united nations research paper topics

• Publications

Research Projects

Generating solutions to pressing development challenges

UNU research focuses on the challenges faced by the United Nations and its Member States. Our current research portfolio supports all of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which were adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2015 to inspire global action to overcome the world’s biggest challenges.

Project 17 Mar 2024

Financial Management and Policy Planning for Risk Financing: A Comprehensive Architecture towards Resilience

This project will strengthen the financial management of disaster risk and integrate risk financing into key policies where INFFs are used.

Project 18 Jan 2024

Modern Slavery Risks Among People Lacking Official Documentation

This project examines modern slavery risks among people lacking documentation globally, including in Brazil, Kenya, and Nepal.

Project 31 Dec 2023

Consolidating and accelerating the Network of Centers of Excellence (NoE) in support of Disaster Risk Reduction, Early Warning and Anticipatory Action in Africa - Phase II

This project is to consolidate and accelerate the Network of Centers of Excellence in support of DRR, Early Warning and Anticipatory Action in Africa.

Project 30 Apr 2024

Towards Actionable Impact-based Early Warning in Africa: Integrating Exposure and Vulnerability into Early Warning Systems – a Pilot Study in the IGAD Region (EarlyWarning4IGAD)

This project seeks to expand existing hazard-based early warning systems towards actionable impact-based early warning systems.

Project 10 Dec 2023

State-of-Affairs Report on Sustainable Development Goals for Qatar

The project aims to analyse and report on the digital transformation initiatives for sustainable development in Qatar. The main beneficiary is MCIT.

Project 15 Mar 2024

Country climate fact sheets, incl. standardization of climate risk analysis

This project aims to improve the compliance and quality of the climate mainstreaming process on adaptation risks and potentials.

CJRF Migration Portfolio Review

This project oversees a review of work funded by the Climate Justice Resilience Fund on climate-forced displacement and migration.

Evaluating the cost-effectiveness of WFPs food assistance-for-assets activities (implemented under the Resilience Programme) in Niger, in the context of projected drought risk over the next 10-30 years

This project undertakes a climate risk analysis to assess adaptation measures implemented in Niger.

Project 18 Apr 2024

MOOC on Ethics and Equity in Global Health

This project will oversee development of an online course on ethics and equity in global health.

Project 15 Sep 2023

Knowledge Hub Digital

The project supports the EC to promote e-Governance in ten jurisdictions by analysing legal instruments and providing training.

• Publications

Resource type

• Briefs (119)
• Best practices (113)
• Manuals/guides (95)
• Assessments (93)
• Research papers (78)
• Discussion papers (64)
• Case studies (54)
• Policy papers (54)
• Evaluation reports (51)
• Annual reports (50)
• Data/statistics (35)
• Institutional reports (35)
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• Proceedings (22)
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• Intergovernmental reports (15)
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• National development plans (1)
• Proposals, funding appeals (1)
• Economic empowerment (249)
• Gender equality and women’s empowerment (234)
• Ending violence against women and girls (189)
• 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (160)
• Employment (118)
• Peace and security (104)
• UN system coordination (102)
• Leadership and political participation (100)
• Governance and national planning (96)
• Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (94)
• Health (88)
• Human rights (86)
• Monitoring and evaluation (82)
• Migration (65)
• COVID-19 (61)
• Gender statistics (59)
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• Gender equality and inequality (43)
• Migrant workers (43)
• Intergovernmental processes (38)
• Gender mainstreaming (37)
• Education (36)
• Monitoring, evaluation and reporting (34)
• Poverty (34)
• Accountability in the UN system (33)
• Anti-violence interventions (33)
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• Macroeconomic policies (33)
• Sexual harassment (31)
• Unpaid work (28)
• Domestic violence/interpersonal violence (27)
• Innovation and technology (25)
• Gender, culture and society (24)
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• Women in the UN system (24)
• Women with disabilities (24)
• Climate change (23)
• Crisis response and recovery (23)
• Financing for gender equality (23)
• Gender-responsive budgeting (23)
• Gender data gaps (23)
• Productive resources (23)
• Capacity development (21)
• Rural women (21)
• Access to justice and legal protection (20)
• Access to basic services (19)
• Gender data production and collection (19)
• Gender discrimination (18)
• Political empowerment (18)
• Trust funds (18)
• UN Security Council resolution 1325 (18)
• UN Security Council resolutions (18)
• Disaster risk reduction (17)
• Entrepreneurship (17)
• Information and communications technology (ICT) (17)
• Beijing Platform for Action (16)
• Fund for Gender Equality (15)
• Safe Cities and Safe Public Spaces (15)
• Sex-disaggregated data (15)
• Access to justice post-conflict (14)
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• UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women (14)
• Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) (13)
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• Gender wage gap (12)
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• United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) (784)
• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) (17)
• United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) (14)
• United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) (14)
• International Labour Organization (ILO) (13)
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• World Health Organization (WHO) (12)
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• Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) (7)
• Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) (6)
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• National Institute for Health and Welfare (Finland) (1)
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• Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) of India (1)
• The Global Mechanism of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) (1)
• Unchained at Last (1)
• United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG) (1)
• United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) (1)
• United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) (1)
• United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) (1)
• United Nations Water (UN-Water) (1)
• Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO) (1)
• World Food Programme (WFP) (1)
• World Meteorological Organization (WMO) (1)

Publication series

• TRANSFORM - The magazine for gender-responsive evaluation (6)
• Briefs on women with disabilities (5)
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• UN Women policy brief series (4)
• Making migration safe for women: Policy brief series (3)
• Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals: The gender snapshot (2)
• UN Women discussion paper series (2)
• Progress of the World's Women (1)
• Spotlight on the SDGs (1)

Governing body/ies

• UN General Assembly (18)
• UN Women Executive Board (14)
• Commission on the Status of Women (1)
• UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) (1)

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As the world’s only truly universal global organization, the United Nations has become the foremost forum to address issues that transcend national boundaries and cannot be resolved by any one country acting alone.

To its initial goals of safeguarding peace, protecting human rights, establishing the framework for international justice and promoting economic and social progress, in the seven decades since its creation the United Nations has added on new challenges, such as AIDS, big data and climate change.

While conflict resolution and peacekeeping continue to be among its most visible efforts, the UN, along with its specialized agencies, is also engaged in a wide array of activities to improve people’s lives around the world – from disaster relief, through education and advancement of women, to peaceful uses of atomic energy.

This section offers an overview of some of these issues, and links to other resources, where you can get additional information.

The UN system plays a crucial role in coordinating assistance of all kinds — to help Africa help itself.  From promoting the development of democratic institutions, to the establishment of peace between warring nations, the UN is present on the ground supporting economic and social development and the promotion and protection of human rights.

The world’s population is ageing: virtually every country in the world is experiencing growth in the number and proportion of older persons in their population. The number of older persons, those aged 60 years or over, has increased substantially in recent years in most countries and regions, and that growth is projected to accelerate in the coming decades.

HIV infections have been reduced by 59% since the peak in 1995, (by 58% among children since 2010) and AIDS-related deaths have fallen by 69% since the peak in 2004 and by 51% since 2010. Globally 46% of all new HIV infections were among women and girls in 2022. The UN family has been in the vanguard of this progress.

Atomic Energy

More than 30 countries worldwide are operating 413 nuclear reactors for electricity generation and 58 new nuclear plants are under construction. By the end of 2022, 12 countries relied on nuclear energy to supply at least one-quarter of their total electricity.

Big Data for Sustainable Development

The volume of data in the world is increasing exponentially. New sources of data, new technologies, and new analytical approaches, if applied responsibly, can allow to better monitor progress toward achievement of the SDGs in a way that is both inclusive and fair.

Child and Youth Safety Online

Rising Internet connectivity has the potential to transform children and young people’s lives for the better, but also makes them vulnerable to sexual abuse, cyberbullying, and other risks. The UN is actively working to protect children and youth online through various programmes and initiatives.

Every child has the right to health, education and protection, and every society has a stake in expanding children’s opportunities in life. Yet, around the world, millions of children are denied a fair chance for no reason other than the country, gender or circumstances into which they are born.

Climate Change

Climate change is one of the major challenges of our time. From shifting weather patterns that threaten food production, to rising sea levels that increase the risk of catastrophic flooding, the impacts of climate change are global in scope and unprecedented in scale. 

