8 hours ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Sex education with monks in Bhutan and 4 other UN projects you probably didn't know about
The
United Nations ' vast global system has tackled everything from delivering life-saving humanitarian aid to providing crucial peacekeeping operations in conflict zones since it was established in the wake of World War II.
As the international body closes in on 80 years old, questions about its relevancy and efficiency have sharpened from supporters and critics alike. Recent US cuts to foreign assistance and the re-evaluation of humanitarian contributions by other countries have forced a reckoning for the UN.
The organisation has long sought to highlight its unique role as the meeting place of global leaders, with an ambitious mandate to prevent another world war.
UN workers, however, say it does more than respond to civilians' needs in war zones and debate resolutions in the Security Council.
'The things that are not on the radar of anyone, that nobody sees every day, that's what we do everywhere, in more than 150 countries,' said Diene Keita, executive director for programmes at the UN's population agency.
Here are five things the UN does that you may not have known:
