To GOD... we pray, Amen.

 To GOD Who Alone is Wise, be The Glory forever through JESUS CHRIST. HE is The WAY, The TRUTH & The LIFE.

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after RIGHTEOUSNESS: for they shall be filled. (Matthew 5:6)

May The LORD ALMIGHTY anoint your heart to RECEIVE HIS WORD, heal your ears to HEAR HIS VOICE, open your eyes to SEE HIS REVELATION & bless your mind to DO HIS WILL.

In The Name of JESUS CHRIST, we pray, Amen ❤️

我们向神祷告……阿门。

愿荣耀归于独一全智的神，直到永远，藉着耶稣基督。祂是道路、真理和生命。

饥渴慕义的人有福了，因为他们必得饱足。（马太福音 5:6）

愿全能的主膏抹你的心，使你领受祂的话语；医治你的耳朵，使你聆听祂的声音；开启你的眼睛，使你看见祂的启示；祝福你的心思意念，使你遵行祂的旨意。

奉耶稣基督的名祷告，阿门❤️

(French) À Dieu… nous prions. Amen.

 À Dieu, le seul Sage, soit la gloire éternellement par Jésus-Christ. Il est le Chemin, la Vérité et la Vie.

Heureux ceux qui ont faim et soif de justice, car ils seront rassasiés. (Matthieu 5:6)

Que le Seigneur Tout-Puissant oigne votre cœur pour recevoir sa Parole, guérisse vos oreilles pour entendre sa voix, ouvre vos yeux pour voir sa révélation et bénisse votre esprit pour accomplir sa volonté.

Au nom de Jésus-Christ, nous prions. Amen. ❤️

(Nepali)  परमेश्वरलाई...हामी प्रार्थना गर्छौं। आमेन। एक मात्र बुद्धिमान् परमेश्वरलाई, येशू ख्रीष्टद्वारा सदासर्वदा महिमा होस्। उहाँ नै बाटो, सत्य र जीवन हुनुहुन्छ।

धन्य हुन् ती जो धार्मिकताको पछि भोकाउँछन् र तिर्खाउँछन्: किनभने तिनीहरू तृप्त हुनेछन्। (मत्ती ५:६)

सर्वशक्तिमान परमप्रभुले तपाईंको हृदयलाई उहाँको वचन ग्रहण गर्न अभिषेक गरून्, उहाँको आवाज सुन्न तपाईंको कानलाई निको पारून्, उहाँको प्रकाश हेर्न तपाईंको आँखा खोलून् र उहाँको इच्छा पूरा गर्न तपाईंको मनलाई आशीर्वाद देऊन्।

येशू ख्रीष्टको नाममा, हामी प्रार्थना गर्छौं, आमेन ❤️

Wars since UN was founded

 The UN was formed after World War 2 “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war”, [1]. The first purpose of the UN is “To maintain international peace and security, and to that end: to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace, and for the suppression of acts of aggression or other breaches of the peace, and to bring about by peaceful means, and in conformity with the principles of justice and international law, adjustment or settlement of international disputes or situations which might lead to a breach of the peace.” [2]

And indeed there have been no world wars since the UN was founded. On the other hand there have been 478 wars in the 76 years between the UN formation and May 2021. During that period a new war started somewhere in the world on average every 2 months.

Most wars that start now are civil wars. But some people would argue this had nothing to do with the UN and everything to do with the fear of the consequences of using nuclear weapons.

Can anyone really claim that the UN has saved succeeding generations from the scourge of war?

Timelines

Major Moments in UN History

1945 – 2025

Since the end of World War II, the United Nations has served as the world’s leading international body dedicated to promoting peace, security, and cooperation. From conflict resolution to climate action, it has played an evolving role over the past eight decades in attempting to address global challenges.

0:03 / 0:16

By experts and staff

Updated

September 17, 2025 12:00 p.m.

• Diana Roy

  Senior Writer/Editor, Latin America
• Sabine Baumgartner

  Senior Photo Editor

1945

October 24, 1945

The United Nations Is Born

Secretary of State Edward Reilly Stettinius, Jr., chairman of the U.S. delegation, signs the UN Charter at a ceremony in San Francisco, California, June 26, 1945.  Yould/UN Photo

The United Nations (UN) Charter enters into force following ratification by twenty-nine countries. The charter establishes the United Nations, a global intergovernmental institution dedicated to preventing future conflicts, fostering international cooperation, upholding universal human rights, promoting economic and social progress, and addressing humanitarian issues. It aims to replace the ineffectual League of Nations, created in 1920 and dissolved in 1946, after it failed to prevent the outbreak of World War II. The United Nations is composed of two primary bodies: the General Assembly (UNGA), the main policymaking and most representative UN body, and the Security Council (UNSC), the principal crisis-management body. Five countries—the United States, the Nationalist-led Republic of China (Taiwan), France, the Soviet Union, and the United Kingdom (UK)—hold permanent seats on the UNSC in 1945 and have veto power. (In 1971, the People’s Republic of China, mainland China, replaces the Republic of China at the United Nations and on the Security Council.)

1946

The UN System Expands

In 1948, the city of Vienna, Austria, houses an estimated 500,000 German refugee children, straining UNICEF’s resources.  Raymond Kleboe/Stringer/Getty Images

UN members establish the Economic and Social Council to provide a central forum for discussing and addressing international economic and social issues, as well as cultural and health matters. These include poverty, inequality, education and, decades later, climate change and sustainable development. In 1946, the General Assembly also creates the UN International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF)—later shortened to the UN Children’s Fund—to provide emergency aid to children and mothers in countries affected by World War II. In 1950, UNICEF’s mandate expands to address the long-term needs of children and women around the world, particularly in developing countries, and it becomes a permanent part of the UN system in 1953.

1948

April 7, 1948

World Health Organization Is Created

The official logo for the WHO features the UN symbol surmounted by the Rod of Asclepius, the traditional Greek symbol for medicine and healing. Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group/Getty Images Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

The World Health Organization (WHO) is established as the UN body responsible for guiding and coordinating international health policy. Its primary duties include developing partnerships with other global health initiatives, conducting research, setting norms, providing technical support, and monitoring health trends around the world. Over the following decades, the WHO solidifies its role as a global health leader, helping to eliminate malaria in more than a dozen countries where the disease was once endemic, as well as globally eradicate smallpox—the first human infectious disease to be completely eliminated. In the 1980s, the WHO launches a Global Program on AIDS after declaring it to be “a health disaster of pandemic proportions.”

May 29, 1948

UN Deploys First Peacekeeping Mission

General William E. Riley, chief of staff of the Mediator’s Truce Supervision Headquarters, speaks with Arab Legion officers and UN observers at UNTSO headquarters in East Jerusalem, 1948.  LM/UN Photo

As conflict rages in the Palestinian territories, the Security Council passes Resolution 50, calling for a cessation of hostilities between Israeli and Arab forces and authorizing the deployment of unarmed military observers to the region to supervise the ceasefire. The first group of observers, which become known as the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), arrives in the Palestinian territories and neighboring Arab countries in June. After the 1948 Arab-Israeli War ends in 1949, UNTSO observers help monitor the four armistice agreements that Israel signs with Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. The UNTSO continues to remain active in the Middle East, monitoring ceasefires, supervising armistice agreements, and supporting other regional UN peacekeeping operations, including in Lebanon and Syria’s Golan Heights.

December 9 – 10, 1948

UN Adopts Major Human Rights Documents

Former U.S. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, first chairperson of the UN Commission on Human Rights, holds a poster of the UDHR.  UN Photo

At its third regular session in Paris, the General Assembly adopts two landmark human rights documents. On December 9, it approves the Genocide Convention [PDF], the first legal instrument to both define genocide and classify it as a crime under international law. Drawing on the legacy of the Holocaust, the convention defines genocide as “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group.” The next day, the General Assembly adopts the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the first comprehensive international confirmation of the universal rights and freedoms to which all human beings are inherently entitled, including social, economic, civil, and political rights. Although the UDHR is not legally binding and contains no enforcement mechanism, it is widely regarded by UN member states, international organizations, and human rights scholars as the foundation of modern international human rights law, with strong moral and political authority.

1950

November 3, 1950

UNSC Passes Uniting for Peace Resolution

UN trucks cross the 38th parallel as they withdraw from Pyongyang, North Korea, following the Chinese Communist forces reoccupation of the city, in 1950.  Interim Archives/Getty Images

The General Assembly passes the Uniting for Peace Resolution to bypass an expected Soviet veto on the Security Council that would have blocked UN efforts to defend South Korea against North Korea’s invasion. Months earlier, in July 1950, the Security Council had established the United Nations Command, placing international military forces under U.S. leadership to defend South Korea—the world’s first attempt at collective security under the UN system. The new resolution authorizes the General Assembly to recommend collective measures—including the use of force—and to convene emergency special sessions when the Security Council is paralyzed by a lack of consensus among its five permanent members. Although General Assembly recommendations are nonbinding, they can mobilize international action and carry significant political weight. The resolution is invoked thirteen times between 1951 and 2022, including during the 1956 Suez Crisis and Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

1951

July 28, 1951

States Adopt Global Refugee Convention

Refugees, mainly Chinese, flee Incheon, a port city near Seoul, South Korea, after it is bombarded and invaded by U.S. forces, September 1950.  Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis/Getty Images

To address the plight of people fleeing primarily political and religious persecution in Europe, nineteen countries—excluding the United States—sign the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, also known as the 1951 Refugee Convention. The signing takes place during the UN Conference of Plenipotentiaries on the Status of Refugees and Stateless Persons in Geneva. Rooted in Article 14 of the UDHR, which states that, “Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution,” the convention defines the term “refugee” and outlines refugees’ rights and the legal obligations that states have to protect them. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees is responsible for overseeing implementation of the convention. It officially enters into force on April 22, 1954, and remains the cornerstone of modern international refugee law. The United States does not ratify the convention, but it does join its 1967 Protocol, which incorporates much of the convention’s text, protects refugees, and prohibits returning refugees to danger.

1956

July 1956

First Armed UN Peacekeeping Force Deploys to Middle East

Private Jelaskovic Ibrahim, of the Yugoslav medical staff, treats a child of the Bedouin community near El-Kuntilla, on Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.  UN Photo

After Egypt nationalizes the Suez Canal Company—leading to military intervention by Israel, France, and the UK—the United Nations deploys an armed peacekeeping force to act as a buffer between Egyptian and Israeli forces and secure a ceasefire. While the UN Emergency Force (UNEF) is armed with light defensive weapons, it is restricted from using force other than in self-defense. UNEF remains in Egypt until May 1967, when it is forced to withdraw at the request of the Egyptian government. A second UNEF mission is established in 1973 in response to the Yom Kippur War between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria and remains in Egypt for six years.

1957

July 29, 1957

IAEA Founded to Guide Peaceful Use of Nuclear Power

ONUC troops from the 5th Royal Nigerian Brigade arrive in the town of Kongolo, North Katanga, to help maintain public order and prevent civil war, December 1962.  IAEA

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is founded in response to concerns about nuclear weapons and the escalating U.S.-Soviet arms race. The agency’s creation comes four years after U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s “Atoms for Peace” speech to the General Assembly, in which he proposed the creation of an international body to promote the peaceful use of atomic power. Unanimously approved by more than eighty countries, the IAEA’s charter outlines a three-part mission: nuclear verification and security, safety, and technology transfer. While the agency is an independent intergovernmental organization, it maintains relationships with both the General Assembly and the Security Council, to which it reports. Over the coming decades, the IAEA plays a critical role in coordinating the global response to both the Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear disasters, as well as monitoring Iran’s contentious nuclear program via inspections and safeguards.

1960–1964

July 14, 1960 – June 30, 1964

UN Launches Milestone Mission in the Congo

ONUC troops from the 5th Royal Nigerian Brigade arrive in the town of Kongolo, North Katanga, to help maintain public order and prevent civil war, December 1962.  UN Photo

Shortly after gaining independence from Belgium, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) appeals to the United Nations to help protect its political and territorial sovereignty. The Security Council responds by authorizing the UN Operation in the Congo (ONUC), a peacekeeping operation intended to provide military and technical assistance until Congolese forces are capable of defending their own territory. By 1960, the Congo faces a secession crisis as the province of Katanga seeks independence. The conflict unfolds amid Cold War tensions, with the United States and the Soviet Union at odds over its resolution. In 1961, UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld dies under mysterious circumstances in a plane crash en route to negotiate peace in the region. Shortly after, the Security Council passes Resolution 169, siding with the Congolese government. In 1962, the ONUC launches operations to prevent Katanga’s secession. Katanga surrenders in January 1963 and the ONUC withdraws from the DRC in June 1964.

