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Do not fill this in! ==Objectives== The overarching strategy of the United Nations is captured in the [[United Nations Common Agenda]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nations |first=United |title=Our Common Agenda |url=https://www.un.org/en/common-agenda |access-date=2023-05-06 |website=United Nations |language=en |archive-date=6 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230506121053/https://www.un.org/en/common-agenda |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The UN75 Declaration, Our Common Agenda and the development of international law |url=http://international-review.icrc.org/articles/the-un75-declaration-our-common-agenda-and-the-development-of-international-law-920 |access-date=2023-05-06 |website=International Review of the Red Cross |date=15 November 2022 |language=en |archive-date=6 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230506120815/https://international-review.icrc.org/articles/the-un75-declaration-our-common-agenda-and-the-development-of-international-law-920 |url-status=live }}</ref> ===Peacekeeping and security=== {{Main|United Nations peacekeeping|List of United Nations peacekeeping missions}} [[File:United Nations Peacekeeping Helmet Icon.svg|thumb|upright|United Nations Peacekeeping Logo]] The UN, after approval by the Security Council, sends peacekeepers to regions where armed conflict has recently ceased or paused to enforce the terms of peace agreements and to discourage combatants from resuming hostilities. Since the UN does not maintain its own military, peacekeeping forces are voluntarily provided by member states. These soldiers are sometimes nicknamed "Blue Helmets" because they wear distinctive blue helmets.{{sfn|Fasulo|2004|p=52}}{{sfn|Coulon|1998|p=ix}} Peacekeeping forces as a whole received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1988.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1988/| author=Nobel Prize| title=The Nobel Peace Prize 1988| access-date=3 April 2011| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110402191526/http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1988/| archive-date=2 April 2011| url-status=live| df=dmy-all}}</ref> The UN has carried out 71 peacekeeping operations since 1947, and as of April 2021, over 88,000 peacekeeping personnel from 121 nations have been deployed on missions.<ref>{{cite web|title=Where we operate|url=https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/where-we-operate|access-date=2021-06-26|website=United Nations Peacekeeping|language=en|archive-date=10 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220310144614/https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/where-we-operate|url-status=live}}</ref> The largest is the [[United Nations Mission in South Sudan]] (or UNMISS), which has close to 19,200 uniformed personnel,<ref>{{cite web|title=UNMISS|url=https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/mission/unmiss|access-date=2021-06-26|website=United Nations Peacekeeping|language=en|archive-date=23 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423064759/https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/mission/unmiss|url-status=live}}</ref> and the smallest, the [[United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan]] (or UNMOGIP), consists of 113 civilians and experts charged with monitoring the ceasefire in [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]]. UN peacekeepers with the [[United Nations Truce Supervision Organization]] (or UNTSO) have been stationed in the Middle East since 1948, the longest-running active peacekeeping mission.<ref name="UNPO">{{cite web |date=29 February 2016 |title=United Nations Peacekeeping Operations |url=https://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/resources/statistics/factsheet.shtml |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160323162900/http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/resources/statistics/factsheet.shtml |archive-date=23 March 2016 |access-date=24 March 2016 |publisher=United Nations}}</ref> A study by the RAND Corporation in 2005 found the UN to be successful in two-thirds of their peacekeeping efforts. It compared efforts at nation-building by the UN to those of the United States, and found that 87.5% of UN cases are at peace, as compared with 50% of U.S. cases at peace.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/2005/RAND_MG304.sum.pdf| publisher=RAND Corporation| title=The UN's Role in Nation Building: From the Congo to Iraq| access-date=30 December 2008| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216225937/http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/2005/RAND_MG304.sum.pdf| archive-date=16 December 2008| url-status=live| df=dmy-all}}</ref> Also in 2005, the [[Human Security Report 2005|Human Security Report]] documented a decline in the number of wars, [[genocide]]s, and [[human rights abuses]] since the end of the Cold War, and presented evidence, albeit circumstantial, that international activism β mostly spearheaded by the UN β has been the main cause of the decline in armed conflict.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.humansecurityreport.info/| publisher=Human Security Centre| title=The Human Security Report 2005| access-date=8 February 2007| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://swap.stanford.edu/20090728163300/http%3A//www.humansecurityreport.info/| archive-date=28 July 2009| df=dmy-all}}</ref> Situations in which the UN has not only acted to keep the peace but also intervened include the Korean War and the authorization of intervention in Iraq after the Gulf War.{{sfn|Kennedy|2007|p=56}} Further studies published between 2008 and 2021 determined UN peacekeeping operations to be more effective at ensuring long-lasting peace and minimizing civilian casualties.