The UN Family and Global Social Cooperation

The United Nations Charter was signed in San Francisco in June 1945 and came into force on 24 October 1945. While the Security Council handles peace and security, much of the UN's work is social and cultural, carried out by specialized agencies. UNESCO, founded in 1945, promotes education, science and culture; its constitution declares that since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed.

UNICEF was created in 1946 to help children after World War II and later expanded worldwide. The World Health Organization followed in 1948. These agencies set global goals, such as the Millennium Development Goals (2000) and the Sustainable Development Goals (2015), gather data and coordinate programmes. Critics point to bureaucracy, funding dependence on wealthy states and uneven results, while supporters argue no other body can coordinate on this scale.