• Decolonization

The wave of decolonization, which changed the face of the planet, was born with the UN and represents the world body’s first great success. As a result of decolonization many countries became independent and joined the UN.

Democracy is a universally recognized ideal and is one of the core values and principles of the United Nations. Democracy provides an environment for the protection and effective realization of human rights.

Disarmament

Since the birth of the United Nations, the goals of multilateral disarmament and arms limitation have been central to the Organization’s efforts to maintain international peace and security.

Ending Poverty

At current rates of progress, the world is unlikely to meet the global goal of ending extreme poverty by 2030, with estimates suggesting that nearly 600 million people will still be living in extreme poverty.

The world is not on track to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 2, Zero Hunger by 2030. The food security and nutritional status of the most vulnerable population groups is likely to deteriorate further due to the health and socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gender Equality

Women and girls represent half of the world’s population and, therefore, also half of its potential. Gender equality, besides being a fundamental human right, is essential to achieve peaceful societies, with full human potential and sustainable development.

The United Nations, since its inception, has been actively involved in promoting and protecting good health worldwide. Leading that effort within the UN system is the World Health Organization (WHO), whose constitution came into force on 7 April 1948.

Promoting respect for human rights is a core purpose of the United Nations and defines its identity as an organization for people around the world. Member States have mandated the Secretary-General and the UN System to help them achieve the standards set out in the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights .

International Law and Justice

The UN continues to promote justice and international law across its three pillars of work: international peace and security, economic and social progress and development, and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.

International migration

Since the earliest times, humanity has been on the move. Today, more people than ever before live in a country other than the one in which they were born.

Oceans and the Law of the Sea

Life itself arose from the oceans. The ocean is vast, some 72 per cent of the earth's surface. Not only has the oceans always been a prime source of nourishment for the life it helped generate, but from earliest recorded history it has served for trade and commerce, adventure and discovery.

Saving succeeding generations from the scourge of war was the main motivation for creating the United Nations, whose founders lived through the devastation of two world wars.

In 1950, five years after the founding of the United Nations, world population was estimated at around 2.6 billion people. It reached 5 billion in 1987 and 6 in 1999. In October 2011, the global population was estimated to be 7 billion.

There were 110 million people forcibly displaced world-wide at the end of June 2023. Among those were 36.4 million refugees, (30.5 million refugees under UNHCR's mandate, and 5.94 million Palestine refugees under UNRWA's mandate). ;

Fresh water sustains human life and is vital for human health. There is enough fresh water for everyone on Earth. However, due to bad economics or poor infrastructure, millions of people (most of them children) die from diseases associated with inadequate water supply, sanitation and hygiene.

As youth are increasingly demanding more just, equitable and progressive opportunities and solutions in their societies, the need to address the multifaceted challenges faced by young people (such as access to education, health, employment and gender equality) have become more pressing than ever.

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131 United Nations Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best un topic ideas & essay examples, 👍 good essay topics on united nations, ⭐ simple & easy united nations essay titles, ✅ interesting topics to write about united nations, ❓ research questions on united nations.

