Eighty years ago, in the shadow of two catastrophic world wars and amid humanity's yearning for peace, the United Nations was born. From the ashes of World War II, nations came together with a shared determination to ensure that such devastation would never be repeated.

The UN Charter opened with a solemn promise: "To save succeeding generations from the scourge of war which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind."

Over eight decades, that promise has echoed throughout its history. The UN has shaped global efforts to preserve peace, advance sustainable development and defend the rights of every human being. The international body's imprint on the modern world is undeniable, a testament to both humanity's highest ideals and its endless struggles to live up to them.

Safeguarding peace and security 

At the heart of the UN's mission sits its most solemn goal: the preservation of international peace and security. From the earliest days of its existence, the UN has sought to prevent conflict, contain violence and foster dialogue.

The Security Council has the primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security. It can authorize measures not involving armed forces and if those fail, military measures to maintain or restore international peace and security.

The Security Council is the only body that holds the power to authorize UN peacekeeping operations—an innovation that formed a cornerstone of post-war collective security.

In 1948, the Security Council launched its first peacekeeping mission, dispatching military observers to the Middle East to monitor a truce between Israel and its Arab neighbors. So far, 71 peacekeeping operations have been deployed across the globe, with 11 still ongoing today. Blue-helmeted peacekeepers have protected civilians under fire, stabilized fragile transitions and helped nations rebuild from ruin—often at a great cost. Peacekeeping has become not just a tool of diplomacy, but a UN symbol, a living testament to the world's collective commitment to peace.

Beyond peacekeeping, mediation and conflict prevention have stood as pillars of the UN's peace architecture. At the height of the Cold War in 1962, the third UN Secretary General U Thant from Myanmar exemplified this role, and his mediation between the United States and the Soviet Union helped steer the Cuban Missile Crisis from escalating into a nuclear catastrophe. 

UN envoys and special representatives have traversed the world, from Cyprus to Afghanistan, from the Balkans to the Middle East, working tirelessly to open channels of dialogue and forge political pathways out of conflict. 

The UN's role in arms control and non-proliferation further underscores its place in safeguarding global security. With its support, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (entering into force in 1970) emerged as a foundation for the international nuclear order, seeking to balance deterrence, disarmament and the peaceful use of atomic energy. Likewise, landmark accords, including the Chemical Weapons Convention (entering into force in 1975) and the Biological Weapons Convention (entering into force in 1997), were negotiated and advanced under the UN's aegis.

Together, these treaties form a vital shield for humanity, protecting our collective future from the shadow of mass destruction.

Building a more sustainable world 

Promoting shared global development has been one of the UN's most enduring missions. Since the 1960s, the UN launched successive "development decades" and set phased global development goals through the International Development Strategy, steering worldwide development agenda.

That momentum culminated in September 2000, when world leaders gathered at the UN headquarters in New York City for the Millennium Summit, where they adopted the landmark Millennium Declaration. This declaration laid the foundation for the Millennium Development Goals—eight specific targets to reduce extreme poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy and gender inequality by 2015.

By the end of that period, substantial progress had been made. The overarching target of halving global extreme poverty was met five years ahead of schedule, hundreds of millions of people were lifted from destitution, and extensive gains were achieved in primary education, child health and access to clean water.

Building on that headway, the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted unanimously by all 193 member states in September 2015, set forth a more comprehensive vision: "Transforming our world." Its 17 Sustainable Development Goals provide an integrated blueprint for eradicating poverty, promoting equality and protecting the planet, linking economic growth, social inclusion and environmental sustainability in a single framework. The UN's development work has been underpinned by institutions including the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, which have provided indispensable financing and policy support for developing nations.

Across its specialized agencies, the UN has registered historic achievements in advancing human welfare. The World Food Programme, founded in 1961 and the world's largest humanitarian organization to date, delivers life-saving food assistance to tens of millions of people in crisis each year. The Food and Agriculture Organization has championed agricultural innovation and food security, helping nations overcome chronic hunger.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has long stood at the forefront of global health. Its coordination of the effort that led to the eradication of smallpox in 1980 stands as one of humanity's greatest public health triumphs. Since then, the WHO has been instrumental in coordinating the global response to diseases like HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, a role that was particularly highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic. These efforts consistently demonstrate the indispensable value of multilateral cooperation in safeguarding human health.

Meanwhile, the UN Environment Programme has been a driving force in shaping international environmental governance, crafting the treaties and conventions that underpin modern climate diplomacy. From the 1992 UN Framework Convention on Climate Change to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol and the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement, the UN has guided the world's collective response to climate change, while advancing other fundamental environmental accords such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, the first global agreement to cover all aspects of biological diversity.

