Unity & Resilience:

75

years of global cooperation

A blue and white image of a historical building at the Palais des Nations, which has tall windows and faces a large courtyard.
A blue and white image of a historical building at the Palais des Nations, which has tall windows and faces a large courtyard.
A blue and white image of a historical building at the Palais des Nations, which has tall windows and faces a large courtyard.

At the beginning of 2020, we could not have imagined that our world would be upended to the extent that it was. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected us in a multitude of ways: from the immediate health and economic impacts to changes to our ways of living and working. It has magnified inequalities and slowed progress towards achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The reverberations will be felt well beyond 2020. 

Tatiana Valovaya,
‍Under-Secretary-General
Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva
Secretary-General of the Conference on Disarmament

In these uncertain times, the resilience of humankind shines through, offering hope through collective action. Multilateralism is at the core of the United Nations; strengthening and supporting this collaborative foundation has proven more crucial now than ever. 

read the foreword
A stylized image composed of a head and shoulders silhouette of a woman (on the left) and a head and shoulders silhouette of a man (on the right).
3,439
UN Secretariat staff in Geneva
A stylized image of a tap with a drop of water.
102,810m3
of water were used on the Palais des Nations campus
A stylized image of two bags with dollar signs on their front.
282,000
payments were processed
A stylized image of the COVID-19 virus.
40
workplace risk assessments were conducted
A stylized image of a graduate, wearing a mortar board hat, and two books.
11,270
people participated in 528 learning activities
A stylized image of a globe, with two people icons on different sides of the globe and an arrow linking them.
80
high-level visitors were welcomed at UN Geneva
download infographics

Download Chapters in PDF

An aerial photo, tinted in blue, of the historical buildings of the Palais des Nations, with a large landscape artwork in front of the building. The artwork shows a young boy and girl drawing together.

1

UN at 75: honouring the past, looking to the future

2

Unprecedented times: adapting to the COVID-19 pandemic

 A photo, tinted in blue, of a large, round sticker on a floor. The sticker says “Keep a safe distance” and “COVID-19 response”.
A photo, tinted in blue, of the podium of a conference room. People are seated apart at the podium. A screen above the podium is showing a video of the Secretary-General of the United Nations. On the left is a television camera directed at the podium.

3

International cooperation: supporting multilateralism

4

Outreach and engagement: communicating the work of the UN

 A photo, tinted in blue, of two women looking at one of two large signs in a public square. In the background are a large sculpture of a chair with one broken leg and the entrance to the Palais des Nations.
A photo, tinted in blue, of a woman standing near a podium and using sign language.

5

Inclusion: recognizing and celebrating diversity

6

Working better: embracing innovation

 An aerial image, tinted in blue, of a partially constructed office building with multiple wings and floors.
download report in PDF
A stylized illustration showing a person riding a bicycle, a person running and two birds flying above them.

Social
responsibility
and you (th)

take action
Design by UN Geneva