1962

October 16 – 29, 1962

UN Helps Mediate During Cuban Missile Crisis

UN Secretary-General U Thant (right) meets with Deputy Premier of the Soviet Union Anastas I. Mikoyan (center) at the UN headquarters in New York as talks continue on the situation in Cuba, November 1962.  UN Photo

U.S. intelligence discovers that Cuba has allowed the Soviet Union to build nuclear missile installations on the island, prompting U.S. President John F. Kennedy to demand their removal and impose a naval quarantine of Cuba. His actions trigger a thirteen-day standoff. With fears of a nuclear war looming, the United States and the Soviet Union negotiate via back channels. As the crisis continues, Kennedy secretly agrees to withdraw U.S. nuclear missiles from Turkey within months and pledges not to invade Cuba if the Soviet Union withdraws its missiles. Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev accepts the deal and announces that he will order the missiles removed. Throughout the crisis, the United Nations—led by Secretary-General U Thant—serves as a mediator, privately facilitating communication between both sides. While largely on the margins, the United Nations’ involvement provides a diplomatic channel that helps defuse one of the most dangerous confrontations of the Cold War.

1966

December 16, 1966

Universal Rights Treaties Open for Signature

Salvador P. Lopez, Philippine ambassador to the United States, signs the Covenants at the UN headquarters in New York, December 1966.  Teddy Chen/UN Photo

The United Nations adopts the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) to further codify human rights. Originally drafted as one document, these covenants are ratified separately to address ideological differences primarily between UN member states during the Cold War. These two treaties legally bind states to uphold human rights, including the right to work, education, life, and religion. The ICESCR enters into force in January 1976, and the ICCPR in March of that same year. Along with the UDHR, the ICCPR and ICESCR form the core foundation of international human rights law.

1974

October 14, 1974

UNGA Recognizes Palestine Liberation Organization

PLO leader Yasser Arafat addresses the UN General Assembly, November 13, 1974.  Bettmann/Getty Images

As the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) grows in influence, the General Assembly adopts Resolution 3210 (XXIX), recognizing the PLO as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. Days later, the assembly grants the PLO observer status, allowing them to participate in the work of the General Assembly and other UN bodies. In 1975, the assembly establishes the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People to promote Palestinians’ right to self-determination, sovereignty, and national independence. The decision to recognize the PLO elevates the group’s international political standing and legitimacy. In 1988, the designation of “Palestine” officially replaces the PLO within the UN system. Despite these moves, the issue of Palestinian statehood remains a subject of heated debate.

1989

January 1, 1989

Landmark Treaty on Ozone Protection Enters Into Force

An effigy of Earth trying to grab aerosol cans from a hand polluting the planet rolls down the street during a carnival in Mainz, Germany, February 6, 1989.  Mauritz Antin/Reuters

After receiving initial ratification from 197 countries, the Montreal Protocol takes effect—the first and only UN treaty to achieve universal ratification. It is also the first international treaty to address a planetary-scale environmental issue. The protocol requires states to stop producing substances that damage the Earth’s ozone layer, such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which are used in refrigerants, aerosols, and other applications. The protocol helps to eliminate nearly 99 percent of CFCs and is considered one of the most effective international climate agreements. In 2016, all states party to the protocol agree via the Kigali Amendment to also reduce their production of hydrofluorocarbons, powerful greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.

1990

August 2, 1990

UN Backs Global Action Against Iraq

UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali (center) visits UNIKOM in Kuwait, 1995.  UN Photo

Following Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, the Security Council condemns the move and issues a resolution demanding Iraq’s immediate and unconditional withdrawal to pre-invasion positions. When Iraq fails to comply, the Security Council imposes a comprehensive trade embargo on Baghdad, which excludes humanitarian aid. As tensions escalate, the Council authorizes member states in November to use “all necessary means” to enforce withdrawal by January 15, 1991. After Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein refuses, a UN-backed, U.S.-led coalition attacks Iraq, and the United States declares a ceasefire the following month. In April 1991, the Council deploys the UN Iraq-Kuwait Observation Mission (UNIKOM) to monitor the demilitarized zone between Iraq and Kuwait until 2003. In 1995, the United Nations establishes the Oil-for-Food Program to allow Iraq to sell oil in exchange for humanitarian goods, while preventing the development of weapons of mass destruction. However, the program is plagued by widespread violations and corruption, including by Security Council members.

