United Nations Launches Global Exhibition ‘Shared Lives, Shared Future’ to Mark Eightieth Anniversary

The United Nations today launched Shared Lives, Shared Future, a global exhibition marking the Organization's eightieth anniversary through powerful human stories from around the world.

The initiative showcases how the United Nations system improves lives every day -often in ways people may not realize - from fighting hunger and supporting peace to advancing digital access, climate resilience and gender equality to coordinating international telephone roaming, civil aviation safety or weather forecasting.

"The exhibition we launch here tonight […] tells a remarkable story - a story that began 80 years ago, when the sun rose on a world scarred by war and the United Nations was born," said Secretary-General António Guterres during the launch at UN Headquarters. "The people in these images are not simply posing for a photo. They are posing a question: What else is possible if the world put more effort into forging shared solutions?"

The exhibition brings together more than 200 stories from 193 countries and 3 territories, each featuring a real person whose life has been positively shaped by the United Nations' work.

From a farmer in Afghanistan to an Australian pilot, from two friends in Cyprus to an aerospace director in Paraguay; from a construction worker in Mozambique to a doctor in China, the stories illustrate that our lives are intertwined and global challenges are connected - and so are the solutions.

The project is co-organized by the United Nations Department of Global Communications with the Permanent Missions of Italy, Slovenia and Switzerland in New York. It has been developed through the 59 United Nations Information Centres around the world along with the rest of the United Nations system, and generated more than 1,000 contributions - demonstrating the reach and relevance of the United Nations today.

The exhibition goes well beyond the walls of United Nations Headquarters. Local physical versions of the exhibition have been launched or are being launched this week in Abuja, Ankara, Bahrain, Brasília, Canberra, Copenhagen, Geneva, Moscow, Nairobi, Tunis and Warsaw, and more are planned throughout 2025 and early 2026. At each location, different stories are chosen and displayed with the local audience in mind.

The full digital exhibition is available online at: https://www.un.org/en/exhibits/exhibit/un80, and the stories will continue to be uploaded gradually until late 2025. For questions, please contact Maurizio Giuliano at email: [email protected].