining the MDGs.

A particularly painful result of reduced purchasing power in the wake of the economic crisis has been the resurgence in malnourishment. After years of steady decrease, the number of hungry in the world rose in 2008 and again in 2009, to exceed one billion. In this regard, the Secretary-General’s creation in 2008 of an anti-hunger task force has proven prescient.

The High-Level Task Force is working with Governments, business and civil society in food-deficit poor countries to shore up their agricultural base. Taking advantage of the multifaceted resources of UN member agencies, it supports small-scale farmers who the Secretary-General calls “the heart and soul of food security and poverty reduction.” Liaising with donor countries, the Task Force obtained commitments in 2009 to double the amount of aid devoted to agriculture.

Facing the wildfire spread of the H1N1 influenza virus, the world benefited from spadework already carried out in response to the avian influenza (H5N1) threat. Protocols and practice exercises developed in countries around the world under the guidance of the Secretary-General’s UN System Influenza Coordinator helped to manage the crisis, and a decisive World Health Organization response helped to calm nervous publics around the world.

The Secretary-General and the WHO Director-General issued calls for global solidarity in the face of the pandemic, and successfully negotiated for pharmaceutical companies to donate 10 per cent of their H1N1 vaccine production to the 90 countries judged the most vulnerable to pandemic influenza. While the doses that are being contributed will cover only two per cent of the population of these countries, experts judge it sufficient to vaccinate key groups such as pregnant women and medical workers.

Making women safer

UN foto, Marco Dormino - Women peacekeepers from MINUSTAH at an award ceremony for their service in Haiti, 10 June. Reflecting the priority placed by Secretary-General Ban on ending violence against women and girls, the UN strengthened its work on violence against women in 2009, under the umbrella of the Secretary-General’s UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign. As part of the growing effort to include men as part of the solution, the Secretary-General launched his Network of Men Leaders in November to inspire men and boys everywhere to speak out against violence. His visit to the HEAL Africa Hospital for victims of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo brought attention to the use of rape as a tactic of war. In September, the Security Council adopted landmark resolution 1888 on women and peace and security, demanding that all parties to armed conflict take immediate action to protect civilians, including women and children, from all forms of sexual violence. Reflecting a recommendation of the Secretary-General, the Council also requested that he appoint a Special Representative to address the crime of sexual violence in conflict. The new office will be established in 2010.

A new gender architecture

In late 2009, the General Assembly took a major step towards addressing the fragmentation of the Organization’s work on women’s issues, when Member States voted to approve a new gender architecture for the UN system. As a result, four currently separate offices will be merged: the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement ofWomen (OSAGI); the Division for the Advancement of Women in the Department for Economic and Social Affairs (DAW/DESA); the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM); and the United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW).

Intensive work is currently under way to develop a proposal for an authoritative entity that will be comparable to other major UN funds and programmes, and which will be equipped to tackle women’s issues head-on through effective programmes. In the coming year, Secretary-General Ban is expected to appoint an Under-Secretary-General to head the new entity and lead the UN’s efforts in this field.

Peace and security

UN peacekeeping saw the largest deployment of peacekeepers on the ground ever in 2009, with some 115,000 deployed in 17 peace operations. Faced with overstretch and other challenges, the Departments of Peacekeeping Operations and Field Support embarked on a major dialogue with their peacekeeping partners — the Security Council, troop and finance-contributing countries and within the Secretariat itself — on what the new generation of peacekeeping should look like, in the “New Horizon” project.

On the ground, peacekeeping faced major challenges in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Government armed forces — which the peacekeeping mission was mandated to support — reportedly engaged in attacks on civilians. In addition to protecting civilians, the mission was charged with consolidating and supporting the government army, the FARDC. On a more positive note, some degree of “protection of civilians” was achieved on the ground in Haiti, in large part because MINUSTAH peacekeepers took on urban gangs. Moving forward, the Secretary-General appointed former US President Bill Clinton to take the lead on the next step – jobs and development.

The African Union - United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur continued to grow in numbers and effectiveness throughout 2009. By December, UNAMID had nearly 15,000 troops and 4,600 police on the ground, reaching 75 per cent of its authorized strength. Despite the positive impact of the peacekeepers, however, parties to the conflict have failed to commit to a comprehensive negotiated settlement to the crisis.