1992

June 3 – 14, 1992

Brazil Hosts UN Earth Summit

U.S. President George W. Bush signs the Earth pledge alongside his wife, Barbara Bush, during the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, June 12, 1992.  J. David Ake/AFP/Getty Images

In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the UN Conference on Environment and Development—known as the Earth Summit—brings together political leaders, scientists, and media and NGO representatives from 179 countries to address the effects of human activities on the environment. The summit produces several major agreements, including the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development and Agenda 21, a blueprint for achieving sustainable development. It also establishes two major treaties: the Convention on Biological Diversity and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The UNFCC, signed by 154 countries, including the United States, is the first global treaty to explicitly address climate change, with signatories pledging to combat “dangerous human interference with the climate system.” It establishes the Conference of the Parties, an annual global forum that leads to subsequent binding climate agreements like the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement.

1993

May 25, 1993

UN Establishes Tribunal to Prosecute Balkan War Crimes

Photographs of missing men from Srebrenica are on display in the office of the Srebrenica Widow’s Association in Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina, October 22, 2002.  Roger Lemoyne/Getty Images

The Security Council sets up the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) to prosecute those responsible for war crimes and other “serious violations of international humanitarian law” during the Balkan wars of the 1990s. The ICTY can determine culpability in four main areas: major violations of the 1949 Geneva Conventions, breaches of the laws or customs of war, crimes against humanity, and genocide. It is the first ad hoc international war crimes tribunal since the Nuremberg and Tokyo trials in the wake of World War II. In 2007, the United Nations’ own top court, the International Court of Justice, delivers a landmark ruling confirming that the 1995 massacre of more than eight thousand Bosnian Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica by Bosnian Serb forces was an act of genocide. The ICTY indicts a total of 161 people, including the leading perpetrators of the genocide during the Bosnian War, before its mandate ends in 2017.

1994

November 8, 1994

UN Responds to Genocide in Rwanda

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and his wife, Nane, visit the burial site of genocide victims from the École Technique Officielle secondary school in Kigali, Rwanda, May 1998.  Milton Grant/UN Photo

The United Nations establishes the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) months after approximately eight hundred thousand Rwandans—primarily members of the Tutsi minority—are killed during a period of about one hundred days. The genocide unfolds after most UN peacekeeping forces withdraw from the country. The ICTR’s purpose is to prosecute individuals responsible for the killings and other serious violations of international humanitarian law. Between 1995 and 2015, when its mandate ends, the tribunal indicts ninety-three individuals, including high-ranking military and government officials. The ICTR is the first institution to define rape in international criminal law and recognize it as a means of perpetrating genocide. It is also the first international tribunal to hold members of the media accountable for their involvement in international crimes. In 2010, the Security Council establishes the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals to carry on the residual functions of both the ICTY and the ICTR.

1999

June 10, 1999

Security Council Creates Mission to Run Kosovo

American Abrams tanks arrive in Kosovo, June 1999.  Patrick Robert/Sygma/Corbis/Getty Images

The Security Council authorizes an international civil presence in the breakaway Serbian province of Kosovo, known as the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). The decision follows the end of the NATO bombing campaign against Serbia—a part of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia—and the cessation of the Serbian government’s large-scale violence targeting ethnic Albanians in Kosovo. UNMIK’s mandate is to “ensure conditions for a peaceful and normal life for all inhabitants of Kosovo and advancement of regional stability in the Western Balkans.” Working closely with NATO, its responsibilities include promoting security and stability, safeguarding human rights, and establishing provisional institutions of self-government in Kosovo, home to a majority ethnic Albanian population and small enclaves of ethnic Serbs. While the mission succeeds at stabilizing Kosovo after the war and restoring law and order, some critics say it falls short of building a fully functional and inclusive political system.

2000

September 2000

Countries Adopt Millennium Development Goals

A Pakistani girl collects food from a garbage dump in Islamabad as UNICEF calls for greater global action on child labor, June 12, 2010.  Farooq Naeem/AFP/Getty Images

At the UN Millennium Summit in New York, one of the largest-ever gatherings of world leaders at the time, 189 countries adopt the Millennium Declaration. It commits countries to combating issues including hunger, disease, poverty, and environmental degradation. The declaration forms the basis for the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which focus on directing wealthy countries’ resources toward eradicating poverty and improving global health in poor countries. Each goal has targets set for 2015 and indicators to monitor progress. By 2015, when the MDGs expire, experts agree they were largely successful, particularly in reducing extreme poverty and combating diseases, though progress varied across goals and regions.

