WorldHow the UN quietly shapes our daily lives, from rights to pandemics

Human rights are now a familiar idea, but they were revolutionary when the UN helped pave the way for the Universal Declaration in 1948. UN peacekeepers have since had mixed records in Sierra Leone, Rwanda and Bosnia, while agencies such as the WHO helped eradicate smallpox and respond to COVID-19. Other UN bodies coordinate phone and internet standards, global shipping rules and shared weather data, giving countries a framework for cooperation.