In other key developments:

The Secretary-General used several opportunities during the year to put nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation back on the international agenda, reiterating his five-point plan to “drop the bomb,” as he termed it. He opened the annual Conference on Disarmament in Geneva in May, helping to break a 10-year deadlock over its programme of work. Meanwhile, United States President Obama and Russian Federation President Medvedev announced commitments to begin reducing their sizable nuclear arsenals. The culmination of the year for nuclear disarmament came with the first Security Council meeting on the issue in September.
Responding to the crisis in Gaza, the Secretary-General launched a $613 million appeal to help provide water, sanitation, health care and food for the following six to nine months. He continued during the year to call upon the Government of Israel to allow unimpeded access for humanitarian aid and goods needed forreconstruction and to immediately address the water, sanitation and environmental crisis in Gaza.
The Goldstone Commission, appointed by the UN Human Rights Council, presented its 500-page report on human rights violations during the Gaza conflict to the General Assembly in October. The Assembly voted to adopt a non- binding resolution calling for Israelis and Palestinians to undertake credible, independent investigations of alleged war crimes committed during the Gaza conflict last December and January.
Throughout the year, the Secretary-General remained actively engaged on Myanmar, including efforts to attain the release of Nobel laureate and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and all other political prisoners, and to call for legitimate elections.
The Secretary-General also visited Sri Lanka in May to press for better treatment of hundreds of thousands of IDPs from the rebel-held areas, who remained in camps after the government’s rout of the Tamil Tiger rebels after a 25-year conflict. In November, he was able to welcome Sri Lanka’s decision to grant more freedom of movement to internally displaced persons (IDPs) and to release more than half of the IDPs from the camps.

Tragically, the year included deadly assaults on UN personnel. Shortly after five World Food Programme employees died in a suicide bomber attack in October in Islamabad, Pakistan, an assault on a UN guest house in Kabul, Afghanistan, killed another five UN staff. These were among the hardest news items to bear in a year that included many difficult challenges, but also resilient and determined responses on the part of the United Nations and the world community.

Seven Strategic Opportunities for 2010

At the start of the new decade, it is useful to recall how the United Nations and the international community began the first decade of the century – in fact, the beginning of the new millennium.

A September summit at UN Headquarters with unprecedented attendance by world leaders produced a remarkable document, the year-2000 “United Nations Millennium Declaration.” This General Assembly resolution brought together on a few pages the principles and aspirations that the world intended to live up to for a more peaceful, prosperous and just future. Goals and targets were set for peace and disarmament, poverty eradication, environmental protection, human rights, and support for the most vulnerable.

Ten years later, having absorbed and responded to the unanticipated shocks of the past decade – large-scale terrorist attacks, the crippling 2008-2009 recession, sudden escalation in food prices from historical lows, incremental changes in temperature and climate that are gathering ever-stronger momentum – the international community has a chance to assess where it stands in relation to the seminal Millennium Declaration benchmarks, and focus on what needs to be done.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon outlined seven strategic priorities for the year in his “Agenda 2010” address to the General Assembly on 11 January – delivered from the new, temporary quarters erected for the duration of the renovation of the UN Headquarters complex in New York.

1. Mobilize to achieve the Millennium Development Goals

Secretary-General Ban singled out for special attention Declaration objectives with regard to poverty eradication and improved standards of living, which have since been grouped together as the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The General Assembly will hold a special MDG summit from 20-22 September, prior to its annual high-level debate.

“My hope is that the summit should generate a concrete plan for advancing action,” the Secretary-General said late this month. He will present his assessment on gaps and needs to the membership in March.

Progress at the global level on the first target of MDG 1, relating to extreme poverty, was interrupted by the global recession. Initial signs of economic recovery are building hope that progress can quickly resume, although job creation is lagging behind the recovery in many developed and developing countries. The second target of Goal 1, relating to hunger, is also at a crossroads. Under the impact of the recession, the number of malnourished is estimated to have increased and now tops one billion people.

A strategy encompassing both aspects of Goal 1 has been designed by the High-Level Task Force on the Global Food Security Crisis, of UN agency chiefs, established by the Secretary-General in response to the 2008 food crisis. Noting that many of the difficulties in meeting growing world food needs are centered on the weakened state of small-scale farming in the developing world, the High-Level Task Force is rallying governments, donors, NGOs, businesses and the farmers themselves to support improved production and distribution methods.

