Let us remember all that the United Nations makes possible

The United Nations rests on an idea worthy of celebrating. Countries can shape their common future through cooperation, guided by shared rules, respect for human rights and recognition of the dignity of every person. At a time when discussion often centres on the UN’s shortcomings, United Nations Day, marked on 24 October, offered an opportunity to remember the significance of that idea and what it makes possible in people’s lives.

For a country such as Finland, the importance of an international order founded on common rules is particularly clear. The UN Charter establishes the sovereign equality of states, the peaceful settlement of disputes, and the prohibition of the threat or use of force against another state’s territorial integrity or political independence. These principles give countries a basis for asserting their rights irrespective of their size. They affirm that military or economic strength does not confer a greater right to determine the future of others.

This is a profound achievement of international cooperation and one worth protecting. States have agreed that their conduct towards one another is governed by obligations that extend beyond their individual interests. Every country’s sovereignty deserves respect. Every country’s rights carry weight. The credibility of these common rules depends on our willingness to uphold them consistently, including when doing so is politically inconvenient in the short term.

The United Nations gives this commitment an enduring institutional home. It provides a place where countries can negotiate, articulate their interests and seek solutions to problems they share. Through sustained cooperation, principles can become agreements, agreements can establish obligations, and those obligations can guide action across borders and generations.

The practical significance of this work is visible in the conditions that allow people to live, learn and build their futures.

In 2025, UNICEF’s humanitarian work with partners provided drinking water services for 36.2 million people and access to education for 9.1 million children and adolescents. These figures describe some of the most fundamental conditions of daily life. They mean water to drink and the opportunity to continue learning when crisis has disrupted a family’s life. They also reflect the sustained work of communities, local professionals, governments and international organisations acting together.

The value of such cooperation reaches well beyond any single intervention. In the same year, UNICEF supported more than 5,500 schools and 2,800 health care facilities in achieving basic water, sanitation and hygiene services. These are practical foundations on which education and health care depend. A school needs drinking water and functioning toilets; a health care facility needs water and hygiene to care for patients safely. The UN’s work connects shared commitments to human dignity with the practical means of upholding it.

International cooperation also enables us to care for the environment we share. Under the Montreal Protocol, countries have phased out approximately 99 per cent of the ozone-depleting substances it controls. This achievement brings together scientific research, negotiated obligations, financing and decades of implementation. It demonstrates the lasting value of institutions through which countries can act on scientific knowledge and sustain their commitments over time.

That work continues to open new possibilities. On 17 January 2026, the agreement on marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction entered into force, establishing a framework for cooperation on protecting life in the ocean beyond national jurisdiction. Its entry into force is an achievement on which countries can now build. Through implementation, the agreement can translate a shared commitment into lasting protection for the marine environment.

For young people, this ability to cooperate across generations has particular significance. Decisions made today shape the environment, institutions and opportunities we will live with for decades. Meaningful participation allows young people to contribute their knowledge, experiences and aspirations to those decisions. It also strengthens the connection between international institutions and the people whose futures they help shape.

In our work at the UN Youth of Finland, bringing the UN’s values closer to young people belongs alongside bringing young people’s views closer to decision-makers. This reciprocal relationship gives international cooperation a place in everyday civic life. Understanding how common decisions affect us, and having opportunities to influence them, helps us take responsibility for the world we share.

The significance of United Nations Day extends beyond the day itself. It invites us to recognise what countries and people have built together. The principles of the Charter, the practical work that supports millions of lives, and the agreements opening possibilities for the future all give substance to the promise of international cooperation.

Preserving and strengthening this cooperation is a choice each generation must make. Protecting this valuable system requires a sustained commitment to upholding its common rules and supporting the institutions that put them into practice. It is a pivotal pillar of a world built on—and aspiring towards—cooperation, peace and equality, in which every country’s rights matter and every person’s dignity deserves protection.

28.10.2026
Artturi Auvinen, Advocacy and Impact Coordinator UNYF