80 Accomplishments in 80 Years
In previous issues we listed 64 UN accomplishments in the organization's first 64 years. Here is the fifth and final installment.
80 Accomplishments in 80 Years, Part Five , 2013 - 2025
2015 While progress was uneven and many challenges remained, action taken to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, concluding in 2015, reduced poverty and the mortality rate for children under five by half.
2015 UNICEF reports that it has saved the lives of 48 million children under the age of five since 2000.
2015 The Paris Climate Accords establish national goals for reducing greenhouse emissions.
2015 The UN General Assembly adopts the Sustainable Development Goals, establishing ambitious global goals for the eradication of poverty and hunger, improvements in health and education, gender equity, climate action and other topics for the period 2015 – 2030.
2017 The UN Verification Mission in Colombia is established to monitor and verify the peace agreement between the government and the opposition force FARC-EP.
2018 The UN Population Fund reports that it provided family-planning assistance to 2.7 million people in 44 countries.
2020 The UN World Food Program receives the Nobel Peace Prize for its efforts to combat hunger and prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war.
2020 The World Health Organization (WHO) plays a central role in global response to the COVID-19 pandemic: distributing diagnostic kits and PPE to countries with weak public health systems, aiding in public awareness campaigns, disseminating accurate information on treatments and coordinating a worldwide system to distribute COVID vaccines.
2022 The UN plays a key role in the Black Sea Grain Initiative, allowing Ukraine to resume grain exports after the Russian invasion of that country.
2023 39% fewer people acquired HIV in 2023 compared with 2010, thanks in part to the work of UNAIDS, a joint program engaging UN agencies, national governments and other partners.
2024 The WHO reports that the WHO-initiated Expanded Program on Immunization has saved 154 million lives since its founding in 1974.
2024 UN agencies, especially the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), provide aid to 8.4 million people during the Russia-Ukraine War.
2024 The UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs coordinates aid to the people in Gaza and the West Bank from UN agencies and NGOs, assisting a total of 2.7 million people.
2025 UNHCR reports that it has helped 50 million refugees restart their lives since its founding in 1950.
2025 The UN adopts a Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan to coordinate assistance to 10.5 million people in Yemen.
2025 The 80th session of the UN General Assembly begins with high-level meetings including a climate summit and a Global Dialogue on AI Governance, as well as recommitments to multilateralism.
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