• The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals The sixth aim is to provide all people with clean and safe water by eliminating dumping, reducing pollution, and minimizing the release of dangerous materials and chemicals.
• International Peace and United Nations Essay Political nature of the General Assembly and the Security Council hinder the effectiveness of the United Nations in fostering international peace and security.
• United Nations Strengths and Weaknesses The need to replace the League of Nations with the United Nations was largely inspired by the failure of the League of Nations to prevent the outbreak of war among nations.
• Similarities Between League of Nations and United Nations Another difference is that actors in the international system are willing to support and act on the proposals of the United Nations.
• The United Nations’ Objectives and Principles After World War II, the then president of the US, Franklin Roosevelt, drafted the Declaration of the United Nations, alongside the British Prime Minister and the leader of the Soviet Union, as an attempt to […]
• United Nations and World Peace The rules and policies produced by the United Nations are not centered on a global involvement in de-weaponizing countries, as everyone is full of fear that a group of terrorists will be able to overtake […]
• The United Nations Millennium Development Goals The united nations MDGs were ratified by member states to the United Nations and this signified the beginning of a journey to improve living standards by the end of 2015.
• The United Nations: Achievements and Challenges The discussion led to the signing of the UN Charter, which has 193 nations as member states, with some nations including Japan, the United States, India, China, Israel, Jamaica, Pakistan, and Algeria.
• Human Rights and the United Nations Charter The most significant resemblance of the New Laws of The Indies and Human Rights Law of the United Nations is the obligation to consider human rights as the primary basis for establishing the local regulations.
• Che Guevara: The Speech Before the General Assembly of the UN Traditionally, capitalism has been defined as “the ownership and control of the means of production by a class of “capitalists” and an economic and political system that favors this”. The modern meaning of socialism is […]
• Problems Facing the United Nations The third problem facing the United Nations in the current international system is the gap between the poor and the rich states.
• Is United Nations Organization Useful or not Useful Nowadays? It is important to understand that the signing of the Peace Treaty of Westphalia was predetermined by the objective laws of history, concerned with the fact that the course of a continuous social, cultural and […]
• Assessment of UN Children’s Fund: Mission, Vision, and Impact on Society The mission statement of the organization, “for every child” is clear of the desire of the organization, stating clearly that their ambition is to ensure the right of every child, in all corners of the […]
• UN International Children’s Emergency Fund Analysis The UNICEF senior management is responsible to reveal the annual report of the initiatives and results to the member states and the information on all the activities of UNICEF is accessible to the public.
• The United Nations’ Secretary-General and His Role In particular, the Charter of the UN requires the Secretary-General to inform the Security Council about any issue that is perceived to threaten the maintenance of global tranquility and security. The position of the UN […]
• Mikhail Gorbachev’s 1988 UN Speech The reason Gorbachev chose the United Nation as the forum to deliver the speech had something to do with the target audience.
• United Nations Sustainable Development Goal Achievement The UN’s goal of implementing the targets of climate action cannot be achieved by 2030 due to the omnipresence of restricting factors and the delays in accomplishing the planned efforts.
• United Nations Policy Brief on Mental Health Recovery After COVID-19 Therefore, the lack of mental health support centers and poor financing are not the only reasons for the problem, as the brief’s authors suggest.
• The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali As a result, the MINUSMA forces are currently pushed away from the peacekeeping process due to the aggressive political stance taken by the Malian regime.
• Is the UN an Effective International Organization? The identification of problems in the work of the main peacekeeping organization can lead to the prevention of crises in the future.
• Estonia’s Membership in the UN Security Council The policy of the Republic of Estonia during its membership in the UN Security Council was strong. During official speeches, Estonia has repeatedly pointed to the need to include the division of regions in the […]
• “UN Condemns Mali’s Ban on French Media” by Bibbo Moreover, another vital factor that contributes to the evaluation of the article is the audience. The article ends with a description of the overall situation in Mali and expresses concern.
• Sustainable Transportation and United Nations’ Goal The critical difference Eco-Courier will have over its competitors is the use of environmentally-friendly vehicles and motorcycles in the delivery of parcels throughout the UK.
• United Nations Office on Sex Trafficking As for the latter, often not socially acceptable forms of sexual desires and the search for lower prices serve as the sufficient driving force behind the sex slavery market.
• The United Nations Environmental Program and Sustainable Development Goals The current environmental issue of waste management will shape the future operations of UNEP under the gradient of recycling and use of biodegradable materials as the core sustainable initiative to eradicate the negative impact of […]
• The UN as a Global Police Force and Negotiation Facilitator The purpose of the paper is to address the failures and successes of the organization’s peace initiatives in an effort to evaluate its ability to ensure greater global security.
• The Uniform Commercial Code and the UN Convention on Contracts for International Sales of Goods This is the basis for both the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sales of Goods, popularly referred to as the UN Sales Convention and the Uniform Commercial Code.
• The UN Declaration of Human Rights & The UN Millennium Project Human rights are “international norms that help to protect all people everywhere from severe political, legal, and social abuses”.
• World Population Could Peak Decades Ahead of the UN Forecast According to researchers from the United States, in the second half of the 21st century, the number of people on Earth will begin to decline.
• The Necessary Reforms for the UN System The first necessary reform for the UN is the organization’s need to refine the peacekeeping budget. It is essential to ensure the necessary reforms for this organization are initiated.
• The United Nations in the Decolonization Process The united nation has been also advocating for the acceleration of globalization, which strategies to meet the target of full decolonization in non-Self-Governing countries by the end of the period of the decolonization process.
• United Nations Security Council: Major Issues It is believed that the nuclear development of this country, which significantly increased during the Cold War, is a major threat to the security of the United States.
• Lifelong Disability and United Nations Convention In this report, I will aim to discuss the discursive significance of UNCRPD, to identify the qualitative aspects of how UNCRPD relates to the themes and motifs, contained in the ‘Labor of love’ video, and […]
• Enforcement Powers of the UN Security Council Some of its powers in enforcing military actions are stipulated in article 39 of the UN charter; but, before the body can exercise its authority, it has to determine certain elements like the threat to […]
• United Nations Climate Change Conference In the Kyoto protocol, members agreed that nations needed to reduce the carbon emissions to levels that could not threaten the planet’s livelihoods.
• The G4 Reforming the United Nations Security Council This proposal to increase the number of both the permanent and non permanent seats in the Security Council will ensure that all the member states are regionally represented regardless of whether they are developed or […]
• Language and the United Nations The prevailing diversity of people, as witnessed in the United Nations has, is, and continues to draw the attention of different people.
• Cultural Values vs. the UN Declaration of Human Rights With the rise in diversity and the focus on the cross-cultural dialogue, the importance of acknowledging cultural values has risen.
• Equality in the UN Operations: Chinese Perspective During the Cold, War China felt that the instrument of peacekeeping operations was exploited as a tool by the superpowers to further their interests and not the interests of the nations involved.
• Cuba Country Position Briefing Related to the UN MDGs In the light of the Cuban circumstances and in view of the fact that the country has functioned and survived under extreme difficulties for several years and yet followed its own path, this paper will […]
• United Nations and Solving International Problems The organization was formed by the four nations that had waged war on the Axis Powers the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic, China, United States and Great Britain.
• UN, WTO and the Solving the Palestinian Refugee Subject The end of the war was also marked by the creation of a massive number of refugees 10,000 of them Jewish and 711,000 of them Palestinian.
• UN and Its Advocacy Groups The UN has various administrative bodies, including the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social council, the Secretariat and the International Court of Justice.
• The ‘Responsibility to Protect’ of the United Nations Charted in 1945 by 51 countries, the intent of the United Nations was to provide a forum for the nations of the world to congregate as a means to promote world peace.
• Financial Crisis Management in the United Nations A crisis can be defined as the perception of an abnormal situation that is beyond the capability of the business and its scope to deal with.
• Comparison Between North Atlantic Treaty Organization and United Nations The organization was then formed with the aim of assisting each of the member countries incases of any attacks by other countries.
• UN Internet Governance Forum in Athens 2006 and Rio 2007 Many speakers and contributors noted the importance of openness as one of the fundamental principles of the Internet. The Internet provides a robust exchange of information and empowers millions of people to trade ideas and […]
• United Nation’s Effectiveness Analysis This conflict tended to be a struggle between Iraq and the United Nations in which Iraq struggled to break out of the controls and sanctions the UN established as part of the cease-fire in the […]
• The Response of UK Government to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child Some concerns were raised in the observations made in 1995 and 2002 by the Committee of Save the child on the Rights of the Child on the Government’s First UK Reports.”The two Government’s Reports do […]
• United Nations Addressing International Concerns The fundamental mandate of the United Nations is to harmonize the actions of nations in the process of achieving the shared vision of a better life.
• United Nations Children’s Fund’s Financing Issue The thing is that the benefits of economic development do not always lead to improvement of the conditions under which children live.
• United Nations Children’s Fund and Its Activities The organization was created in 1946 as a part of the United Nations and now it is one of the members of the United Nations Development Group.
• The League of Nations vs. the United Nations The League of Nations was established on January 10, 1920, during the Paris Peace Conference after the ending of the World War I.
• The Body Shop and L’Oreal Companies as to United Nations Global Compact Speaking about human rights as the priority for the company, it is essential to consider the specifics of company views in this relation.
• Six Reasons for the United Nations’ Growth In this respect, it is easier to adjust the laws of the country to the international requirement if a country is a member of the United Nations Organization.
• Antiterrorism: United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540 The purpose of the document is to require the signatory powers to promote the struggle against terrorism by adopting and enforcing relevant national legislation as well as appropriate measures restraining the proliferation of nuclear weapons […]
• Digital Age Initiatives of the United Nations When it comes to the positive side of the problem, it is important to note that many representatives of the United Nations are deeply concerned about the problem of safety and privacy inherent in the […]
• Digital Technology Promotion by the United Nations One of the most important indicators of the activities of international organizations is the activation of their participation in the development, transfer, and diffusion of the most modern technologies for progress.
• Reforms in the United Nations Agencies Though the issues expressed by the founding fathers of the organization are not the same as of the 21st world century, there is a need to reform the UN to have a realignment of its […]
• United Nations Security Council’s Obligations The United Nations Security Council is the main body of the United Nations that has powers to pass obligations about peace and security that are binding to the 193 member states.
• Human Life Regulation by United Nations Documents International law aims to create the general picture of the world, and the more states integrate into the area of international law, the easier it gets to cooperate with other countries.
• United Nations History and Agencies’ Establishment In this paper, the attention is paid to the history of the United Nations, the establishments of UN agencies in the world, and the UN’s efforts to deter conflicts regarding its main objectives such as […]
• UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs To improve the effectiveness of the response to the ongoing humanitarian crisis, the UNOCHA was founded. The UNOCHA pursues the same goals as the Department of Humanitarian Affairs and the Office of the United Nations […]
• China’s Superpower and the United Nations’ Concerns The UN must recognize that China has emerged as a major power in the world. Thus, the UN must understand the role China will have in the world if it emerges as a superpower.
• United Nation and Climate Change However, the key limitation of the given measure is that the UNO has not yet come up with the strategy of classifying the effects of the climate change and whether UNO is able to embrace […]
• Service of the United Nations and Reparations Reparation Policy of 1949 minimises the scale of effects suffered by the United Nations organization and its human resources, who sustain injuries in the course of duty.
• UN Role in Syrian Crisis Other actors in the international system, under the hospices of the United Nations, are considering arming the opposition and giving it technical assistance to oust the Assad administration, which has caused pain and agony to […]
• The UN Foreign Aid for Lebanon Analysis Speaking about the wars and conflicts which had a great impact on the country, it is possible to admit the role of foreign countries and United Nations in the attempts to make the compromise and […]
• Chemical Weapons in Syria and the UN Role The paper explores the situation in Syria that led to the use of chemical weapons, the effects of the use, and the role of the UN in the crisis.
• United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Despite the fact that UNHCR has in the recent past executed its duty in the best interest of all the refugees across the globe, the agency faces some setbacks and failures that need to be […]
• The Adoption of Agenda 21 of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development Nevertheless, individual negotiators are more likely to influence the outcome of the negotiations in the choice and decisions made. Similarly, the 1992 UN Conference on Water and the Environment held in Dublin brought together stakeholders […]
• United Nations in Africa The body has six major organs with the UN Security Council being the organ charged with the responsibility of promoting peace in the world.
• The United Nations and the International System However, in the discussion of the role that the UN plays in international relations through the worldwide system, it is important to identify the differences between the international system and international society.
• Thomas Weiss’ What’s Wrong with the United Nations and How to Fix It The aim of Part One of the book, titled, ‘Diagnosing the ills’ is to spell out in four chapters the four main shortcomings of the United Nations.
• Does the Founding of the UN Represent a Radical Departure from the System of International Law or International Society Prior to 1945? The values that the UN promotes are enclosed within the Preamble of the system’s foremost treaties. As a result, the absence of institutionalized judicial review within the UN system weakens the rule of law in […]
• The UN and Global Security: Is It Able To Tackle New Threats? Despite, the collective security and the provisions of the UN Charter, the reaction of the U.N.to transnational threats has been lukewarm at best.
• International Organizations: NATO and the UN in Iraq NATO established itself in Iraq in 2004when the alliance was charged with the responsibility of assisting the people of Iraq to form an effective military that would counter the influence and the power of the […]
• Change in the UN: Mission and Strategy The success of UN transformation will depend on the extent of the aspects of its system – its formal structure, information flows, reward and the recruitment process help in defining the new face of the […]
• The United Nations in Africa The operations were instituted in December of 1992 to help in the enactment of the harmony accord involving the administration of Mozambique and the opposition faction RENAMO.
• The UN Human Rights System The rights speak of a general importance of the people having the equal rights to others and living together in the spirit of brotherhood.
• United Nations and International law The essay examines as to whether or not the founding of the United Nations represent a radical departure from the system of international law and/or international society prior to 1945.
• IKEA and the UN’s Global Compact But in the 21st century many companies are aware that the bottom-line is not the only requirement to success, business organizations like IKEA must learn to develop sustainable practices that will benefit not only the […]
• Concept of United Nations Conventions on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) in Business Aliano explains the implications for any business that wishes to operate within the countries that have not agreed to the United Nations Conventions on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods.
• United Nations Change Management The calls for change have been initiated by the need to transform the organisation into a more responsive entity, with up-to-date solutions for the problems faced by its member countries in the 21st century.
• The United Nation’s Response to Climate Change It would take a committed effort from each country in the world to help deal with the global issue of climate change and adequate preparations have to be made.
• Fighting Piracy in Somalia: UN and UAE In response to these attacks, the United Nation’s Security Council passed resolutions 1816 and 1838 in 2008, to facilitate the international community to aggressively take part in the management of security in the Horn of […]
• How Does the United Nations Maintain International Order? The Security Council is one of the most important organs of the United Nations and it has the mandate to safeguard international peace by ensuring that there is enough security in the world.
• United Nations Human Rights Council The United Nations Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental organization and an organ of the United Nations; all members of the United Nations members are members of UNHRC, the council seat, however, has a membership […]
• United Nations Peacekeeping Operation in Northern Africa The Namibian peacekeeping mission was successful due to “interests of the powerful states in the security council, the situational difficulty of the Namibian civil war and the ability of United Nations Transition Assistance Group to […]
• History of Origin of the United Nations The origin of the United Nations resulted from the effects of the World War II and the need to establish a new and stable world order by the world governments and the common people affected […]
• Extent to Which the UN Can Shape Order and Ensure Justice in World Politics In this regard, an international body such as the UN must address the conflicts of justice and order before deciding on the side that it will be taking.
• United Nations Global Compact Hewlett Packard, in its undeterred ambition to providing cutting edge technology to the populations all over the world became a member of the United Nations Global Compact initiative in a bid to be in support […]
• UN Security Council and World Order This to some extend has led to increased freedom of expression of citizens which in a way has reduced the grip of the rich nations on the power to control and manipulate the resources of […]
• Human Rights Non-Governmental Organizations and the United Nations Previously, the emphasis was put on the volunteerism of the NGOs participants, but with the recognition of the potential of the societal players and the growing size of the movement, the participation of the NGOs […]
• Freedom from Poverty as a Human Right and the UN Declaration of Human Rights This reveals the nature of the interrelatedness of the whole boy of human rights and the need to address human rights in that context.
• Analysis of the UN Development of the UN is a reflection of the development of humanity. It is necessary to note that the positive changes within the organization are due to the activities of different UN state members.
• US Should Ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities The UN has recognized the importance of the disabled person’s rights and freedoms and has come up with the UN convention on the Rights of People with disabilities, CRPD and has urged member states to […]
• What is the UN Human Rights Council? While the initial proposals to elevate Human rights to the status of a “principal organ” on the same footing with the Security Council, the General Assembly, and ECOSOC were not realized, the Human Rights Council […]
• Why Did President Obama Fail in His Attempts to Stop Israel Building Settlement and Prevent the Palestinians from Applying for UN Membership? Powerful states have strong influence in the international system and use of force is sometimes justified to bring peace and tranquility.
• UN Summit in New York: Ending Global Poverty He challenges the international community to enact laws that categorizes the misuse of power ‘which leads to poverty’ as a crime against humanity. The persistence of poverty can be attributed to poor governance and ignorance.
• Is the United Nations an Effective Organisation?
• Why Do Some People Hate the United Nations?
• When Was United Nations Founded In?
• Should the United Nations Provide Global Standards for Media Freedom?
• Is the United Nations Becoming a Failure?
• How Do You Think the United Nations Should Be Reformed?
• Who Runs the United Nations?
• Which United Nations Efforts Are Considered Successes?
• How Much Do United Nations Volunteers Get Paid?
• Will the United Nations Destroy Religion? Why or Why Not?
• What Were the Goals of the United Nations When It Was Established in 1945?
• Why the United Nations Can’t Be Powerful Force to Get the Global Peacefulness?
• How Many Countries United Nations Have?
• Does Pakistan Deserve a Permanent Security Council Seat in the United Nations?
• What Is the Future of the United Nations?
• What Is the Intended Purpose of the United Nations?
• What Three Countries Are Not in the United Nations?
• Is the US Still a Part of the United Nations?
• Is North Korea a Member of the United Nations?
• Should the United Nations Be Disbanded?
• What Happens if the US Leaves the United Nations?
• Does the United Nations Need a Standing Army?
• Which Country Left the United Nations Recently?
• Can the United Nations Be a World Government?
• Where Are the United Nations Headquarters Located?
• How Powerful Is the United Nations?
• Which Is the Most Powerful Organ of the United Nations?
• Can the United Nations Declare War?
• Why Did Indonesia Leave the United Nations?
• What Would Happen If the United Nations Didn’t Exist?
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IvyPanda. (2024, March 2). 131 United Nations Essay Topic Ideas & Examples. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/united-nations-essay-topics/