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |date=7 May 2021 |title=A U.N. Peacekeeping Mission Is Afghanistan's Best Hope |url=https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/articles/29632/after-us-war-afghanistan-peacekeeping-mission-deserves-a-chance |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220310033741/https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/articles/29632/after-us-war-afghanistan-peacekeeping-mission-deserves-a-chance |archive-date=10 March 2022 |access-date=2021-06-23 |website=World Politics Review |language=en}}</ref> {{anchor|inaction on genocide and human rights}} [[File:GreenLine BufferZone Large.JPG|thumb|upright=0.95|The [[UN Buffer Zone in Cyprus]] was established in 1974 following the [[Turkish invasion of Cyprus]].]] The UN has also drawn criticism for perceived failures. In many cases, member states have shown reluctance to achieve or enforce Security Council resolutions. Disagreements in the Security Council about military action and intervention are seen as having failed to prevent the [[1971 Bangladesh Genocide|Bangladesh genocide in 1971]],{{sfn|Ball|2011|p=46}} the [[Khmer Rouge rule of Cambodia|Cambodian genocide]] in the 1970s,{{sfn|Kennedy|2007|p=187}} and the Rwandan genocide in 1994.{{sfn|Kennedy|2007|pp=102β105}} Similarly, UN inaction is blamed for failing to either prevent the [[Srebrenica massacre]] or complete the peacekeeping operations during the [[Somali Civil War]].{{sfn|Meisler|1995|pp=294β311}} UN peacekeepers have also been accused of child rape, soliciting prostitutes, and sexual abuse during various peacekeeping missions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A3145-2004Dec15.html |title=U.N. Sexual Abuse Alleged in Congo |newspaper=The Washington Post |first=Colum |last=Lynch |date=16 December 2004 |access-date=21 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111062103/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A3145-2004Dec15.html |archive-date=11 November 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> Haiti,<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6195830.stm| title=UN troops face child abuse claims| work=BBC News| date=30 November 2006| access-date=21 November 2013| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131209171221/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6195830.stm| archive-date=9 December 2013| url-status=live| df=dmy-all}}</ref> Liberia,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/08/world/africa/08iht-abuse.html |title=Aid workers in Liberia accused of sex abuse |work=The New York Times |date=8 May 2006 |access-date=22 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141003214726/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/08/world/africa/08iht-abuse.html |archive-date=3 October 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> Sudan,<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1538476/UN-staff-accused-of-raping-children-in-Sudan.html| title=UN staff accused of raping children in Sudan| work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]| date=4 January 2007| first=Kate| last=Holt| access-date=21 November 2013| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131107000450/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1538476/UN-staff-accused-of-raping-children-in-Sudan.html| archive-date=7 November 2013| url-status=live| df=dmy-all}}</ref> Burundi, and CΓ΄te d'Ivoire.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/7420798.stm|title=Peacekeepers 'abusing children'|work=BBC News|date=28 May 2007|access-date=21 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131209173237/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/7420798.stm|archive-date=9 December 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> Scientists cited UN peacekeepers from Nepal as the source of the [[2010s Haiti cholera outbreak]], which killed more than 8,000 people.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/09/world/americas/haiti-un-cholera-lawsuit/ |title=U.N. sued for 'bringing cholera to Haiti,' causing outbreak that killed thousands |last1=Watson |first1=Ivan |first2=Joe |last2=Vaccarello |date=10 October 2013 |publisher=CNN |access-date=18 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203002147/http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/09/world/americas/haiti-un-cholera-lawsuit/ |archive-date=3 December 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[File:A United Nations Peacekeeper from Nepal provides security at a rice distribution site in Kenscoff, Haiti, Feb. 20, 2010 100220-N-HX866-010.jpg|thumb|left|A Nepalese soldier on a peacekeeping deployment providing security at a rice distribution site in Haiti during 2010]] In addition to peacekeeping, the UN is also active in encouraging [[disarmament]]. Regulation of armaments was included in the writing of the UN Charter in 1945 and was envisioned as a way of limiting the use of human and economic resources for their creation.<ref name="Chapter|V">{{cite web |url=http://www.un.org/en/sections/un-charter/chapter-v/index.html |title=United Nations Charter: Chapter V |publisher=United Nations |access-date=2 November 2017 |date=17 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171103075309/http://www.un.org/en/sections/un-charter/chapter-v/index.html |archive-date=3 November 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> The advent of [[nuclear weapon]]s came only weeks after the signing of the charter, resulting in the first [[United Nations General Assembly resolution|resolution]] of the first [[General Assembly]] meeting calling for specific proposals for "the elimination from national armaments of atomic weapons and of all other major weapons adaptable to mass destruction".