2002

March 22, 2002

General Assembly Endorses Monterrey Consensus

World leaders pose for a group photo at the International Conference on Financing for Development in Monterrey, Mexico, March 21, 2002.  Stephen Jaffe/AFP/Getty Images

At the International Conference on Financing for Development in Monterrey, Mexico, the General Assembly adopts the Monterrey Consensus [PDF]. It emphasizes the shared responsibility of developing countries to pursue economic and social development and of wealthy nations to support them through open trade and increased financial aid. The agreement focuses on six areas for financing development: mobilizing domestic financial resources in developing countries, setting a target of 0.7 percent of gross national incomes for donor countries’ official development assistance, increasing international financial and technical cooperation, encouraging international trade, providing external debt relief, and addressing systematic issues. The United States, under President George W. Bush, strongly backs the effort, which lays the groundwork for the Millennium Challenge Corporation—an independent U.S. foreign aid agency that partners with developing countries that have demonstrated good governance and sound economic policies.

July 1, 2002

Rome Statute Establishes the ICC

The first eighteen judges of the ICC are sworn in during an inaugural ceremony in The Hague, March 11, 2003.  Paul Vreeker PVR/CRB/Reuters

The International Criminal Court (ICC) is established by the Rome Statute as the first permanent, treaty-based world court to prosecute individuals guilty of some of the world’s most serious crimes. The court has jurisdiction over four categories of crimes under international law: genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of aggression. The ICC builds on the successes of the ICTY and ICTR with the intention of complementing, rather than replacing, national courts. The ICC is independent from the UN system, which has its own International Court of Justice for cases against states. However, the ICC has a cooperation agreement with the United Nations and jurisdictional ties to the Security Council. Its critics argue the court has too much prosecutorial power and threatens states’ sovereignty. The United States is one of only a few democracies—including India and Israel—that have not ratified the Rome Statute, despite having played a significant role in shaping it during the Bill Clinton administration.

2003

August 19, 2003

Terrorist Bombing of UN Baghdad Headquarters Kills Envoy

A car burns outside the UN headquarters at the Canal Hotel in eastern Baghdad after a truck bomb attack, August 19, 2003.  Sabah Arar/AFP/Getty Images

A truck bomb kills twenty-two people, including the top UN envoy to Iraq, Sérgio Vieira de Mello, and badly damages the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, Iraq—a base for some three hundred UN personnel. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, leader of the terrorist organization Jama’at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad, claims responsibility for what is the first major terrorist attack to target the United Nations. The incident highlights the United Nations’ precarious position after accepting a lead role in Iraq’s democracy and nation-building efforts following the 2003 U.S.-led invasion—a war that many UN members opposed. A week after the attack, the Security Council unanimously passes a resolution [PDF] declaring that “attacks knowingly and intentionally directed against” humanitarian or peacekeeping personnel “constitute war crimes.”

2005

September 16, 2005

Member States Endorse Responsibility to Protect Doctrine

Security Council members vote in abstention on a resolution supporting military action against the Muammar al-Qaddafi regime in Libya during a meeting at UN headquarters in New York, March 17, 2011.  Jessica Rinaldi/Reuters

At a time of multiple conflicts, the General Assembly endorses the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) doctrine at the UN World Summit. R2P asserts that sovereign countries have a fundamental responsibility to protect their citizens and if they fail to do so, the Security Council can use its existing UN Charter authority to intervene—including by using military force—to protect innocent civilians and prevent large-scale loss of life. The doctrine establishes a heightened political priority for humanitarian intervention, provided the Security Council authorizes it in particular situations. However, some critics argue that R2P risks undermining state sovereignty and encourages foreign interference by the Security Council in states’ internal affairs. Most notably, the doctrine is used to justify NATO-led intervention in Libya’s civil war in 2011, after the Security Council authorizes the use of force to protect civilians from Muammar al-Qaddafi’s crackdown—a decision that proves controversial among UN member states. More than a decade later, Libya remains riven by civil war.

2006

March 15, 2006

Human Rights Council Supersedes Commission

President of the UNHRC Martin Ihoeghian Uhomoibhi (left) welcomes Vice President of the Maldives Mohamed Waheed (right) at the opening of the 10th UNHRC in Geneva, March 2, 2009.  Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images

The General Assembly votes overwhelmingly to adopt a resolution establishing the Human Rights Council (UNHRC), which is responsible for “strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe,” as well as addressing human rights violations. The UNHRC replaces the Commission on Human Rights, created in 1946, which faced widespread criticism for letting countries with poor human rights records become members. The UNHRC meets at least three times a year and reviews the records of all UN members in a process known as Universal Periodic Review. In 2009, under President Barack Obama, the United States secures a seat on the council and is reelected in 2012. The council faces a bout of criticism in 2013 after Algeria, China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam are elected members by the General Assembly, despite checkered rights records. In 2018, President Donald Trump withdraws the United States from the UNHRC, citing bias against Israel—particularly a standing agenda item on the human rights situation in the Palestinian territories. The United States gains an elected seat on the UNHRC in 2021, but Trump withdraws the country again after he returns to office in 2025.