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Measuring and Predicting “New Work” in the United States: The Role of Local Factors and Global Shocks

The evolution of work is of emerging importance to advanced economies' growth. In this study, we develop a new semantic-distance-based algorithm to identify “new work,” namely the new types of jobs introduced in the US. We characterize how “new work” relates to task content of jobs and skill characteristics of workers and document its geographic distribution and association with employment growth. Then, we analyze whether local factors associated in the previous literature with agglomeration economies and productivity growth as well as local exposures to global shocks—technology, trade, immigration, and population aging—predict the creation of “new work.” We find local supply of college educated in 1980 as the strongest predictor of “new work.” Using the historical location of 4-year colleges, a strong instrument for local college share, we find a positive and significant causal effect of local supply of human capital on “new work.”

This project was funded by the Russel Sage Foundation, Grant G-2211-41017 "Measuring and Understanding “New Work” and “Displaced Work” in the US: New Technologies, New Markets and New People." We are grateful for their support. We thank Janet Currie and Enrico Moretti for generously sharing their data on local colleges in 1980 and 1960 with us. We thank Luc Chen for his excellent assistance in supporting the data cleaning process. We thank participants at seminars at the UCLA Anderson School of Business, Tenth International Workshop on NSE at Peking University, Tsinghua University and University of Milano for their comments. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Bureau of Economic Research.

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113 United Nations Essay Topics

🏆 best essay topics on united nations, 🔎 easy united nations research paper topics, 🎓 most interesting united nations research titles, 💡 simple united nations essay ideas, ❓ research questions on united nations.