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.un.org/documents/ga/res/1/ares1.htm |title=Resolutions Adopted by the General Assembly During its First Session |access-date=24 March 2008 |publisher=United Nations |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080312102841/http://www.un.org/documents/ga/res/1/ares1.htm |archive-date=12 March 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref> The UN has been involved with arms-limitation treaties such as the [[Outer Space Treaty]], the [[Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons]], the [[Seabed Arms Control Treaty]], the [[Biological Weapons Convention]], the [[Chemical Weapons Convention]], and the [[Ottawa Treaty]].{{sfn|Fasulo|2004|pp=188β189}} Three UN bodies oversee arms proliferation issues: the [[International Atomic Energy Agency]], the [[Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons|Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons]] and the [[Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization Preparatory Commission]].{{sfn|Fasulo|2004|pp=189β190}} Additionally, many peacekeeping missions focus on disarmament: several operations in West Africa disarmed roughly 250,000 former combatants and secured tens of thousands of weapons and millions of munitions.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mano River Basin, 25 years of peacekeeping|url=https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/mano-river-basin-25-years-of-peacekeeping|access-date=2021-06-26|website=United Nations Peacekeeping|language=en|archive-date=13 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220313084209/https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/mano-river-basin-25-years-of-peacekeeping|url-status=live}}</ref> ===Human rights=== One of the UN's primary purposes is "promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion", and member states pledge to undertake "joint and separate action" to protect these rights.<ref name=CharterIX>{{cite web |url=http://www.un.org/en/sections/un-charter/chapter-ix/index.html |title=United Nations Charter: Chapter IX |publisher=United Nations |access-date=2 November 2017 |date=17 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171109083248/http://www.un.org/en/sections/un-charter/chapter-ix/index.html |archive-date=9 November 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=Charter1>{{cite web |url=http://www.un.org/en/sections/un-charter/chapter-i/index.html |title=United Nations Charter: Chapter I |publisher=United Nations |access-date=2 November 2017 |date=17 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171028091648/http://www.un.org/en/sections/un-charter/chapter-i/index.html |archive-date=28 October 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[File:Eleanor Roosevelt UDHR (27758131387).jpg|thumb|left|[[Eleanor Roosevelt]] with the [[Universal Declaration of Human Rights]], 1949]] In 1948, the General Assembly adopted a [[Universal Declaration of Human Rights]], drafted by a committee headed by American diplomat and activist [[Eleanor Roosevelt]], and including the French lawyer [[RenΓ© Cassin]]. The document proclaims basic civil, political and economic rights common to all human beings, though its effectiveness towards achieving these ends has been disputed since its drafting.{{sfn|Kennedy|2007|pp=178β182}} The Declaration serves as a "common standard of achievement for all people and all nations" rather than a legally binding document, but it has become the basis of two binding treaties, the [[International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights]] and the [[International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights]].{{sfn|Fomerand|2009|p=377}} In practice, the UN is unable to take significant action against human rights abuses without a Security Council resolution, though it does substantial work in investigating and reporting abuses.{{sfn|Kennedy|2007|pp=185, 188}} In 1979, the General Assembly adopted the [[Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women]]; followed by the [[Convention on the Rights of the Child]] in 1989.{{sfn|Fomerand|2009|pp=70, 73}} With the end of the Cold War, the push for human rights action took on new impetus.{{sfn|Kennedy|2007|p=192}} The [[United Nations Commission on Human Rights]] was formed in 1993 to oversee human rights issues for the UN, following the recommendation of that year's [[World Conference on Human Rights]]. Jacques Fomerand, a scholar of the UN, describes the organization's mandate as "broad and vague", with only "meagre" resources to carry it out.{{sfn|Fomerand|2009|p=347}} In 2006, it was replaced by a [[United Nations Human Rights Council|Human Rights Council]] consisting of 47 nations.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4810538.stm |title=UN creates new human rights body |date=15 March 2006 |work=BBC News |access-date=18 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131226121934/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4810538.stm |archive-date=26 December 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> Also in 2006, the General Assembly passed a [[Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples|Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/documents/FAQsindigenousdeclaration.pdf |title=Frequently Asked Questions: Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples |publisher=United Nations |access-date=18 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130413164920/http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/documents/FAQsindigenousdeclaration.pdf |archive-date=13 April 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> and in 2011 it passed its first resolution recognizing the rights of members of the [[LGBT|LGBTQ+]] community.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/17/un-gay-rights-protection-resolution-passes-_n_879032.html |date=17 June 2011 |agency=[[Associated Press]] |first=Frank |last=Jordans |title=U.N. Gay Rights Protection Resolution Passes, Hailed As 'Historic Moment' |work=[[The Huffington Post]] |access-date=18 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113131517/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/17/un-gay-rights-protection-resolution-passes-_n_879032.html |archive-date=13 November 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> Other UN bodies responsible for [[women's rights]] issues include the [[United Nations Commission on the Status of Women]], the [[United Nations Development Fund for Women]] and the [[United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women]].