Securing a peaceful future
Responding to a world in transition
A changing world demands a resilient response. The United Nations 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.
Finding peace in war — and the urgency to create change
For many, peace is a distant abstraction, defined simply by the absence of gunfire. But for Uruguayan photographer Ximena Borrazás, nearly four years on the frontlines of wars - from Ukraine to Lebanon to Syria and Ethiopia has revealed a deeper truth: "Real peace takes root not when bullets stop, but when people feel safe to rebuild their lives, when survivors are supported, and when their stories are acknowledged by the world."
Peace Therapist
Healing minds. Strengthening communities. Building peace.
Peace Therapist is a youth-led, refugee-founded mental health and peacebuilding initiative working across the Middle East, Türkiye, and globally to strengthen individual and collective resilience in contexts affected by conflict, displacement and crisis.
UN Development Programme – youth as partners in development and peacebuilding
The UN Development Programme sees young people are not as a group to support but as the architects and torchbearers of our collective future. It works every day to break down the barriers that keep youth out of public life and opening doors to economic opportunity and civic engagement.
Peace is not built in conference rooms. Peace is built in classrooms, in clinics, in communities.”
United Nations Secretary-General (António Guterres, 19 June 2025)
In the spotlight
Justice without borders: A UN Volunteer's story
Human rights aren't optional, they're everyone's responsibility - for Miina Huotari, these aren't just words; they are the foundation of her daily work. As a UN Volunteer in Guatemala, she works at the intersection of research and advocacy to tackle discrimination and inequality.
Carrying the voice of young people to build peace – convictions of a Congolese former child soldier
Former child soldier Muhindo Kamate's journey is an extraordinary testament to courage. After putting down his gun and leaving the armed group in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, he refused to let the scars of war define him. Instead, he founded the Association of Ex-combatants for Youth Support to offer thousands of other young people an alternative to the violence.
Why the hardest duty stations are worth it – a UN Volunteer's story
The UN Development Programme sees young people are not as a group to support but as the architects and torchbearers of our collective future. It works every day to break down the barriers that keep youth out of public life and opening doors to economic opportunity and civic engagement.
Arsene Gbaguidi: "UN electoral support is about empowering citizens"
In this Expert Take conversation, the Director of MINUSCA's Electoral Division, Arsene Gbaguidi unpacks the various types of electoral assistance the UN provides. He also shares examples of challenges and gains, including boosting participation by women and young people in elections.
The Peace Outlook 2026: Five moments for global action
As we approach 2026, we look at five events that present opportunities to invest in peace and humanity, and cement resilience in communities everywhere - from celebrating volunteerism and investing in youth and women as agents of change, to strengthening crime prevention and ensuring criminal justice both on-and-off-line.
