As world leaders gather in New York for the 81st UN General Assembly, the organisation faces wars, displacement, climate pressures and deepening geopolitical divisions.
The UN is often judged by the conflicts it has failed to stop. But its recent record also includes achievements that attract less attention - from delivering vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic to providing food and healthcare in crisis zones and bringing governments together to tackle global challenges.
The 81st session opened on 8 September, with the annual general debate beginning on 22 September. As leaders prepare to address the Assembly, here are five areas where the UN system has made a tangible difference in recent years.
The UN system played a central role in coordinating the international response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The World Health Organization (WHO) provided health guidance and international coordination, while UNICEF helped deliver vaccines to countries around the world.
The pandemic exposed major inequalities in access to healthcare and vaccines, but also demonstrated the importance of international cooperation during a global emergency.
In May 2025, WHO member states adopted the world’s first Pandemic Agreement, designed to strengthen global cooperation and improve preparedness and responses to future pandemics.
UN agencies remain a lifeline for millions of people affected by wars, disasters and other humanitarian crises.
In 2024, the UN and its partners delivered life-saving assistance and protection to more than 116 million people, providing support including food, shelter, healthcare, water and sanitation.
From Gaza and Sudan to Ukraine and Yemen, UN workers and partner organisations have continued operating despite dangerous conditions and severe funding pressures.
Behind those figures are millions of people who have lost homes, livelihoods and access to basic services.
In September 2024, UN member states adopted the Pact for the Future, setting out commitments covering peace and security, sustainable development, technology and global governance.
The agreement also includes the Global Digital Compact, a framework for international cooperation on digital technology and the governance of artificial intelligence.
The Pact cannot resolve these challenges on its own, but its adoption brought UN member states together around a set of commitments intended to strengthen international cooperation.
The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals have helped drive measurable gains since their adoption in 2015, although progress remains uneven and many targets are still off track ahead of the 2030 deadline.
According to the UN, nearly one billion people have gained access to safely managed drinking water since 2015, while 1.2 billion have gained access to safely managed sanitation.
Renewable energy capacity has also continued to expand, reaching a record 544 watts per person globally in 2024.
Despite those gains, hundreds of millions of people still lack basic services, underlining the scale of the challenge remaining before 2030.
The UN continues to use peacekeeping, mediation and political missions to try to prevent conflicts from breaking out, escalating or continuing.
In 2024, the organisation operated 11 peacekeeping missions alongside 40 special political missions and offices working on conflict prevention and resolution.
The results of such efforts are not always immediately visible. In some cases, progress can mean maintaining a ceasefire, protecting civilians, preventing further escalation or supporting communities rebuilding after conflict.
As world leaders gather in New York for the 81st UN General Assembly, the organisation faces wars, displacement, climate pressures and deepening ge...
Iran's military has threatened to launch sustained attacks on U.S. bases and interests across the Middle East if Washington resumes milita...
Nearly 130,000 people have been forced from their homes in Yemen in recent weeks as fighting intensifies along the country’s west coast, acco...
Houthi attacks target Riyadh amid concerns over Saudi oil supplies, as Iran says it will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until its conditions are met and U.S. commitments are implemented, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday.
Saudi civil defence sent an all-clear on Saturday after issuing alerts for a second time for potential danger in Riyadh and the city of Al-Kharj east of the capital, amid an uptick in attacks by Iran-aligned Houthis on the Gulf country.
The U.S. State Department approved a $2.7 billion military sale to Ukraine for air-defence development upgrades, along with related equipment and services, the department said. Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities reported at least 10 people had died in Russian attacks over the last 24 hours.
Iran's military has threatened to launch sustained attacks on U.S. bases and interests across the Middle East if Washington resumes military action against Tehran.
The death toll from an overnight Russian attack on the Kyiv region rose to four, including three children, Kyiv regional authorities said on Sunday. A mother and her two 3-year-old children were killed when a Russian drone strike hit a private home, the emergency service said.
Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi is under preliminary investigation in France over a suspected conflict of interest linked to the 2024 sale of Ligue 1 broadcasting rights.
Overnight Russian strikes on the city of Sumy, northeast Ukraine, have killed one woman and injured a man, the country's State Emergency Service has said.
Russian parliamentary elections have delivered a comfortable win to the ruling United Russia party, which is closely aligned to President Vladimir Putin. With more than 95 per cent of ballots counted, United Russia has taken 57.83 per cent of the vote, up from the 49.8 per cent it won in 2021.
A powerful typhoon was approaching Japan’s Pacific coast on Monday, bringing torrential rain, strong winds and a heightened risk of landslides across the Kanto region, including Tokyo, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
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