{{sfn|Fomerand|2009|pp=57, 194, 341}} The UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, one of three bodies with a mandate to oversee issues related to indigenous peoples, held its first session in 2002.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://undesadspd.org/IndigenousPeoples/AboutUsMembers.aspx |title=United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues |publisher=United Nations |access-date=18 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131101010131/http://undesadspd.org/IndigenousPeoples/AboutUsMembers.aspx |archive-date=1 November 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> ===Economic development and humanitarian assistance=== {| style="background:#f3f9ff; padding-left:7px; padding-bottom:7px; float:right; border:1px dashed #aaa; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em;" |- | colspan=2| '''Millennium Development Goals<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/bkgd.shtml |title=We Can End Poverty |publisher=United Nations |access-date=18 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113055744/http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/bkgd.shtml |archive-date=13 November 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>''' |- | style="vertical-align:top; font-size:100%;"| # Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger # Achieve universal primary education # Promote gender equality and empower women # Reduce child mortality # Improve maternal health # Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases # Ensure environmental sustainability # Develop a global partnership for development |} Another primary purpose of the UN is "to achieve international co-operation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural and humanitarian character".<ref name=Charter1/> Numerous bodies have been created to work towards this goal, primarily under the authority of the General Assembly and the ECOSOC.{{sfn|Kennedy|2007|pp=143β144}} In 2000, the 192 UN member states agreed to achieve eight [[Millennium Development Goals]] by 2015.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/ |title=The UN Millennium Development Goals |publisher=United Nations |access-date=4 May 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070504153515/http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/ |archive-date=4 May 2007 |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Sustainable Development Goals]] were launched in 2015 to succeed the Millennium Development Goals.<ref name="Sustainable Development Goals"/> The SDGs have an associated financing framework called the [[Addis Ababa Action Agenda]]. The [[United Nations Development Programme|UN Development Programme]] (or the UNDP), an organization for grant-based technical assistance, is one of the leading bodies in the field of [[international development]]. The organization also publishes the UN [[Human Development Index]], a comparative measure [[List of countries by Human Development Index|ranking countries]] by poverty, literacy, education, life expectancy, and other factors.{{sfn|Fasulo|2004|pp=169β170, 172}}{{sfn|Fomerand|2009|pp=341β342}} The [[Food and Agriculture Organization]] (or the FAO) promotes agricultural development and food security.{{sfn|Fomerand|2009|p=126}} The [[UNICEF|United Nations Children's Fund]] (or UNICEF) was created in 1946 to aid European children after the Second World War and expanded its mission to provide aid around the world and to uphold the convention on the Rights of the Child.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.unicef.org/about/who/index_history.html |title=About UNICEF: Who we are: Our History |publisher=UNICEF |access-date=21 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021094832/http://www.unicef.org/about/who/index_history.html |archive-date=21 October 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.unicef.org/about/who/index_introduction.html |title=About UNICEF: Who We Are |publisher=UNICEF |access-date=21 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203005809/http://www.unicef.org/about/who/index_introduction.html |archive-date=3 December 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[File:Directors of Global Smallpox Eradication Program.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|left|Three former directors of the [[Smallpox#Eradication|Global Smallpox Eradication Programme]] reading the news that smallpox has been globally eradicated in 1980]] The [[World Bank Group]] and the [[International Monetary Fund]] (or the IMF) are independent, specialized agencies and observers within the UN framework.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2004-06-03 |title=Factsheet β The IMF and the World Bank |url=https://www.imf.org/external/np/exr/facts/imfwb.htm |access-date=2022-08-08 |archive-date=3 June 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040603104319/https://www.imf.org/external/np/exr/facts/imfwb.htm |url-status=dead}}</ref> They were initially formed separately from the UN through the [[Bretton Woods system|Bretton Woods Agreement]].<ref>{{cite web| url=http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTABOUTUS/0,,contentMDK:20040610~menuPK:41691~pagePK:43912~piPK:44037,00.html| title=About UsβUnited Nations| access-date=2 August 2007| date=30 June 2003| publisher=The World Bank| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070324034837/http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTABOUTUS/0,,contentMDK:20040610~menuPK:41691~pagePK:43912~piPK:44037,00.html| archive-date=24 March 2007| url-status=dead| df=dmy-all}}</ref> The World Bank provides loans for international development, while the IMF promotes international economic co-operation and gives emergency loans to indebted countries.