The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons is an international treaty to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and to further the goal of achieving nuclear disarmament.
The Convention on Biological Diversity is a historic multilateral treaty now signed by all U.N. member states other than the United States. The Convention has three main goals: biodiversity, the sustainable use of its components, and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from genetic resources. The Convention recognized for the first time in international law that the conservation of biodiversity is “a common concern of humankind” and is an integral part of the development process.
The multilateral treaty recognized for the first time in international law that the conservation of biodiversity is “a common concern of humankind” and is an integral part of the development process.
The UNCRC is a groundbreaking international human rights treaty ratified by 196 countries (as of 2023) which sets out the civil, political, economic, social, health, and cultural rights of children.
The Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer is an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of numerous substances that are responsible for ozone depletion. It was agreed on 16 September 1987 and entered into force on 1 January 1989. The ozone treaty has since been ratified by 198 parties, making it the first universally ratified treaty in United Nations history.
The Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, signed in November 1968, established shared rules of the road across dozens of nations — standardizing driver licensing, vehicle registration, and cross-border recognition in a single international framework. Today, 86 countries operate under its provisions, quietly reducing accidents and bureaucratic friction for millions of travelers. What makes it remarkable is both its durability and its adaptability: a Cold War-era treaty is now being amended to address self-driving vehicles. It remains one of the most consequential — and least celebrated — achievements in international cooperation.
The WHO launched an intensified plan to eradicate smallpox in 1967. Widespread immunization and surveillance were conducted around the world for several years. The last known natural case was in Somalia in 1977.
CITES is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of international trade. It is now one of the largest and oldest conservation and sustainable use agreements in existence.
The Biological Weapons Convention was the world’s first multilateral disarmament treaty to ban the production of an entire category of weapons of mass destruction.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth, and human development. Based at United Nations Headquarters in New York City, it is the largest U.N. development aid agency, with offices in 177 countries. As the poor are disproportionately affected by environmental degradation and lack of access to clean, affordable water, sanitation, and energy services, UNDP also seeks to address a wide range of environmental and conservation issues.
Through major advancements in medicine, public health, and poverty alleviation, by 2021 the global average life expectancy was just over 70 years. Less than 15 years later, humanity reaches another critical milestone by achieving 75 years of life expectancy around the world.