• The United Nations’ Strengths and Weaknesses
• United Nations Role in World Affairs
• United Nations in the Israeli-Palestine Conflict
• International Organizations. The United Nations
• Internship Report Done at the United Nations
• Development in the United Nations
• United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
• The Foremost Problem Confronting United Nations Organization There can little doubt as to the fact that the most significant problem confronting the Organization of United Nations (U.N.) is this organization’s operational ineffectiveness.
• UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights The U.N. Guiding Principles are a necessary but still insufficiently effective tool to protect human rights from large business structures.
• The United Nations’ Security Council Membership The United Nations’ Security Council is increasing becoming a critical player in the world affairs and power relations between nations. The Security Council was established to manage threats.
• The UN Sustainable Development Goals Protecting human rights is of the utmost importance; consequently, all individuals, regardless of their communities, should be respected.
• The US Should Not Pay the UN Membership Dues The argument suggests that showing more respect for the US and criticizing other countries, which the author believes is justified, will allow the UN to expect US support.
• Protection of Vulnerable Communities by United Nations This report focuses on a global overview of the protection of vulnerable communities and the sustainable goals of the United Nations.
• United Nations Convention on Rights of People Living With Disabilities The United Nations (UN) convention calls on all social care professionals to recognize disability as a rising human rights issue.
• “The UN Sex Abuse Scandal”: The UN Sexual Violence in War-Torn Countries “The UN Sex Abuse Scandal” opens many people’s minds to the UN sexual violence perpetrated by the UN peacekeepers in war-torn countries.
• The UN Climate Change Conference: Indigenous Concerns During the UN Climate Change Conference, it was clear that indigenous environmental defenders have a particular stake in the outcomes of climate change global negotiations.
• The United Nations vs Imperial Systems The international system under the leadership of the United Nations is more successful and effective than that under the empires.
• United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) purpose is to help people overcome poverty, violence, diseases as well as discrimination.
• Issue of Un Relevance and Their Works Since the Cold War terminated with the loss of socialistic, the researchers started rising the issue of UN relevance in their works.
• “The Role of the United Nations Development Programme in Post-conflict Peace-Building”: Article Analysis Endorsement of democratic values and supporting policies of good governance have become trademark characteristics of the UN in the approaches adopted to deal with issues.
• UN Significance in Politics of Minority Peoples’ Claims UN sole influence is not applicable in creating legal guidelines but with its significant influence it has managed to lobby for support from opposing odds to ensure that sustainable policies are put in place.
• Support for a Stronger United Nations Security Force Despite the important role assigned to the United Nations Security forces, one finds that there is growing decline for its support especially in United States due to various reasons.
• President Obama’s United Nations General Assembly Speech President Obama is critiqued and praised as an exemplar of liberalism in international relations. His approach can also be viewed as an expression of Constructivist thinking.
• Global Food Security: UN Speech This paper presents a UN opening speech from the name of the Republic of Uzbekistan about the problem and promotion of global food security.
• Florence Nightingale’s Philosophy: UN Millennium Goals The legacy left behind by Florence Nightingale was so strong that it is still relevant in the twenty-first century. Each person on any place in the world has his or her own role.
• The United Nations’ Digital Media Connection The United Nations (UN) is highly concerned about global citizenship and operates to encourage people to become a part of the international open-minded society.
• UN and the Digital Age The UN’s current approach toward the use of IT-related opportunities could use a deeper insight into the issues associated with economics and global trade.
• Globalization Impacts on the United Nations Institution This analytical treatise attempts to explicitly review the political, cultural, and economic impacts of globalization in the United Nations Institution.
• Evaluating United Nations Peacekeeping Operations
• United Nations and Its Relevance in U.S. Foreign Policy Making
• Pakistan Relations With the United Nations
• United Nations Strategies to Eradicate Poverty
• Liberalism and the United Nations
• Estimating Dynamic State Preferences From United Nations Voting Data
• Japanese Isolationism and the Peacekeeping Involvement of the United Nations
• United States Influence Upon the United Nations
• United Nations, Self Determination, and State Sovereignty
• Kosovo and the Possibility of a United Nations Role as Peacekeeper
• United Nations Security Council and World Bank
• United Nations Convention Against Corruption
• North Korea and the United Nations
• United Nations Treaties and Laws Governing the Seas
• International Organizations and the United Nations
• Slavery and the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights
• United Nations and International Law
• Oxford International Model United Nations
• Personnel Problems and the United Nations Secretariat
• United Nations Reform for Indirect Exporting
• North Asia and the United Nations
• United Nations Security Council Is Unsuccessful in Keeping Peace
• Peacekeeping Conduct and Discipline of the United Nations
• United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security
• Positive Routines: United Nations Military Training
• United Nations and Its Impact on Human Rights
• Global Governance and the United Nations System
• European Union and United Nations
• The Universal Human Rights of the United Nations
• United Nations and the 2003 Invasion of Iraq
• Policy Debate Over the United Nations System
• United Nations Trade WTO Australia
• United Nations Security Council Resolution
• Bureaucratic Culture Within the United Nations
• Reforming United Nations Budgetary System
• United Nations Pros and Cons to Helping People Live Better
• United Nations Peacekeeping Operations Before and After the Cold War
• Spain and the United Nations
• Canada and Its Impact on the United Nations
• United Nations and U.S. National Security Policy
• Germany and the United Nations
• United Nations and First and Second World Wars
• Model United Nations Manifesto
• Israel and the United Nations
• Non Refugee Children and the United Nations
• Collective Security and the United Nations
• United Nations and Big Powers
• Ghana and the United Nations
• American National Interests and the Responsibilities of United Nations Membership
• Global Business and the Impact of the United Nations
• United Nations Conventions and Declarations
• United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
• Refugee Rights and the United Nations Convention of 1951
• United Nations Environmental Programme: Water Privatization
• Iraq War 2003 and the Issue of Pre-emptive and Preventive Self-Defence: Implications for the United Nations
• United Nations and World Order
• The Yugoslavian Conflict United Nations
• United Nations – Successes and Failures
• President-Elect, Donald Trump, and the United Nations Clash
• United Nations Security Council Reform
• Is the United Nations an Effective Organisation?
• What Is the Intended Purpose of the United Nations?
• Did the United Nations and the International Community Fail to Prevent the Rwandan Genocide?
• How Did the Special Agencies of the United Nations Help to Provide a Better Quality of Life?
• Why the United Nations Started the Program for Women?
• How Does the United Nations Support Environmental Sustainability?
• Why the United Nations Can Be Not an Powerful Force to Get the Global Peacefulness?
• How Effective Has the United Nations Been in Dealing With Sudan’s Refugees?
• Why the International Court of Justice Is Important to the United Nations?
• What Determines Success and Failure in United Nations Peacekeeping?
• Why Collective Legitimization Is Considered as a Political Function of the United Nations?
• What Is the Symbol of the United Nations, and Its Meaning?
• How Did the Constitutional Crisis in the United Nations Happen?
• What Are Some Reflections on Reform of the United Nations?
• Should the United Nations Be Involved in International Affairs?
• What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages of United Nations?
• What Is the Clash Between Intergovernmentalism and Transnationalism in the United Nations?
• What Are the Development Goals From the United Nations?
• What Is the Importance of America’s Continuing Presence for United Nations?
• What Are United Nations’ Alternative Approaches in Resolving Global Challenges?
• What Was the United Nations Role as Peacekeeping Force in the North Korean Conflict?
• What Are the Roles of the United States and the United Nations in Preserving World Peace?
• What Is United Nations Effectiveness in the Midst of Fighting?
• What Are the Degrees of Self-Determination in the United Nations Era?
• What Are Some Recent Trends in the Law of the United Nations?

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StudyCorgi. (2022, March 1). 113 United Nations Essay Topics. https://studycorgi.com/ideas/united-nations-essay-topics/

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Bibliography

StudyCorgi . "113 United Nations Essay Topics." March 1, 2022. https://studycorgi.com/ideas/united-nations-essay-topics/.

StudyCorgi . 2022. "113 United Nations Essay Topics." March 1, 2022. https://studycorgi.com/ideas/united-nations-essay-topics/.

These essay examples and topics on United Nations were carefully selected by the StudyCorgi editorial team. They meet our highest standards in terms of grammar, punctuation, style, and fact accuracy. Please ensure you properly reference the materials if you’re using them to write your assignment.

This essay topic collection was updated on January 9, 2024 .

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Research about the Charter of the United Nations (UN Charter)

Many questions about the UN can be researched most effectively by starting with secondary reference materials such as books or articles. Researchers often find it helpful to identify the provisions of the UN Charter relevant to their topic of research. Identifying the relevant article(s) of the UN Charter helps the researcher use specialized reference books such as UN Charter commentaries and certain UN legal publications.

UN Charter commentaries are specialized legal treatises organized by article of the UN Charter; these publications and other reference books, encyclopedias, and articles about the UN:

• highlight key events in the history of the organization,
• provide a drafting history of each article of the UN Charter,
• cite relevant UN Charter provisions, UN documents, publications and websites,
• cite additional secondary research resources.

The Dag Hammarskjöld Library has commentaries on the UN Charter in English, French, and Spanish.