Significantly, the most poverty-ridden areas of the world tend to be rural districts that are economically dependent on agriculture of one form or another. The Secretary-General is calling for follow-through on material commitments that were made last year, especially at the G8 summit in L’Aquila, Italy, and the November Food Summit in Rome.

On the health front, the Secretary-General has urged rapid and robust replenishment of the Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria. Progress on the three diseases is another front in the MDG effort where international support needs to be sustained and scaled up.

The Secretary-General has said that Africa’ future is one of his top priorities. At the African Union Summit in January, he announced the creation of the MDG Advocacy Group of eminent personalities who will raise awareness on the Goals and Africa’s development priorities.

2. Negotiate a binding agreement on climate change

The urgency of addressing climate change was confirmed by the presence of the 119 Heads of State and Government at the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference in December 2009, several of whom engaged directly in negotiations. While many countries agreed to the Copenhagen Accord, which can help progress on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and expanding adaptation efforts, it still remains for all countries to produce a legally-binding agreement that effectively addresses what the science says is needed.

Negotiations for such an agreement will continue along two tracks: one, for a new commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol; and the other, for an agreement under the Bali Roadmap that would address responsibilities for non-Kyoto members, such as the United States, and for emerging developing countries.

There is a critical need to maintain the momentum generated by the Copenhagen Conference into 2010. This will require as many countries as possible associating themselves with the Copenhagen Accord, and to use elements from the Accord to reach agreement on a legally binding agreement in Mexico at the 16th Conference of the Parties this December.

Early in the year, many country groupings will be meeting, and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change will hold its first major meeting in Bonn this June. Some developing countries, however, have called for holding as many as five negotiating sessions before Mexico.

3. Empower women

When the new UN gender entity, approved late last year by the General Assembly, comes into existence, women around the world will expect a scaling up of progress on this strategic objective. Gender issues will also be the main focus of the Economic and Social Council’s Annual Ministerial Review in late June. Presentations and analysis of progress and gaps remaining in fulfilling MDG 3 – promoting gender equality – could lend strategic momentum to women’s issues in the lead-up to the September MDG summit.

The focus of the Secretary-General’s UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign in 2010 will move to the regional and national levels, reinforced by the appointment of Ms. Margot Wallstrom as his new Special Representative on ending sexual violence in conflict-related situations.

Another obstacle to women’s empowerment is the lack of adequate medical care. Among the most endangered of the Millennium Development Goals is MDG 5 – improving maternal health. Difficult to measure, dependent on extension of medical services in remote areas, and too often overlooked as a priority, the health of mothers and infants has not been adequately protected.

4. Make progress toward a nuclear-free world

Building on momentum from last year, the Secretary-General will open a May 2010 Review Conference of States Parties to the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) by advocating for measures to further strengthen the Treaty.

The Review Conference will attempt to bridge the differences between nuclear weapons states, which have been trying to limit the spread of nuclear weapons to other states, and non-nuclear-weapons states, which have stressed that nuclear disarmament by all should take precedence. Progress in May will require the nuclear weapons states to take real steps toward disarmament.

“I believe that 2010 can be a historic year for progress in disarmament and non-proliferation,” the Secretary-General told the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva in a video message in January. “My hope is based not on wishful thinking, but on real opportunities for concrete action.

“For my part, disarmament and non-proliferation will remain a priority. I will continue to build support for my Action Plan and do everything in my power to advance our efforts towards a world free of weapons of mass destruction.”

A key element of the UN’s strategy is the creation of more nuclear weapons-free zones, in the Middle East as well as in North-East Asia, South Asia and Central Europe. Plans could be further developed during a Second Conference of States Parties and Signatories to Treaties that Establish Nuclear Weapon Free Zones, to be held in advance of the May 2010 NPT Review Conference.

5. Prevent and resolve deadly conflicts

“We will spare no effort to free our peoples from the scourge of war, whether within or between States,” world leaders pledged in the Millennium Declaration.

Strengthened capacities for mediation and preventive diplomacy are putting the UN in a better position to fulfil this objective, the Secretary-General notes in his “Agenda 2010.” Earlier deployment of these tools, along with the continued use of the Secretary-General’s good offices and moral authority in countries such as Iran, Myanmar and Sri Lanka, is expected this year, as well as action on old, frozen conflicts such as that which has divided Cyprus for decades.