{{sfn|Fomerand|2009|pp=175, 191β192}} [[File:Iman Mutlaq visits Zaatari Refugee Camp.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|In [[Jordan]], UNHCR remains responsible for the [[Syrian refugees]] and the [[Zaatari refugee camp]].]] The [[World Health Organization]] (or WHO), which focuses on international health issues and disease eradication, is another of the UN's largest agencies. In 1980, the agency announced that the eradication of [[smallpox]] had been completed. In subsequent decades, [[WHO]] eradicated [[polio]], [[river blindness]], and [[leprosy]].{{sfn|Fasulo|2004|pp=176β177}} The [[Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS]] (or UNAIDS) co-ordinated the organization's response to the AIDS epidemic.{{sfn|Fomerand|2009|pp=199β200}} The [[UN Population Fund]], which also dedicates part of its resources to combating HIV, is the world's largest source of funding for [[reproductive health]] and [[family planning]] services.{{sfn|Fomerand|2009|p=368}} Along with the [[International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement]], the UN takes a leading role in co-ordinating emergency relief.{{sfn|Fasulo|2004|p=183}} The [[World Food Programme]] (or the WFP) provides food aid in response to famine, natural disasters, and armed conflict. The organization feeds an average of 90 million people in 80 nations per year.{{sfn|Fasulo|2004|p=183}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wfp.org/our-work |title=Our Work |publisher=World Food Programme |access-date=22 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113001620/http://www.wfp.org/our-work |archive-date=13 November 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees]] (or the UNHCR) works to protect the rights of refugees, asylum seekers and stateless people.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49c3646c2.html |title=About Us |newspaper=Unhcr |publisher=Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees |access-date=22 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131204025051/http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49c3646c2.html |archive-date=4 December 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> The UNHCR and the WFP programmes are funded by voluntary contributions from governments, corporations, and individuals, though the UNHCR's administrative costs are paid for by the UN's primary budget.{{sfn|Fomerand|2009|pp=348, 398}} === Environment and climate === {{Further|United Nations Environment Programme|United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change|Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change}} Beginning with the formation of the [[UN Environmental Programme]] (or the UNEP) in 1972, the UN has made environmental issues a prominent part of its agenda. A lack of success in the first two decades of UN work in this area led to the [[Earth Summit]] in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992; which sought to give new impetus to these efforts.{{sfn|Kennedy|2007|pp=160β162}} In 1988, the UNEP and the [[World Meteorological Organization]] (or the WMO), another UN organization, established the [[Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change]], which assesses and reports on research on [[global warming]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ipcc.ch/organization/organization.shtml#.Uo4YtsSsgus |title=Organizations |publisher=Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change |access-date=21 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131212170626/http://www.ipcc.ch/organization/organization.shtml#.Uo4YtsSsgus |archive-date=12 December 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> The UN-sponsored [[Kyoto Protocol]] set legally binding emissions reduction targets for ratifying states.{{sfn|Fasulo|2004|p=179}} ===Other global issues=== Since the UN's creation, over 80 colonies have attained independence. The General Assembly adopted the [[Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples]] in 1960 with no votes against but abstentions from all major colonial powers. The UN works towards decolonization through groups including the [[Special Committee on Decolonization|UN Committee on Decolonization]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.un.org/en/decolonization/index.shtml |title=The United Nations and Decolonization |publisher=United Nations |access-date=6 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023035929/http://www.un.org/en/decolonization/index.shtml |archive-date=23 October 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The committee lists seventeen remaining "[[non-self-governing territories]]", the largest and most populous of which is the [[Western Sahara]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.un.org/en/decolonization/nonselfgovterritories.shtml |title=non-self-governing territories |publisher=United Nations |access-date=7 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140227010648/http://www.un.org/en/decolonization/nonselfgovterritories.shtml |archive-date=27 February 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The UN also declares and co-ordinates [[international observance]]s that bring awareness to issues of international interest or concern; examples include [[World Tuberculosis Day]], [[Earth Day]], and the [[International Year of Deserts and Desertification]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.un.org/en/events/observances/index.shtml |title=United Nations Observances |publisher=United Nations |access-date=17 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104192143/http://www.un.org/en/events/observances/index.shtml |archive-date=4 November 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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