UN reference resources such as the Repertory of the Practice of UN Organs and the Repertoire of the Practice of the Security Council provide detailed legal analysis of the actions of the organization over time and cite relevant UN Charter provisions, UN documents and publications. The UN Juridical Yearbook includes legal opinions on topics related to the UN Charter and the work of the organization. UN Yearbooks are also useful for historic research.

Reference books and other resources mentioned in this guide may be available at libraries around the world -- check your local or national library, UN depository library , or WorldCat , for assistance with materials mentioned in this guide that are not published by the UN.

Ask DAG FAQ: How do I start research on United Nations topics?

Related Research Guides

• How to Find UN Documents by Dag Hammarskjöld Library Last Updated May 7, 2024 19664 views this year
• UN Membership by Dag Hammarskjöld Library Last Updated Mar 4, 2024 77987 views this year
• UN System Documentation by Dag Hammarskjöld Library Last Updated Jun 5, 2024 50239 views this year

How to Research an Article of the Charter

There are many ways to approach Charter research. 

Some sources are  arranged by Article  of the Charter, such as:

• The Charter of the United Nations : a Commentary, edited by Bruno Simma et al.  
• Repertory of Practice of United Nations Organs (on-line and in print)
• Repertoire of the Practice of the Security Council: Constitutional Issues section

Other sources may look at the  Charter as a whole , such as:

• Audiovisual Library of International Law: Historic Archives: Charter of the United Nations

Secondary sources such as books and articles may also discuss  certain aspects  of the Articles of the Charter. For example:

• Admission to the United Nations : Charter Article 4 and the rise of universal organization, by Thomas D. Grant
• 'Armed attack' and Article 51 of the UN Charter : evolutions in customary law and practice, by Tom Ruys

In addition, it is possible to  search by subject  in databases and library catalogues to identify material that may discuss the substance of Charter articles (such as self-defence, UN membership, General Assembly, Security Council, International Court of Justice, etc.).

For research into the  drafting history of a particular Article  of the Charter, in addition to the sources suggested above, the final two volumes of the Documents of the United Nations Conference on International Organization are indexes to the complete set of documents, organized by Article of the Charter. Within the section for each Article, there are citations to the documents by proposal and committee, as well as a subsection for subject analysis. Volume 21 is the English index. Volume 22 is the French index. Volume 16 is a subject index to the first 15 volumes of the set.

Links & Files

•   UN Documentation : Charter of the United Nations
•   Repertory of Practice of United Nations Organs
•   Repertoire of Practice of the Security Council : Constitutional Issues
•   Find in a library: The Charter of the United Nations : A Commentary, 3rd ed. 2012, Simma et al.
•   Audiovisual Library of International Law : Historic Archives : Charter of the United Nations
•   Find in a library: Admission to the United Nations : Charter article 4 and the rise of universal organization, by Thomas D Grant
•   Find in a library: 'Armed attack' and Article 51 of the UN Charter : evolutions in customary law and practice, by Tom Ruys
•   HeinOnline: UN Law Collection: Documents of the United Nations Conference on International Organization (subscription resource)

Beginning Research on Charter Articles

Un publications.

Two UN publications present the activities of the organization as they relate to the Articles of the Charter.

Commentaries

Treaty commentaries are reference books that explain the meaning of the parts of the treaty. There are several commentaries on the UN Charter. In general, the commentaries are organized by article of the Charter and provide a bibliography of selected articles and books, give a brief procedural history of the drafting of the article, and describe how each article has been expressed in the practice of the organization.

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• URL: https://research.un.org/en/docs/uncharter

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Model UN Research

When researching for Model UN, you should think about five different types of research:

Country Profile

Topic background, past international action, country policy, possible solutions.

Your research across these five categories should all go in to your “Research Binder”, which you should put together to prepare for a conference.   Read more about what to include in a research binder here!

To get started with research, its important to understand the country you’re representing- where it is, who lives there, who your allies are, what type of government your country has, and more. Together, the answers to these countries comprise your “Country Profile”. Here are some guiding questions to get you started:

What is your country’s official name? What region of the world is your country located in? How big is your country? (square miles) Who are your country’s neighbors? How would you describe your country’s physical features and climate?

Politics and Government

When was your country founded? What type of government does your country have? Who are some of your country’s leaders? How many people serve in your country’s military? Who are your country’s allies? Enemies? What is your country’s capital?

What is your country’s population? What is your country’s ethnic composition? What is your country’s official language? What other languages are spoken? What are some of the major cities?

How would you describe the quality of life in your country? What is your country’s total Gross Domestic Product? What are some of your country’s natural resources? What is your country’s currency? What are your country’s major imports and exports? What are your country’s biggest trading partners?

To find the answers to these questions and more, we recommend you use our Country Profile Map!

• Clearly define what the topic is.
• Identify the key terms related to the topic, and answer key questions about the topic such as “What causes this issue?”, “Who is impacted by this issue?”, and “Where is this issue most prevalent?”.
• Make sure you’re using credible sources of information to understand your topic- don’t just use Wikipedia, the news, or blogs!

Interested in how to write the Topic Background section in a Position Paper? Check out our article about it!

One of the most important things to understand when discussing any topic in Model UN is what the United Nations and international community has already done about the topic. You don’t want your solutions to be redundant, and you want to make sure you’re aware what the world already has, and hasn’t done. Past international action can come in the form of UN resolutions, international conventions and treaties, or actions by NGOs and international organizations. Here are some resources to help you find the past international actions related to your topic, or you can check out our article about using UN sources to research your topic!

Past UN Resolutions International Conventions and Treaties Reports of the Secretary General Reports of the Economic and Social Council

Plus, our NGO Guide  details the work of over 100 NGOs over a broad range of issues, so you can see what Civil Society is doing about your topic already.

Interested in how to write the Past International Action section of your Position Paper? Check out our article about this section!

Once you have a decent understanding of the topic and your country, you take this knowledge together and learn what your “Country Policy” is on your topic. Your Country Policy is what your country thinks should be done, or not done, about the issue, and how this topic impacts your country. This means determining if your country is in favor of solutions that have been proposed or resolutions that have been passed, or if your country has been advocating at the UN for policies.

A good starting place to learn your country policy is to research what your country’s government, foreign ministry, or UN mission have said about the topic on their website. Use our Country Profile and Policy Map to check out these websites for your country! Other resources to use from the UN include the following:

Member States on the Record: Speeches at the United Nations Member State Votes on Resolutions Signature/Ratification Status for Each Country of Important Conventions and Treaties

The most important part of researching for a Model UN conference, and often the most forgotten, is to research Possible Solutions to help resolve the issue your committee is discussing.  The solutions aren’t what your country wants to do for itself- that would never need to be discussed at the UN.  Instead, you should consider what your country wants the United Nations to do about the issue worldwide.  Feel free to use your own creativity to think of ideas, and find reasons why they would work that you can use in speeches, and later in your resolutions in committee.

All resolutions should be realistic, and can even build on past solutions the UN has tried- maybe you want to expand a program worldwide that was previously local. Maybe you think that a specific solution needs more support or funding. Feel free to include existing UN action in your solutions, but new and creative ideas are always welcome as well! Aside from the United Nations and Member States, other good places to look for solutions are in the existing work of NGOs ( check out our NGO Guide here ), through various Think Tanks worldwide, and in university publications.

Other Resources

Structure and publications of the united nations.

