The various departments, programs, organs, and agencies within the UN system address a broad spectrum of issues, from peace and security between and within states to human rights, health, education, poverty alleviation, disaster relief, refugee protection, trafficking of people and drugs, heritage protection, climate change and the environment, and much else. What is least appreciated of all is how cost-effectively these agencies – for all their limitations – perform overall, in both absolute and comparative terms.
需要让民众更好地了解的是联合国到底扮演了多少不同的角色。联合国系统的各个部门、项目、分支和机构处理着范围甚广的一系列问题，从国内国际的和平和安全到人权、卫生、贸易、减贫、救灾、保护难民、人口和毒品贩卖、遗产保护、气候变化和环境，等等等等。最值得欣赏的是，不管以绝对值还是相对值衡量，这些机构以极小的成本全体运作着（尽管有着诸多限制）。