Maintaining Peace and Security Over the past six decades, the UN has established and deployed 69 peacekeeping and observer missions to the world’s hotspots. As a result, normalization has been achieved, allowing many countries to overcome the consequences of conflict. There are currently 16 peacekeeping operations worldwide, with some 125,000 brave men and women from 120 countries going where others cannot or will not.
Making peace Thanks to the mediation efforts of the UN or to the actions of third parties supported by the UN third parties, many conflicts have been brought to an end since the 1990s. These include conflicts in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Burundi, and the conflict between northern and southern Sudan and Nepal.
Peace consolidation The Peacebuilding Commission supports peace efforts in countries emerging from conflict and is an important tool for the international community to address the broader peace and security agenda. The Peacebuilding Commission performs the following functions: interconnects all actors involved, including international donors, international financial institutions, national governments, and troop-contributing countries; mobilizes resources; and recommends integrated strategies for post-conflict peacebuilding and recovery.
Preventing nuclear weapons proliferation For more than five decades, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has served as the world’s nuclear inspector. IAEA experts ensure that controlled nuclear material is used only for peaceful purposes. The Agency currently has safeguards agreements with more than 180 States.
Clearing anti-personnel mines The UN helps destroy anti-personnel mines in some 30 countries and territories, including Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Libya, Mozambique and Sudan. Thousands of civilians are killed or maimed each year by anti-personnel mines.
Promoting disarmament The most important goal of the United Nations in the field of peace and security is general disarmament and arms limitation. The UN works to prevent the proliferation and eventual total elimination of nuclear weapons, to destroy chemical weapons and to ban biological weapons. In addition, the UN actively discourages the proliferation of landmines, small arms and light weapons. The UN also actively discourages the proliferation of landmines and small arms and light weapons.