• United Nations Main Page
• UN Overview
• UN Treaties
• UN Research Guide
• UN Cyber Schoolbus
• Permanent Missions to the UN
• Universal Declaration of Human Rights
• Issues on the UN Agenda
• WWW Virtual Library: the United Nations
• UNA-USA’s MyDiplomat App

General Assembly Committees and Main UN Organs

• General Assembly
• First Committee: Disarmenent and International Security
• Second Committee: Economic and Financial
• Third Committee: Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural
• Fourth Committee: Special Political and Decolonization
• Sixth Committee: Legal
• Economic and Social Council
• Security Council
• Security Council Resolutions
• International Court of Justice

UN Specialized Agencies, Programs, and Funds

• UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
• UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
• UN Development Programme (UNDP) 
• UN Environment Programme (UNEP)
• UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
• UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
• UN Center for Regional Development
• UN Commission on International Trade Law
• UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
• UN Commission for Social Development
• UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ)
• UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs
• UN Commission on Sustainable Development
• UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW)
• UN Commission on Population and Development
• Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO)
• International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
• International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
• International Criminal Court (ICC)
• International Fund for Agricultural Development
• International Labor Organization (ILO)
• International Maritime Organization (IMO)
• International Monetary Fund (IMF)
• International Telecommunication Unit
• UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)
• International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women
• UN Center for Human Settlements
• UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
• UN Information Center
• World Health Organization (WHO)
• World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
• World Meteorological Organization
• World Trade Organization (WTO)
• UN Statistics Division
• Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS

Country Profile Links

General Research on Countries

• Check out our New Country Policy Profile and Policy Map
• CIA World Factbook
• US State Department Background Notes
• List of Governmental Websites
• List of International Governmental Organizations
• Foreign Governments Comprehensive Web Site Listings
• Library of Congress Country Studies
• The Lincoln Library
• The Electronic Embassy
• Country Watch
• The Economist Country Briefings
• Government and Legal Structure by Country
• BBC Country Profiles
• Group of 20
• World Bank Data and Statistics
• NGO Global Network

African Countries

• African Union (AU)
• African Development Bank
• The Economic Community of West African States
• The Economic Community of Central African States
• South African Development Community
• WWW Virtual Library: Africa

Asian & Middle Eastern Countries

• Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
• Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
• Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)
• League of Arab States
• Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC)
• South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)
• WWW Virtual Library: Asia

European Countries

• European Union (EU)
• North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
• Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
• Council of Europe
• Western European Union
• Policies of the European Union
• WWW Virtual Library: European Union

North & South American Countries

• Organization of American States (OAS)
• North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
• South American Common Marke
• Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)
• Latin American Economic System
• Pan American Health Organization
• Small Islands Developing State Network
• Caribbean Community and Common Market
• Andean Community
• Council of Canadians
• WWW Virtual Library: Latin America and the Caribbean 

United States of America

• The White House
• Library of Congress
• WWW Virtual Library: American Foreign Policy

Links by Topic Category

Peace and Security 

• UN Peace & Security Page
• UN Disarmament Page
• Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
• UN Institute for Disarmament Research
• Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization 

• International Atomic Energy Agency
• Nuclear Threat Initiative
• UN Peacekeeping
• UNODC and Terrorism Prevention
• UN Terrorism Page
• Global Security
• Carnegie Endowment
• Crisis Group
• United Nations Department for Disarmament Affairs
• United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research
• US National Counterintelligence Executive
• US National Security Agency
• International Relations and Security Network
• UN Mine Action Service
• Adopt-a-Minefield
• International Campaign to Ban Landmines
• WWW Virtual Library: Peace and Security

Development: Economic and Environmental

• UN Development Page
• UN Development Programme
• World Trade Organization
• International Monetary Fund External Country Information
• World Bank External Country Information
• UN Conference on Trade and Development
• UN Global Issues
• Division for Sustainable Development
• International Labor Organization
• UN Industrial Development Organization
• High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries, and Small Island Developing States
• Council for a Community of Democracies
• Debt AIDS Trade Africa (DATA)
• UN Environmental Programme 

• UN Framework Convention on Climate Change 

• UN Convention to Combat Desertification
• Ecolex- Environmental Law Information
• European Environmental Law Page
• Geneva Environment Network
• United Nations System- Wide Earth Watch
• World Resources Institute
• United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
• WWW Virtual Library: International Development

Development: Humanitarian and Health

• UN humanitarian affairs page
• UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization
• Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
• UN Division for the Advancement of Women
• UN International Training Institute for the Advancement of Women
• Americans for UNFPA – One Woman Can
• Child Rights Information Network
• Database on Research and Information on Children’s Rights
• Childwatch International Research Network
• Save the Children
• UN Children’s Fund
• Children in Conflict
• Women Watch
• United Nations Population Fund 

• Population Action 

• World Health Organization 

• Global Health 

• World Food Programme 

• Food and Agricultural Organization
• International Committee of the Red Cross
• Doctors Without Borders
• UN High Commissioner on Refugees
• UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
• UNICEF in Emergencies
• Federation of American Scientists
• WWW Virtual Library: Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs

Human Rights

• UN Human Rights Page
• UN High Commissioner on Human Rights
• Human Rights Watch
• Amnesty International
• Freedom House
• Human Trafficking
• US Department of State Human Rights Reports
• Bayefsky List of UN Human Rights Treaties
• Project DIANA at Yale – Human Rights Documents
• Center for the Study of Human Rights
• Human Rights First
• Human Rights Internet
• International Human Rights Law Institute
• International League for Human Rights
• 50 th  Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
• University of Minnesota Human Rights Library

International Law 

• UN International Law Page
• International Criminal Court
• International Law Commission
• World Intellectual Property Organization
• World Trade Organization’s Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights
• WWW Virtual Library: International Law

News Sources

• Google Scholar
• Google News
• Google News Alerts
• Financial Times
• International Herald Tribune
• Le Monde Diplomatique
• New York Times
• The Economist
• The Times of London
• The Wall Street Journal
• Washington Post
• WWW Virtual Library: News Sources
• WWW Virtual Library: International Radio and Television
• WWW Virtual Library: International Relations Journals and Magazines

Think Tanks & Policy Groups

• WWW Virtual Library: Research Institutes
• 9/11 Commission
• American Progress
• Asia Society
• Aspen Institute
• 

Brookings 

• 
 CATO Institute
• 
Center for Strategic and International Studies 

• Chatham House
• 
Council of the Americas 

• Council on Foreign Relations
• Council on Foreign Affairs
• European Council on Foreign Relations
• Federation of American Scientists 

• For the Record
• Foreign Affairs
• Foreign Policy Association
• Foreign Policy in Focus
• Gallup WorldView
• Global News Bank
• Heritage Foundation 

• Institute for Global Communications 
• Institute for Policy Studies
• International Institute for Strategic Studies 

• Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
• Transparency International 

• UN Democracy
• UN Foundation

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Top UN humanitarian laments lack of dialogue to resolve conflict

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The UN’s top aid official said on Tuesday he was leaving office at the end of the month with “some important pieces of wisdom” but also a feeling of frustration because many crises no longer make the headlines, while humanitarian operations face a dire lack of funding.  

“I leave this job with a sense of work unfulfilled because the world is a worse place now than when I joined up in 2021,” Martin Griffiths said in his final briefing to journalists as UN Humanitarian and Emergency Relief Coordinator. 

He said the international community is not resolving conflicts through dialogue, as envisioned nearly 80 years ago in the UN Charter . “Classic political diplomacy” has all but disappeared and impunity is rife. 

Meanwhile, humanitarians in the field are “scraping together support where they can, but they’re not the saviours,” he said. “ The saviours of this world are people who end wars and build peace .” 

Funding shortfall 

Mr. Griffiths said that some 300 million people worldwide need humanitarian assistance today at a time when donor funding has been reduced.  

Humanitarians are seeking roughly $49 billion to reach around 188 million people this year but have only received $8 billion to date.  

“Halfway through the year, it's never been quite as difficult and as bad as it is now,” he said. 

Crises and suffering 

Mr. Griffiths also lamented that “the limits of our attention are to these big crises - Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine - whereas Syria, Yemen, Haiti, are places still of great suffering.” 

He took office when Tigray in Ethiopia “was the crisis of the day”.  Even now, the death toll from the war is unclear, he noted, but estimated at more than 200,000 . 

“Tigray was a terrible, terrible time, and we haven't talked about it recently. And yet, there is speculation about famine there,” he said. 

Dashed hopes in Afghanistan 

The Tigray crisis was overtaken by the situation in Afghanistan, where “the Taliban walked into power in August 2021”.  Around the same time, Haiti was struck by a massive earthquake “which barely made the news”. 

Mr. Griffiths went to the Afghan capital, Kabul, on behalf of the UN Secretary-General to meet with the new de facto leaders shortly after they assumed power. 

“We had some hopes then,” he revealed.  “We had, indeed, some written commitments then as to how we would be able to go forward with the Taliban. And those hopes have been dashed .” 

He said Taliban edicts against women and girls “have come one after the other”, but international engagement on behalf of the Afghan people continues.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine followed in February 2022, “and all that that told us about disaster, and needs, and displacement, and trafficking, and sexual abuse, and crisis, and the destruction of systems which protected people for generations,” he said. 

