On this page
World War II highlighted a pressing need for better global cooperation. While the League of Nations was created for this purpose after World War I, it had proved ineffective in stopping a second World War. At a conference in San Francisco in October 1945, 50 nations hammered out a new charter for global relations. New Zealand played an active role in these negotiations including opposing the veto for the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (China, France, the Russian Federation, the UK and the US), advocating for collective security, and pushing for economic and social issues to be at the heart of the agenda. After fierce debate, the United Nations was born.
Today there are 193 members and the UN's work reaches into every corner of the globe. The UN Charter allows the organisation to take action on a wide range of issues that now extend well beyond international security to include: the environment, disaster relief, disarmament, human rights, gender equality, food supply, health, refugee protection and other areas.
New Zealand and the UN Security Council
Our contribution to UN activities
Peacekeeping