The UN also remains engaged in existing conflicts, and its peacekeeping deployment reached record levels in 2009. Given the large-scale human and financial commitment, the Departments of Peacekeeping and Field Support are undertaking a far-ranging dialogue with all partners to adapt and strengthen the tool of UN peacekeeping, an initiative labeled as “New Horizon.” Its companion piece is a new Global Support Strategy for field operations. These reforms should shrink the time required to deploy peacekeeping personnel and equipment, and clarify the role of peacekeepers in the protection of civilians.

The Secretary-General plans support for the consolidation of post-conflict recovery in countries where the UN has made a significant investment to build and support peace processes, such as Burundi, Nepal, Sierra Leone and Timor-Leste. He will also focus UN engagement in volatile situations that are key to regional peace, such as in Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Somalia, Sudan and the Middle East.

6. Advance on human rights and the rule of law

In 2010, the General Assembly will begin its review of the Human Rights Council. Now four years old, the Council has a sufficient track record to judge both its strengths and its flaws. Responding speedily to the tragic events in Haiti in January, the Council held a special session that addressed vulnerabilities present even before the earthquake – such as poverty and discrimination.

The May 2010 Review Conference for the International Criminal Court (ICC), to be held in Kampala, Uganda, “provides us with a clear opportunity to advance the cause of accountability for genocide and other serious crimes of concern for the international community,” Secretary-General Ban said on 11 January.

The ICC requires strong state support in order to end impunity and bring perpetrators of massive human rights violations to justice. Wide ratification of the Rome Statute (which established the Court), particularly by major powers, as well as their cooperation with the Court's orders, is essential.

7. Build a stronger UN

“Strengthening the United Nations” was a major plank of the Millennium Declaration, and is a major focus for Secretary-General Ban. Reform of the world organization remains an ongoing priority.

The Secretariat will focus on rejuvenating management and developing the emerging leaders of the future. The campaign to make better use of up-to-date information and communication technologies will continue.

“All of this will enable the United Nations to react faster, more efficiently and more effectively on the mandates entrusted to us,” the Secretary-General told the General Assembly in his 11 January address.

Eight Strategic Opportunities for 2011

Secretary-General plans for progress on a broad front in 2011

“You, the UN Member States, are displaying your confidence in the Organization by calling upon it to do more than ever before,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in his year-opening address to the General Assembly on 14 January. With that, he outlined eight main areas of strategic opportunity for the UN in 2011.

The key to the year ahead, said the Secretary-General, is to “build on progress already made – progress that places a premium on the global legitimacy and pulling power of the United Nations.”

Below, UN In Focus profiles the eight strategic areas and identifies key objectives for each in 2011.

1. Inclusive and sustainable development

A critical test of international resolve in supporting the most vulnerable and creating a stronger, more inclusive global economy will take place at a 2011 meeting on the 48 nations designated by the UN as least developed (33 are in Africa, 14 in South Asia and Oceania, and one, Haiti, in the western hemisphere). Their agriculture-oriented economies are threatened by climate change, and many of them lie low on coastlines or are small islands and are therefore vulnerable to rising sea levels. With nearly half dependent on food imports, and large swathes of the population in all of them sapped by chronic malnourishment, rising food prices pose another threat.

The UN is working in support of adoption of a new 10-year programme at the fourth global conference in as many decades on the “LDCs,” or least developed countries, set for May in Istanbul, Turkey. The programme builds on the movement among the LDCs themselves for self-reliance and economic capacity. Jobs, disaster resilience, food and nutrition security and clean-energy growth are among the key planks.

The Secretary-General will also take steps to ensure implementation of the outcome of last year’s General Assembly plenary on the Millennium Development Goals. The special summit produced a five-year action plan and concrete resource commitments, especially on maternal mortality and child health.

Preparations for the 2012 conference on sustainable development (following through on the 1992 Earth Summit, and again taking place in Rio de Janeiro) are already under way. The key in 2011 will lie in identifying and harnessing the potential of a new “green” economy to the global urgency to recover from recession, and using that as a way to set in motion action on broader sustainable development issues.