2010

January 12, 2010

Haiti Disaster Deals Blow to UN Peacekeeping—and Image

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visits the destroyed MINUSTAH headquarters in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, five days after a devastating earthquake rocked the city, January 17, 2010.  Thomas Coex/AFP/Getty Images

A catastrophic 7.0-magnitude earthquake strikes Haiti, killing an estimated 220,000 people and displacing 1.5 million more. The quake deals a severe blow to the country’s already shaky economy and infrastructure, collapsing the headquarters of the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) that was launched in 2004 to restore political order. In response, the Security Council endorses Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s recommendation to increase the UN peacekeeping presence in Haiti to support the country’s stability, recovery, and reconstruction efforts. UN and partner organizations launch a $575 million flash appeal for emergency humanitarian assistance, while the Security Council authorizes an increase of 3,500 troops and police to reinforce MINUSTAH’s efforts. The quake is the deadliest disaster in UN peacekeeping history, resulting in the deaths of 102 UN personnel, including head of MINUSTAH Hédi Annabi and 96 peacekeepers. In the quake’s aftermath, Haiti suffers a major cholera outbreak—later traced to UN peacekeepers—leading to significant criticism of the United Nations’ handling of the crisis.

December 10, 2010

UN Supports LGBTQ+ Rights in Major Milestone

Secretary-General Ban delivers remarks at the UN Free & Equal Lunch in San Francisco, June 2015.  Mark Garten/UN Photo

In a landmark speech on Human Rights Day, Secretary-General Ban launches a global appeal to decriminalize homosexuality and other measures to safeguard the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. His speech marks a significant milestone as one of the first times a UN secretary-general explicitly advocates for LGBTQ+ rights within the UN human rights agenda. In June 2011, the UNHRC adopts its first resolution [PDF] on human rights, sexual orientation, and gender identity, which also commissions the first-ever UN study focused on discriminatory laws and practices against individuals based on their sexual orientation. Despite these advances, many countries continue to criminalize LGBTQ+ identities and face criticism from human rights groups.

2015

June 20, 2015

Security Council Endorses Iran Nuclear Deal

Gholamali Khoshroo, Iran’s permanent representative to the United Nations, addresses the Security Council after it adopts a resolution affirming the JCPOA, July 2015.  Loey Felipe/UN Photo

Nearly a week after Iran, the five permanent members of the Security Council, and European Union (EU) representatives reach the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the Council formally endorses the agreement via Resolution 2231. The JCPOA, also known as the Iran nuclear deal, is negotiated in response to growing concerns about nuclear proliferation in the Middle East. It aims to ensure that Iran’s nuclear program is kept peaceful by offering sanctions relief in exchange for restrictions on Tehran’s nuclear activities, including uranium enrichment limits monitored by the IAEA. Nuclear talks with Iran remain in a state of flux over the next several years as efforts to revive the JCPOA continue following the 2018 U.S. withdrawal and subsequent violations by Iran.

September 25, 2015

Sustainable Development Goals Succeed the MDGs

A participant draws on a board during the UN secretary-general’s High-level Meeting on Financing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in New York, September 24, 2018.  Evan Schneider/UN Photo

At the seventieth General Assembly, countries adopt an ambitious set of development goals for improving economic, environmental, and social conditions worldwide by 2030. The seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) succeed the MDGs as the United Nations’ chief initiative for advancing basic living standards and addressing a range of global issues, including gender inequality and climate change. Unlike the MDGs, the SDGs are meant to apply equally to all countries and thus cover a broader swath of issues. By 2025, however, only an estimated 35 percent of SDGs are on track or making moderate progress ahead of the 2030 deadline. Some experts criticize the SDGs as overly ambitious, instead calling for a more focused approach on a smaller selection of targets.

