This report has been prepared pursuant to General Assembly resolution 72/243, in which the Assembly called upon the Secretary-General to submit to it, at its seventy-fourth session, a report on the state of global peace and security in line with the central mandates contained in the Charter of the United Nations. The report highlights the evolving nature of armed conflict and violence and examines the seven major trends related to global peace and security today.

The present report was prepared pursuant to Security Council resolution 2171 (2014). The report considers the evolution of contemporary conflict and the prevention landscape in recent years; provides an overview of ongoing efforts to strengthen UN prevention tools and initiatives, highlighting the cooperation with regional and subregional organizations; and also considers key challenges and opportunities for conflict prevention.

The report examines the opportunities and the challenges the United Nations and its partners currently face in conducting preventive diplomacy in a changing political and security landscape. Focusing specifically on diplomatic action taken to prevent or mitigate the spread of armed conflict, the report describes the relevance of preventive diplomacy across the conflict spectrum and as part of broader, nationally owned strategies to promote peace. 

The present report examines the challenges faced by the United Nations and its partners in providing professional mediation assistance to parties in conflict. It describes the need for experienced and knowledgeable mediators and support teams, with women adequately represented, and sufficient resources to provide assistance at an early stage to help parties design and pursue processes that will address the root causes of their conflicts, overcome obstacles that block progress, and achieve agreements that lead to sustainable peace.

Pursuant to the Relationship Agreement between the United Nations and the International Criminal Court (entry‐into‐force 4 October 2004) and General Assembly Resolution 58/318, 26 Sept 2016.