The journey to Rio will be aided by a blue-ribbon panel looking for large-scale solutions on the broad issue of sustainable development. The Secretary-General appointed High-Level Panel on Global Sustainability co-chairs Tarja Halonen and President Jacob Zuma – the presidents of Finland and South Africa, respectively – and members who include the author of the first comprehensive statement on sustainable development principles, Gro Harlem Brundtland, to find ways to lift people out of poverty while tackling climate change and ensuring environmentally-friendly economic development. The Panel’s report comes near the end of the year, ahead of Rio 2012.

2. Negotiations and national actions on climate change

A series of positive steps on climate change agreed in Cancun at the end of last year serves as a springboard for the “Conference of Parties” talks (COP-17) coming up in South Africa in November-December 2011.

Late at night on the concluding day of the December conference in Cancun, rich and poor countries reached a compromise that commits all parties to cutting emissions. The Cancun package includes an agreed target of holding global temperature rise to less than 2 degrees centigrade (3.6 Fahrenheit); a new “green fund” to help poor countries cope with climate change; and a new plan to halt deforestation.

Look for the UN System to follow up on Cancun by promoting action by national governments and businesses that significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support adaptation and mitigation. Areas that were singled out as most ready for action in 2011 are deforestation, clean technology for developing countries, and coordination on measures for adapting to the effects of climate change.

3. Women

The United Nations begins the year with a major new agency with tremendous potential: UN Women. It needs to be built up in 2011 into a fully integrated, fully operational and fully funded force for change, the Secretary-General told the General Assembly.

Women’s advancement is becoming a hallmark theme of the Ban administration. Initiatives of the Secretary-General on maternal and child health (see #1 above), and on eliminating violence against women and children, are attracting strong global support. The Secretary-General plans to continue to increase the number of women in senior leadership posts and at the mid-management level in the UN.

4. A safer and more secure world

With the UN’s portfolio of peacekeeping operations at a near-record high (nearly 120,000 military, police and civilian personnel in 15 peace operations worldwide), the Secretary-General will be engaged with Member States on assisting priority countries at critical transitional junctures. He will need to draw on support for enhanced peacekeeping and peacebuilding measures, and enlist the cooperation of regional and sub-regional organizations.

The UN is coming off a year of discernible progress on a number of nearly intractable national situations:

The referendum in Sudan is proceeding smoothly, but the real challenge lies ahead in resolving issues of borders, movements of people, resource-sharing and the status of Abyei. Peacekeepers are saving lives in Darfur and the killing of civilians has been dramatically reduced over the past five years.
The UN Security Council honoured the Secretary-General’s January request for peacekeeping reinforcements in Côte d’Ivoire, authorizing 2,000 new troops. The move followed incidents where national civilians as well as UN troops were fired upon. “We will not be intimidated,” the Secretary-General has said, underscoring that Côte d’Ivoire has a legitimately elected government and that the previous incumbent must stand aside. Those who violate international law will be held accountable, the Secretary-General has warned.
In Somalia, the United Nations is providing key logistical support to African Union forces – who are operating under the most difficult and dangerous of circumstances – as they work to help the Transitional Federal Government expands its authority.
Most of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is now free of armed conflict; and UN peacekeepers are working hard to bring long-elusive peace to the country’s eastern regions.
The release of Aung San Suu Kyi by the Myanmar Government was achieved through relentless pressure from multiple directions, including the UN.

5. Human rights and accountability

Resolve in Côte d’Ivoire is an indication of the Secretary-General’s determination to “move the world to an era of accountability,” as he promised the General Assembly. He cited the role of the recently strengthened International Criminal Court, and urged Member States to use Human Rights Council reviews as an opportunity to upgrade their own rights standards.

Late in January, the Secretary-General’s Special Advisers on the Prevention of Genocide and the Responsibility to Protect warned of the possibility of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and ethnic cleansing in Côte d’Ivoire. They urged action in line with the “responsibility to protect,” to avert the risk of genocide and ensure the protection of all those at risk of mass atrocities.

6. Improved response to major humanitarian crises

The UN will need to draw on lessons from last year’s array of crises, including major human catastrophes in Haiti and Pakistan.

“Looking ahead,” the Secretary-General told the General Assembly, “we will implement lessons learned to strengthen leadership, improve accountability, and build capacity to rapidly scale up operations on the ground.”

Crises tend to strike when least expected, so the UN regards it as important to build in a strategic approach ahead of time. This means planning for future economic growth and sustainability, integrating disaster risk reduction and preparedness with civil authority.

