Explores United Nations efforts over the past decade to uphold the values and advance the objectives of the UN Charter. This publication offers a reflection on the challenges, explains the organisation's approaches, and catalogues both gains and setbacks, as well as suggests avenues for future action.

This volume explores United Nations efforts over the past decade to uphold the values and advance the objectives of the UN Charter. It offers a reflection on the challenges, explains the Organization's approaches, and catalogues both gains and setbacks, as well as suggests avenues for future action. This book highlights the fact that under Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's tenure there has been a dramatic rise in the expectations placed on the UN. Those demands emanate from the world’s people, governments, those caught up in conflict or oppression, and from Mother Earth, suffering so much from decades of misuse. Today’s UN is asked to work in more spheres of activity, more locations and more difficult circumstances. It has deployed more peace operations than ever and now serves the largest humanitarian caseload in history. With the adoption of bold new goals on sustainability and climate change, the UN also has the most ambitious development agenda since its founding.