The United Nations is the world’s platform to build understanding between nations, find ways to cooperate, and launch coordinated action on problems that transcend borders, from terrorism to climate change to pandemics. While many people read the headlines coming out of the UN Security Council, the organization is also active around the world, heading into crises to help the world’s most vulnerable people, promoting sustainable development, protecting human rights, and advancing peace.
As UN Foundation Founder and Chairman Ted Turner has written, “The UN does what no country can do alone. …In an interconnected world, we all have a stake in ensuring human dignity for every person.”
Here are 10 facts about the United Nations’ work that you may not know:
1. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is the first document to detail the fundamental human rights that must be protected. The declaration was proclaimed by the General Assembly in 1948. Security human rights is a key pillar of the UN’s work.
