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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COVID-19 will change the way the UN conducts peacekeeping operations in the future
19 May 2020(Forsvarets Forum) The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly disrupted UN peacekeeping operations. In the short-term, activities have been reduced to the most critical, rotations have been frozen, and most staff are working remotely. Most of the missions have adapted remarkably...
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Sustaining Peace in the time of COVID-19
12 May 2020NUPI is present with several events at the Stockholm Forum on Peace and Development. See them all here!
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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.
Publications about united nations
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Publication
: Academic anthology
The Fight Over Freedom in 20th- and 21st-Century International Discourse Moments of ‘self-determination’
This book shows how international discourse citing ‘self-determination’ over the last hundred years has functioned as a battleground between two ideas of freedom: a ‘radical’ idea of freedom, and a ‘liberal-conservative’ idea of freedom. The book offers new insights into the historical times in which... -
Publication
: Interview
Aftenposten Forklart - Hva skal Norge bruke plassen i FNs Sikkerhetsråd til?
After 13 years of election campaign and NOK 29 million, Norway joins the UN Security Council. What should Norway use that seat for, is this important for Norway, and can we have influence in the Security Council as an elected member without the veto power? NUPI’s senior research fellow Niels Nagelhus... -
Publication
: Interview
Dagsnytt 18 - Norge inn i Sikkerhetsrådet
Norge sikret seg en plass i FNs Sikkerhetsråd i perioden 2021-2022. NUPI forsker Niels Nagelhus Schia, Utenriksminister Ine Marie Eriksen Søreide og Janne Haaland Matlary møttes i Dagsnytt 18 for å snakke om valget, hvorfor denne plassen er interessant for Norge, hvilke dilemmaer Norge vil møte vis-a-vis...
Research projects about united nations
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Foto: John Taggart/Reuters/NTB Scanpix
Research project
China and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (CHINSDG)
2018 - 2019 (Ongoing)What are Chinese priorities in relation to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and how do Chinese actors promote their interests and prospects for international cooperation?
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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...