December 12, 2015

Countries Sign Paris Climate Agreement

The slogan “climate action” is projected onto the Eiffel Tower during the UN climate conference in Paris, France, December 11, 2015.  Chesnot/Getty Images

Following two weeks of negotiations at the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris, 194 countries and the EU adopt an international treaty agreeing for the first time to take actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support collective climate action. The Paris Agreement calls for countries with greater resources to help developing nations enhance their capacities to combat climate change. The agreement aims to prevent the global average temperature from rising 2.0°C (3.6°F) above pre-industrial levels, with a preference to keep warming below 1.5°C (2.7°F). Countries that adopt the agreement consent to nationally determined contributions as well as non-mandatory long-term strategies to lower greenhouse gas emissions. While the agreement is a historic achievement, its implementation continues to face financial, political, and geopolitical hurdles. Trump withdraws the United States twice from the agreement—in 2017 and 2025—arguing that it harms the U.S. economy by imposing unfavorable environmental standards and places the country at a disadvantage compared to other major emitters.

2018

December 19, 2018

UNGA Approves First Global Compact for Migration

Migrants arrive at the Sicilian harbor of Pozzallo, Italy, after crossing the Mediterranean Sea from Libya, February 15, 2015.  Antonio Parrinello/Reuters

The General Assembly adopts the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, the first-ever global agreement on a common approach to international migration. The nonbinding agreement [PDF] outlines twenty-three objectives to support international cooperation, including reducing migrant smuggling, ensuring migrants’ access to basic services, and using detention only as a last resort. While proponents laud the agreement as a step forward in global migration governance, critics view it as a challenge to state sovereignty. Some countries that initially sign or support the agreement later withdraw from the process or decline to implement it, including Australia, Austria, Hungary, and Poland. Despite efforts by states, by the end of 2024, there are an estimated 123.2 million forcibly displaced people worldwide.

2020

March 11, 2020

WHO Declares COVID-19 Pandemic

Health-care workers wheel bodies from the Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York, during the COVID-19 pandemic, April 2, 2020.  Brendan McDermid/Reuters

The WHO director-general announces that COVID-19—first detected in December 2019 in Wuhan, China—constitutes a pandemic. The United Nations launches a coordinated response that includes health, humanitarian, and socioeconomic planning via various UN bodies. UN agencies also help lead the global COVAX initiative to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines around the world. Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General António Guterres calls for a global ceasefire so countries can focus on their public health response. The United Nations issues both a Global Humanitarian Response Plan and a socioeconomic recovery framework to mitigate the pandemic’s effect on the world’s most vulnerable countries. Despite these global efforts, however, the disease kills more than seven million people over the next few years, per the WHO.

2022–Present

March 2, 2022

UNGA Denounces Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine

UN Secretary-General António Guterres visits the city of Irpin, Ukraine, in the early months of Russia’s invasion, April 28, 2022.  Eskinder Debebe/UN Photo

During its eleventh emergency special session, the General Assembly overwhelmingly adopts a nonbinding resolution condemning Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The session is triggered by the rarely used Uniting for Peace resolution after the Security Council fails to pass a similar resolution due to a Russian veto. In a vote of 141–5, with 35 abstentions, the assembly “deplores in the strongest terms” Russia’s unprovoked aggression, demands that Russia immediately cease fighting and unconditionally withdraw its forces from Ukraine, and calls on Moscow to reverse its recognition of Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk regions as independent. On April 7, the assembly suspends Russia’s membership rights in the UNHRC following reports of gross and systematic human rights violations.

2023–Present

October 2023

UN Responds to Gaza Humanitarian Crisis

Palestinians sit on the rubble of a damaged building in Gaza City in the aftermath of Israeli strikes, October 10, 2023.  Mohammed Salem/Reuters

On October 7, Hamas launches a surprise assault on southern Israel, killing nearly 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages. In response, Israel declares war with the stated goal of eradicating the group, marking the start of intense military operations. As the conflict continues unabated, the humanitarian situation in Gaza grows more dire. UN agencies—particularly the World Food Program, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and the UN agency for Palestinian refugees—coordinate the provision of humanitarian aid and make repeated calls for ceasefires and humanitarian pauses. However, UN funding shortfalls and restricted access to Gaza hamper aid efforts, which are further hindered by ongoing crises in Ukraine and Sudan. By the end of 2024, the United Nations reports that 181 aid workers have been killed in Gaza, now considered the deadliest location for humanitarian personnel in the world. Reflecting the scale of the crisis, the UN-backed global hunger monitor declares in August 2025 that an “entirely man-made” famine is occurring in and around Gaza City, previously the enclave’s largest population center.