Every morning last week I stumbled through the public foyer in the United Nations Headquarters on my way to work (which was speaking to spokespeople – a tall order).  It wasn’t until Friday that I stopped to take a look at the exhibition that I had largely rushed by, running a slalom course through visiting tourists all week. 

The exhibition celebrates 60 years of UN peacekeeping, and a wealth of moving images illustrates the journey.  I was glad to see Stuart Price’s striking photographs of the African Union Mission to Darfur were among them (something I helped work on). The exhibition blurb brags that the UN enabled people in more than 45 countries to participate in free and fair elections, and helped disarm more than 400,000 ex-combatants in the past decade alone.   A staggering claim, and one which is not talked about enough.  Having just shown the peacekeepers a Panorama programme about UN corruption in the Congo, and urged for a review if not reform of their public information process, I think it only fair to point out where the UN has got it right. 

Take a look at the exhibition if you can – it’s open to the public.  If you can’t get there, then have a look at UN Blue Helmets.  I am generally not an enthusiast of western celebrity lobbying in support of complex peace negotiations, as I see them as serving home audiences and not much else, however, Clooney has pitched this just right this time, especially with the line  “peace is certainly more than a celebrity endorsement”.