7. Disarmament and non-proliferation

This year will see a push for ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, along with full implementation of the commitments agreed to by the 2010 Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference – the first successful NPT review in 10 years. The Secretary-General’s Five-Point Action Plan will serve as the UN’s guiding reference point.

The Secretary-General further advised the General Assembly that he will continue to engage with Member States on revitalizing the Conference on Disarmament. He addressed the January meeting in Geneva of the Conference’s 2011 session. He can be expected to push as well for action on nuclear security and potential nuclear terrorism.

8. Strengthened United Nations

Work is ongoing on a more modern, flexible, faster-moving United Nations, adapted to the challenges of the 21st century. Transparency and accountability are watchwords. Areas of continued strengthening for 2011 include:

protection of UN staff;
refinement of a UN recruitment system for a modern, multi-functional and mobile work-force with coherent system-wide conditions of service;
engagement with Member States in reforming the budget process;
increased use of advanced information and communications technology.

Key Dates on the UN 2011 agenda

24 January
Opening of the annual session of the Conference on Disarmament | Geneva

24 February
UN Women launch event | New York

28 February – 25 March
Human Rights Council, 16th Session | Geneva

7 – 8 March
UN Conference on Sustainable Development, Second PrepCom | New York

9 – 13 May
UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC IV) | Istanbul, Turkey

29 May
International Day of UN Peacekeepers | Worldwide

12-30 September
Human Rights Council, 17th Session | Geneva

28 November – 9 December
UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP-17) | Durban, South Africa

December (date TBC)
Report of the High-level Panel on Global Sustainability | New York

Sixty-sixth session of the General Assembly

The General Assembly of the United Nations opens its sixty-sixth session on Tuesday, 13 September at United Nations Headquarters in New York. Following the opening week, Heads of State and Government will gather for three high-level meetings during the second half of September. The first of these meetings will take place on 19 and 20 September and will address the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases worldwide, particularly challenges faced by developing countries. (For further information, go to http://www.un.org/en/ga/president/65/issues/ncdiseases.shtml)

The second high-level meeting, on 20 September, will focus on the issues of desertification, land degradation and drought in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication, as a lead-up to the forthcoming UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), scheduled for June 2012. (For further information, go to http://www.un.org/en/ga/president/65/issues/desertification.shtml)

The Assembly's third high-level meeting, to take place on Thursday, 22 September, will commemorate the tenth anniversary of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action - the international community's blueprint for action in the fight against racism. (For further information, go to http://www.un.org/en/ga/durbanmeeting2011/)

The annual general debate, in which the world assembly hears statements by Heads of State and Government, as well as Ministers, will begin on Wednesday, 21 September, and conclude on Friday, 30 September.

Among key issues on the agenda, the Assembly will address the following:

Millennium Development Goals;
Climate change and sustainable development;
Food security;
The role of mediation in the peaceful settlement of conflicts;
Reconstruction and strengthening of fragile and post-conflict States;
Disarmament;
United Nations reform, including reform of the Security Council, revitalization of the work of the General Assembly and reaffirming the central role of the Organization in global governance.

Several other major events will be featured during the sixty-sixth session, which runs through mid-September 2012. In the first week of December 2011 (date to be announced), the Assembly will devote two meetings to follow-up to the International Year for Volunteers, on its tenth anniversary. (For more information, go to http://www.unv.org/en/news-resources/resources.html) In the same week, on 7 and 8 December, the Assembly will hold its Fifth High-level Dialogue on Financing for Development. (For further information, go to http://www.un.org/esa/ffd/)

In June 2012, the Assembly is also expected to review the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and its implementation by Member States, and to consider updating the Strategy in response to current developments. (For more information, go to http://www.un.org/terrorism/strategy-counter-terrorism.shtml)

Forum for multilateral negotiation

Established in 1945 under the Charter of the United Nations, the General Assembly occupies a central position as the chief deliberative, policymaking and representative organ of the United Nations. Comprised of all 193 Members of the United Nations, it provides a unique forum for multilateral discussion of the full spectrum of international issues covered by the Charter. It also plays a significant role in the process of standardsetting and the codification of international law. The Assembly meets in regular session intensively from September to December each year, and thereafter as required.

