UN Largest Survey Shows Majority Support for Global Cooperation

Over 87 percent of 1 million people interviewed worldwide considers "global cooperation is vital to deal with today's challenges" as "the COVID-19 pandemic has made international cooperation more urgent," according to a United Nations (UN) survey released on Monday to mark its 75th anniversary.

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In January 2020, the UN launched the study described as "a massive, unprecedented crowd-sourcing survey of international opinion." People from all of UN's 193 member states participated in the inquiry, and 30 percent of those were under 30 years old as men and women participated in equal amounts.

The study reveals that the main priority for its worldwide population is to have improved access to essential services, including healthcare, water, sanitation, and education.

Moreover, people worldwide are largely aware of the impact of global cooperation as the COVID-19 pandemic has underlined the importance of multilateralism to tackle the crisis and access a vaccine regardless of a country's wealth.

In this sense, six out of ten individuals think that the UN has made the world a better place, and looking forward, 74 percent consider it "essential" to tackle the upcoming challenges. Nonetheless, participants remarked that the organization "has to become more transparent, accountable, and effective."

On the other hand, climate change is the overwhelming medium- and long-term concern of those inquired after other problems such as increased poverty, government corruption, community violence, and unemployment.

Regarding the future, the UN survey reveals that younger participants in many developing countries tend to be more optimistic than those living in developed nations. Hence, the study shows that individuals in central and southern Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa look more hopeful in the future than people in Europe and North America.