United Nations
The United Nations (UN), established in 1945, is an international organization with states as members.
The UN functions both as an arena for states to negotiate international rules and norms, and as an actor set to monitor these rules and engage in activities to further specific goals, such as peacekeeping operations and humanitarian relief. The UN is unique among international organizations because it represents the most encompassing and ambitious attempt to institutionalize cooperation and to regulate inter-state relations through rules. The UN consists of a General Assembly where all member states are represented, a Security Council, and a Secretariat. The broader UN system is made up of programme and funds like the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and specialized agencies like the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
At NUPI, central areas of research on the UN include:
- the evolution of norms of non-intervention
- the politics of the UN Security Council and the role of global summits
- the legitimacy and efficacy of the UN’s operational activities
News about united nations
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Do peace operations work? And can they protect civilians?
16 Dec 2019These were some of the questions raised when researchers from the NUPI-led Effectiveness of Peace Operations Network (EPON) shared their insights in Washington, D.C. and New York.
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EPON at Stockholm Forum for Peace and Development 2019
31 May 2019On 14-16 May 2019, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) and Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs co-hosted the 2019 Stockholm Forum on Peace and Development titled ‘From crisis response to peacebuilding: Achieving synergies’.
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New book: UN Peace Operations in a Changing Global Order
23 Oct 2018In this book launch interview, editors Mateja Peter and Cedric de Coning reflect upon findings from their most recent book, identifying four global transformations and their implications for UN peace operations.
Publications about united nations
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Publication
: ARTIKKEL
United Nations Stabilization Operations: Chapter Seven and a Half
2019The UN Security Council has in recent years included the term ‘stabilization’ in the name of the operations deployed to Haiti, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali and Central African Republic. But, are they stabilization operations? Although the concept has become increasingly popular in the UN context,... -
Publication
Assessing the Effectiveness of the United Nations Mission in Mali (MINUSMA)
This report assesses the extent to which the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) is achieving its current strategic objectives, and the impact the Mission has had on the political and security situation in Mali. Until 2016 MINUSMA managed to strengthen stability in... -
Publication
: NUPI Report
The Politics of Stability: Cement and Change in Cyber Affairs
2019In November 2018, the Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace, inaugurated one year earlier ‘to develop proposals for norms and policies to enhance international security and stability and guide responsible state and non-state behavior in cyberspace’, launched six norms pointing ‘the way to...
Research projects about united nations
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Photograph: miguelb/Creative Commons/CC BY-SA 2.0
Research project
The Nordics and the International
2019 (Ongoing)Why is there not more Nordic cooperation on the international arena, when Nordic politicians so often express a willingness to develop cooperation in this field further? This project aims to build new...
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Photograph: NTB Scanpix
Research project
World of the Right: Alternative visions of global order (WoR)
2018 - 2021 (Ongoing)The project will look deeper into the conservative New Right in countries such as Russia, the US, and Europe, examining in particular the alternative visions of Western civilisational order that these...
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Foto: UN Photo
Research project
Support to UN Peace Operations: Ensuring More Effective UN Peace Operations (UNPO)
2017 - 2020 (Ongoing)The aim of this project is to strengthen the ability of UN peace operations to respond to global security challenges and improve their effectiveness.