Functions and powers of the General Assembly

The Assembly is empowered to make recommendations to States on international issues within its competence. It has also initiated actions - political, economic, humanitarian, social and legal - which have affected the lives of millions of people throughout the world.

The landmark Millennium Declaration, adopted in 2000, and the 2005 World Summit Outcome Document reflect the commitment of Member States to reach specific goals to attain peace, security and disarmament along with development and poverty eradication; safeguard human rights and promote the rule of law; protect our common environment; meet the special needs of Africa; and strengthen the United Nations.

According to the Charter of the United Nations, the General Assembly may:

Consider and approve the United Nations budget and establish the financial assessments of Member States;
Elect the non-permanent members of the Security Council and the members of other United Nations councils and organs and, on the recommendation of the Security Council, appoint the Secretary-General;
Consider and make recommendations on the general principles of cooperation for maintaining international peace and security, including disarmament;
Discuss any question relating to international peace and security and, except where a dispute or situation is currently being discussed by the Security Council, make recommendations on it;
Discuss, with the same exception, and make recommendations on any questions within the scope of the Charter or affecting the powers and functions of any organ of the United Nations;
Initiate studies and make recommendations to promote international political cooperation, the development and codification of international law, the realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms, and international collaboration in the economic, social, humanitarian, cultural, educational and health fields;
Make recommendations for the peaceful settlement of any situation that might impair friendly relations among countries;
Consider reports from the Security Council and other United Nations organs.

Pursuant to its "Uniting for Peace" resolution of 3 November 1950 (resolution 377 (V)), the Assembly may take action if the Security Council fails to act, owing to the negative vote of a permanent member, in a case where there appears to be a threat to the peace, breach of the peace or act of aggression. The Assembly can consider the matter immediately with a view to making recommendations to Members for collective measures to maintain or restore international peace and security (see "Special sessions and emergency special sessions" below).

The search for consensus

Each Member State in the Assembly has one vote. Votes taken on designated important issues - such as recommendations on peace and security, the election of Security Council and Economic and Social Council members, and budgetary questions - require a two-thirds majority of Member States, but other questions are decided by a simple majority.

In recent years, a special effort has been made to achieve consensus on issues, rather than deciding by a formal vote, thus strengthening support for the Assembly's decisions. The President, after having consulted and reached agreement with delegations, can propose that a resolution be adopted without a vote.

Revitalization of the work of the General Assembly

Over the past years, there has been a sustained effort to make the work of the General Assembly more focused and relevant. This became a major priority as of the fifty-eighth session, and efforts continued at subsequent sessions of the General Assembly to streamline the agenda, improve the practices and working methods of the Main Committees, enhance the role of the General Committee, strengthen the role and authority of the President and examine the Assembly's role in the process to select the Secretary-General.

At its sixtieth session, the Assembly adopted a text (annexed to resolution 60/286 of 8 September 2006) which encouraged the holding of informal interactive debates on current issues of critical importance to the international community. The text, which had been recommended by the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the General Assembly, also invited the General Assembly President to propose themes for these interactive debates.

During the sixty-fifth session, five informal thematic interactive debates were convened: on disaster reduction; rule of law; human security; green economy; and global governance.

It has become an established practice for the Secretary-General to brief Member States periodically, in informal meetings of the General Assembly, on his recent activities and travels. These briefings have provided a well-received opportunity for exchange between the Secretary-General and Member States and are likely to be continued at the sixty-sixth session.

Elections for the President and Vice-Presidents of the General Assembly and Chairs of the Main Committees

As a result of the ongoing revitalization of its work, and pursuant to rule 30 of its rules of procedure, the General Assembly now elects its President, Vice-Presidents and Chairs of the Main Committees at least three months in advance of the start of the new session in order to further strengthen coordination and preparation of work among the Main Committees and between the Committees and the Plenary.

General Committee

The General Committee - composed of the President and 21 Vice-Presidents of the Assembly, as well as the Chairs of the six Main Committees - makes recommendations to the Assembly about adoption of the agenda, allocation of agenda items and organization of its work. (See http://www.un.org/Depts/dhl/resguide/gasess.htm#gaagen for more on the agenda.)

Over the last few sessions, the role of the General Committee has been further strengthened with the holding of informal meetings and briefings, open to all Member States, on specific issues under consideration by, or pertaining to, the work of the Assembly.

