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.
“Peace starts with me, but it will never end with me,” says Jacques Kwibuka, a Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights advocate, and the founder of Informed Future Generations, who has dedicated his life to empowering youth in Rwanda through health education and awareness.
"Peace is not declared. It is practiced – every day, by real people, in real places,” says SURGE Bangladesh, a youth-led organization working at the intersection of peacebuilding, social cohesion, and community development.
Dedicated to moving young leaders from the margins to the center of global problem-solving, the UN Foundation’s Our Future Agenda is proving that when youth are supported, everyone benefits.
It's time to invest in the architecture of peace, not the tools of war. That means living up to disarmament obligations. Rebuilding trust. And strengthening the systems and tools that prevent the proliferation, testing and use of deadly weapons.”
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, 5 March 2026
In the spotlight
To celebrate 20 years of the UN Peacebuilding Fund, we are spotlighting local leaders rebuilding their communities from the ground up. From teachers to human rights activists, everyday peacebuilders are healing the scars of conflict, preventing violence, and securing lasting peace.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, a new generation has dismantled the inherited divides, using community theatre and environmental activism as powerful tools for reconciliation, thus rewriting their country’s narrative.
Described as “sometimes modest, sometimes historic,” UN special political missions have quietly been preventing the escalation of conflicts during the organization’s 80-year history, becoming a key instrument for maintaining peace.
Why are women still missing from many peace negotiations and what is the world losing as a result? "Lasting peace cannot be achieved while women remain excluded from decision-making," says Ambassador Liberata Mulamula, reflecting on the experiences that inspired her lifelong commitment to diplomacy, mediation, and peacebuilding.
Through 78 years of service and sacrifice, the iconic "Blue Helmet" has become a symbol of hope for millions of people caught in conflict. Learn about the enduring legacy of the more than two million peacekeepers, who have served in over 70 missions under the UN flag.
