The United Nations currently has fifteen peacekeeping missions around the world, ranging from providing disaster relief in Haiti to alleviating a civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Since it was founded in 1945, the UN has completed 55 other peacekeeping missions.
During many missions, United Nations photographers documented the humanitarian work of the organization, compiling a library of more than 800,000 photos. We've collected the coolest pictures from the UN flickr page of 12 of the current missions.
The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) began this past July, when 6,000 UN peacekeeping troops were sent to Mali in the aftermath of the Tuareg Rebellion in 2012. The forces will help stabilize the country and oversee the 2013 presidential elections.
A MINUSMA peacekeeper patrols the grounds of the El Farouk Hotel in Bamako, during a meeting between the Malian government and Tuareg separatist rebels.
The United Nations Operation In Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI) is a peacekeeping operation that has maintained a "zone of confidence" separating the Ivorian government in the south and the New Forces (former rebels) in the north. Here, Abdul Hafiz (right), the UNOCI Force Commander general, visits troops providing security in Abidjan.
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