Credentials Committee

The Credentials Committee, appointed by the General Assembly at each session, reports to the Assembly on the credentials of representatives.

General debate

The Assembly's annual general debate, which provides Member States the opportunity to express their views on major international issues, will take place from Wednesday, 21 September, through Friday, 30 September.

Rather than its usual period of nine working days (as called for in resolution 57/301 of March 2003), this year's general debate will last eight working days to allow for the convening of the high-level events mentioned above. The Secretary-General will present his report on the work of the Organization immediately prior to the general debate, a practice that began with the fiftysecond session.

The theme for the sixty-sixth session's general debate will be, "The role of mediation in the settlement of disputes by peaceful means", as proposed by the President-elect of the sixty-sixth session, H. E. Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, of Qatar, upon his election on 22 June 2011.

The practice of selecting a specific issue of global concern for the session dates back to 2003, when the General Assembly decided to introduce this innovation in an effort to enhance the authority and role of the now 193-member body (resolution 58/126 of December 2003).

The meetings of the general debate usually run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Exceptions will include the opening meeting, on Wednesday, 21 September, which will end at 7:30 p.m., and on Thursday, 22 September, when the morning meeting will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., in order to accommodate the commemorative meeting on the tenth anniversary of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (described above).

Six Main Committees

With the close of the general debate, the Assembly begins consideration of the substantive items on its agenda. Because of the great number of issues it is called upon to consider (over 160 agenda items at the sixty-fifth session, for example), the Assembly allocates to its six Main Committees items relevant to their work. The Committees discuss the items, seeking where possible to harmonize the various approaches of States, and present their recommendations, usually in the form of draft resolutions and decisions, to the Plenary of the Assembly for consideration and action.

The six Main Committees are: the Disarmament and International Security Committee (First Committee), concerned with disarmament and related international security issues; the Economic and Financial Committee (Second Committee), concerned with economic issues; the Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee (Third Committee), which deals with social and humanitarian issues; the Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Committee), dealing with a variety of political subjects not covered by any other Committee or the Plenary, including decolonization, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and the human rights of the Palestinian people; the Administrative and Budgetary Committee (Fifth Committee), which is concerned with the administration and budget of the United Nations; and the Legal Committee (Sixth Committee), which deals with international legal matters.

On a number of agenda items, however, such as the question of Palestine and the situation in the Middle East, the Assembly acts directly in its plenary meetings.

Working groups of the General Assembly

The General Assembly has, in the past, authorized the establishment of working groups to focus on matters of importance in more detail, and make recommendations to the Assembly for action, such as the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the General Assembly, which is set to continue its work during the sixty-sixth session.

Regional groups

Various informal regional groupings have evolved over the years in the General Assembly as vehicles for consultation and to facilitate procedural work. The groups are: the African States; the Asian States; the Eastern European States; the Latin American and Caribbean States; and the Western European and other States. The post of President of the General Assembly rotates among the regional groups. For the sixty-sixth session, the President has been elected on a recommendation by the Group of Asian States.

Special sessions and emergency special sessions

In addition to its regular sessions, the Assembly may meet in special and emergency special sessions. To date, the Assembly has convened 28 special sessions on issues that demanded particular attention, including the question of Palestine, United Nations finances, Namibia, disarmament, international economic cooperation, apartheid, drugs, the environment, population, women, social development, human settlements and HIV/AIDS. The twentyeighth special session of the General Assembly, held on 24 January 2005, was devoted to the commemoration of the sixtieth anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration camps.

Ten emergency special sessions have addressed situations in which the Security Council found itself deadlocked, namely, Hungary (1956), Suez (1956), the Middle East (1958 and 1967), the Congo (1960), Afghanistan (1980), Palestine (1980 and 1982), Namibia (1981), the occupied Arab territories (1982) and illegal Israeli actions in occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2009). The Assembly decided, on 16 January 2009, to adjourn the tenth emergency special session temporarily and to authorize the President of the Assembly to resume its meetings at the request of Member States.

Carrying on the work of the Assembly

The work of the United Nations derives largely from the decisions of the General Assembly and is carried out:

By committees and other bodies established by the Assembly to study and report on specific issues, such as disarmament, outer space, peacekeeping, economic development, the environment and human rights;
By the Secretariat of the United Nations - the Secretary-General and his staff of international civil servants.