Defending human dignity 

The protection of fundamental human rights has stood as one of the UN's defining missions. In December 1948, the General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the first global articulation of the basic freedoms and rights inherent to all people. This momentous document laid the foundation for a comprehensive body of international human-rights treaties, inspiring subsequent conventions including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in 1966, as well as treaties addressing racial discrimination, gender equality and the rights of children. 

Institutions like the Human Rights Council and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights oversee compliance, review state reports and provide avenues for individual petitions, forming the backbone of modern international human rights protection.

Through specialized agencies, the UN's work has achieved a truly global reach. The Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), ratified by 196 states, stands as the most universally endorsed human rights treaty in history. Meanwhile, bodies like UN Women champion gender equality worldwide, and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees provides critical protection for tens of millions displaced by conflict and persecution.

Collectively, these instruments and institutions affirm the UN's enduring vision that human rights are universal and indivisible while protecting them is a shared responsibility of all nations.

Upholding multilateralism 

Beyond peace, development and human rights, the UN remains the central pillar of the international order and the foremost arena for practicing multilateralism.

In the mid-20th century, as dozens of newly independent nations joined its ranks, UN membership expanded and diversity deepened. On October 25, 1971, the General Assembly adopted Resolution 2758, restoring all lawful rights of the People's Republic of China in the UN. This, alongside the admission of many developing nations, reshaped the organization into a truly universal and representative body, one where member states, large or small, are equal, and where every voice carries weight.

The September 2024 UN Summit on the Future, after extensive negotiations, adopted the landmark Pact for the Future. Addressing five decisive areas—namely, sustainable development and financing, peace and security, science and innovation and digital cooperation, youth and future generations and transforming global governance—the document encompasses 56 action programs designed to break through long-standing stalemates and address emerging challenges. 

By placing development at the core and reaffirming the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities," previously formalized at the 1992 Rio Summit, the pact sends a clear message: Renewed solidarity, inclusiveness and cooperation remain essential to building a fairer global governance system.

For a better future 

In a new era of global instability, the UN's relevance and effectiveness face profound tests.

Deepening geopolitical rivalries have paralyzed the Security Council and stalled action on pivotal peace and security issues. Simultaneously, emerging challenges, from AI and cyberspace to outer space, have exposed the limits of the UN's institutional agility.

The organization's architecture has failed to keep pace with a multipolar world. The majority of member states, representing the developing world, still lack equitable representation, fueling debates over the Security Council's legitimacy and the urgent need for reform. These structural challenges are compounded by chronic funding shortages and arrears.

Ultimately, these difficulties stem from a fundamental issue: Some member states are undermining the multilateral spirit by pursuing unilateral actions and pseudo-multilateralism within the very system designed to ensure collective action.

Eighty years of UN history offer a clear lesson: In an interdependent world, a UN-centered international system is central to global stability and genuine multilateralism—rooted in consultation and cooperation, as well as the surest path to solving shared challenges.

Abandoning this principle weakens the body and jeopardizes the security and welfare of all nations.

China's support for the UN has been steadfast and substantial. As a founding member and permanent Security Council member, China has consistently upheld its authority. It is a top financial contributor, a party to most major international treaties and a country that fields the largest contingent of peacekeepers among the Council's five permanent members. With a record of restraint, having never started a war or occupied any foreign territory, China demonstrates its commitment to global stability and fulfilling its international obligations.

China advances human rights through a people-centered approach, prioritizing the rights to subsistence and development while advocating for a greater Global South voice in human rights governance.

Through extensive development cooperation, it assists other developing nations in pursuing independent and sustainable modernization paths suited to their national conditions.

The UN's future renewal will require China's continued leadership. Initiatives like building a community with a shared future for humanity, the Global Development Initiative, which addresses transnational challenges through multilateral cooperation, and the Belt and Road Initiative, a framework to boost connectivity along and beyond the ancient Silk Road routes, among other global public goods, provide valuable structures for strengthening global governance.

UN Secretary General António Guterres has acknowledged that these efforts align closely with the UN's goals, offering a model for inclusive international cooperation and shared prosperity.

Amid today's uncertainty, China has called for reinforcing, not dismantling, the UN-centered system. China believes that all nations should consolidate the organization's foundations, not tear down its beams and pillars. On UN reform, China supports broad and democratic consultations to make the Security Council more representative and effective, and advocates special arrangements to correct historical injustices.

Upholding true multilateralism and reforming the UN are essential to revitalizing its founding spirit and guiding humanity toward lasting peace, shared security and common prosperity. BR

The author is director of the Department of International and Strategic Studies at the China Institute of International Studies 

Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon 

Comments to zhaowei@cicgamericas.com