“And that was then superseded by Gaza and Sudan.” 

‘Humanitarian diplomacy’ rising  

Reflecting on his career, Mr. Griffiths said he has noticed “how humanitarian diplomacy has been obliged to take a front seat in the absence of much political diplomacy because of the divisions of geopolitics that we face today.” 

He expressed pride in the UN’s use of humanitarian diplomacy and mediation to achieve the Black Sea Grain Initiative and Memorandum of Understanding, signed in July 2022 amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 

The deal to export Ukrainian grain and Russian food and fertilizer to international markets, thus boosting global food security, ended the following year after Russia’s withdrawal. 

“Humanitarian diplomacy is both an opportunity for us to do good for the world, but also in its ubiquity is a reminder of the absence of classic political diplomacy,” he said. 

Concern for Sudan 

Noting the absence of efforts to end the war in Sudan, where the humanitarian situation has worsened, he voiced concern over the 800,000 people at risk in El Fasher in North Darfur, and the likelihood that five million people across the country could face famine. 

“ I don't think we've ever had that kind of number at risk of famine, and this was an avoidable conflict ,” Mr. Griffiths said. “And that's my double point here: we're not winning on ending conflict.” 

Though expressing hope for Yemen, he said “that’s going backwards right now, but it’s essentially because the attention and commitment to the use of negotiation and dialogue to end conflict is a trait, a norm, a commitment, which is now no longer an essential component in international diplomacy.”

Furthermore, “the impunity that goes with the willingness of men to reach for the gun to resolve their differences, has also never been so great.” 

‘A bad world’ 

While hailing the recent UN Security Council resolution on the protection of civilians, he added ‘but God knows it's a bad world”. 

He urged journalists to listen to the Director-General of the World Health Organization ( WHO ), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, regarding the deliberate targeting of health institutions in numerous places, and to Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of UN Palestine refugee agency, UNRWA , “on the massive numbers of his colleagues killed and who now faces the possibility of having his organization classified as terrorist.” 

“We are not resolving conflicts,” said Mr. Griffiths.  “We are not using dialogue where we had committed ourselves to using dialogue. And the founders of the UN back in 1945, in those words of the Charter - saving subsequent generations from the scourge of war - we're failing them right, left and centre .”  

• UN Humanitarian Coordinator

2024 UNDP Annual Meeting on Rule of Law and Human Rights: Human Rights Risks – Prevention and Response in Action

Hybrid Event — Washington D.C.

June 6, 2024

Event Details

27 June 2024

11:00 - 12:30 EDT

Washington D.C.

UNDP is committed to promoting the rule of law, equal access to justice and protecting human rights as critical elements of sustainable development. Fundamental to the SDG’s and central to UNDP’s integrator function are strong partnerships that deliver agile, integrated solutions to bring positive changes in people’s lives. UNDP and its Global Programme for Strengthening the Rule of Law, Human Rights, Justice and Security for Sustainable Peace and Development (Global Programme) embed partnerships at the heart of its programming on rule of law, human rights, justice and security working across the UN system with Member States and civil society.

The Global Programme is anchored to the Secretary-General’s priorities on prevention and sustaining peace, especially in contexts affected by crisis, conflict and transitions, as well as to Our Common Agenda .

Human Rights Risks – Prevention and Response in Action

The Secretary-General has described human rights as “a critical foundation of sustaining peace”. In a global context where we witness the highest number of conflicts since 1945, human rights need to be realized as a “problem solving mechanism” for contemporary development challenges and utilized more proactively as an essential tool for prevention.

Working with a range of national partners, UN actors, think tanks and civil society, UNDP will curate a discussion on the intersection of the contribution of human rights to early warning, prevention and risk management in fragile and conflict-affected contexts.

The discussion will focus on how early warning can become early targeted action: based on the early warning data, indicators collected through human rights analysis and the impact of human rights mechanisms on the national prevention landscape. The meeting will spotlight the role of independent oversight bodies such as national human rights institutions. These actors can play a critical role in monitoring the human rights context, but also in creating a culture of human rights through promoting human rights education, awareness and advocacy in societies and for marginalized groups. There is a recognition that prevention and recovery in crisis settings require a ‘whole of society’ approach with stakeholders of every kind having a role to play.

The discussion will also highlight how transitional justice works at the nexus of human rights, development and peace and security to address legacies of mass human rights violations and build resilient communities through people-centred truth-seeking initiatives and reconciliation efforts. Lastly, the private sector and businesses can exert substantial influence to either fuel or ease tensions. In the latter instance, this is often the result of upholding the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and conducting appropriate and heightened human rights due diligence in conflict settings to identify and address any adverse human rights impacts. These efforts will assist development actors in proactive management of human rights risks and build the resilience of societies to prevent and recover from conflicts.

The Annual Meeting will be held in hybrid format to enable exchange on the current development context in relation to the rule of law, human rights, justice and security. Participants will include high-level UN officials, Ministerial-level national counterparts, UN Member States, stakeholders from across the UN system, as well as representatives from think tanks, academia, the private sector and civil society.

Translation in French and Spanish will be available.

Please register here for in-person or online participation.

The Global Programme will also hold its dedicated Partners Advisory Group meeting to present key achievements and challenges, as well as to brainstorm for joint solutions. This will be a closed event by invitation only.

The UNDP annual meeting will be held following the World Bank Justice and the Rule of Law Global Forum: Fostering Inclusive and Sustainable Development which will take place on 25-26 June. UNDP is one of the co- hosts of this World Bank event. UNDP senior management will be present in a High-Level Plenary session: Access to Justice for All: Closing the Global Justice Gap along with UNDP and national partners participation in some of the deep dive sessions. The Forum will take place in the World Bank Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

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Many Americans use social media to connect with one another, engage with news content, share information and entertain themselves. Explore the patterns and trends shaping the social media landscape.

To better understand Americans’ social media use, Pew Research Center surveyed 5,733 U.S. adults from May 19 to Sept. 5, 2023. Ipsos conducted this National Public Opinion Reference Survey (NPORS) for the Center using address-based sampling and a multimode protocol that included both web and mail. This way nearly all U.S. adults have a chance of selection. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race and ethnicity, education and other categories.

Polls from 2000 to 2021 were conducted via phone. For more on this mode shift, read our Q&A.

Here are the questions used for this analysis , along with responses, and  its methodology ­­­.

A note on terminology: Our May-September 2023 survey was already in the field when Twitter changed its name to “X.” The terms  Twitter  and  X  are both used in this report to refer to the same platform.

YouTube and Facebook are the most-widely used online platforms. About half of U.S. adults say they use Instagram, and smaller shares use sites or apps such as TikTok, LinkedIn, Twitter (X) and BeReal.

Note: The vertical line indicates a change in mode. Polls from 2012-2021 were conducted via phone. In 2023, the poll was conducted via web and mail. For more details on this shift, please read our Q&A . Refer to the topline for more information on how question wording varied over the years. Pre-2018 data is not available for YouTube, Snapchat or WhatsApp; pre-2019 data is not available for Reddit; pre-2021 data is not available for TikTok; pre-2023 data is not available for BeReal. Respondents who did not give an answer are not shown.

Source: Surveys of U.S. adults conducted 2012-2023.

Usage of the major online platforms varies by factors such as age, gender and level of formal education.

% of U.S. adults who say they ever use __ by …

• RACE & ETHNICITY
• POLITICAL AFFILIATION

This fact sheet was compiled by Research Assistant  Olivia Sidoti , with help from Research Analyst  Risa Gelles-Watnick , Research Analyst  Michelle Faverio , Digital Producer  Sara Atske , Associate Information Graphics Designer Kaitlyn Radde and Temporary Researcher  Eugenie Park .

Follow these links for more in-depth analysis of the impact of social media on American life.

• Americans’ Social Media Use  Jan. 31, 2024
• Americans’ Use of Mobile Technology and Home Broadband  Jan. 31 2024
• Q&A: How and why we’re changing the way we study tech adoption  Jan. 31, 2024

Find more reports and blog posts related to  internet and technology .

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ABOUT PEW RESEARCH CENTER  Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of  The Pew Charitable Trusts .

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