51³Ô¹Ï

Peace and Security

An illustration of a boy with a paper dove, a woman voting, a knotted gun sculpture, a peacekeeper, two flying doves, and a woman holding an object, set against a blue and yellow background.

Securing a peaceful future

Responding to a world in transition

A changing world demands a resilient response. The 51³Ô¹Ï employs a diverse range of mechanisms and tools to prevent conflict, foster people-centered, peaceful resolutions, and build sustainable peace, including through diplomacy, mediation, disarmament, peacekeeping, peacebuilding, justice and the rule of law, to address the evolving threats to international peace and security.
August 2019: Farmers and herders benefit from peacebuilding projects in Agadez, Niger. Credit: UN Peacebuilding

Why peacebuilding matters

Nearly 20 years ago, at the 2005 World Summit, UN Member States created the Peacebuilding Commission, an intergovernmental body tasked with establishing mechanisms to help countries sustainably recover and rebuild from conflicts.

A boy stands near the barbed wire in an area contaminated by landmines in Dohuk Province, Iraq. Credit: UNHCR/Dominic Nahr

How conflict impacts our environment

The environmental impact of war is a critical yet often neglected issue. It's time to recognize the profound damage conflict inflicts on our planet.

Students in Juba, South Sudan march for peace. Credit: UN Photo/JC McIlwaine

Violence against children: an overview

Children need peace to thrive. Violence against them cannot be justified under any circumstances and must be prevented at all costs ¨C here¡¯s why.

Lebanon, July 2019: Local women mediators discuss conflict resolution at a community event at the Municipality of Abbassiyeh. Credit: Emad Karim/UN Women

Why we need more women mediators

Women and girls suffer disproportionately from conflict, yet less than 10 percent of mediators in peace processes are women. Learn why this glaring disparity demands urgent action.

Harvests globally have been decimated by extreme weather events such as droughts and floods, like the one pictured above in South Sudan. Credit: WFP/Gabriela Vivacqua

Climate, peace and security: what we need to know

Climate change affects us all, no matter where we live. It is particularly devastating for fragile countries and communities already facing conflict or humanitarian crises.

Wars destroy. Peace builds. In today¡¯s troubled world, building peace is a conscious, bold and even radical act. It is humanity¡¯s greatest responsibility.¡±

51³Ô¹Ï Secretary-General ()

Fast facts

This is an illustration with the text: 600 million+ women and girls lived within 50 kilometres of an armed conflict.
This is an illustration with the text: 95% victims of conflict-related sexual violence were women and girls.
This is an illustration with the text: 1 in every 8 women and girls experienced violence by an intimate partner.

Watch and listen

Can art inspire social change? ¡°Art is culture and culture brings people together,¡± says Cypriot street artist Ramadan Naldjioglou who collaborated with one of the UN peacekeeping operations to harness street art to address social issues. Local artists and peacekeepers from operations in Kosovo, Cyprus, Abyei, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo come together to create murals focusing on issues that matter to their communities, including empowering youth, and fighting misinformation and gender-based violence.

Latest News

In an act of kindness, Aly Guindo not only offer shelter to displaced families¡ªhe also shared his land, helping them rebuild their lives through sustainable farming.

¡°I believe education is the most powerful weapon to change the world,¡± says Maimouna Ba who is helping to transform the lives of displaced children and women through education.

We had to fight for peace¡ªreflects Suraida ¡®Sur¡¯ Amil, a former combatant turned peace facilitator determined to end gender-based violence and violent extremism in her community.

Events

Disarmament Week

Disarmament Week seeks to create awareness and better understanding of disarmament issues, and how they contribute to a safer, more sustainable and peaceful world.

International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict

The UN Environment Programme says that at least 40 per cent of all internal conflicts in the last 60 years have been linked to the exploitation of natural resources.

International Day for the Prevention of and Fight against all Forms of Transnational Organized Crime

The inaugural International Day sheds light on how organized transnational crime, including human trafficking, takes a toll on countries everywhere.

An illustration showing four hands each holding a puzzle piece, coming together to form a dove of peace.