The sixth annual UN-EU Partnership Report “Improving Lives: Partnership between the United Nations and the European Union in 2010” illustrates the impact of the cooperation between the EU and the UN with a more graphic representation of the variety and depth of activities on the ground. At the heart of this UN-EU partnership is a shared commitment to the eighth Millennium Development Goal – a global partnership for development to meet the needs of the world’s most vulnerable people.

The UN-EU collaboration spans all three pillars of the work of the UN - peace and security, human rights and development – and helps to achieve much more than what either organization could have done separately. In 2010, the EU and the UN worked hand in hand, together with national governments and civil societies in over 110 countries. The partnership helped tackle the humanitarian crises in Haiti and in Pakistan, amongst others.

With the support of the EU, the UN actions led to millions of lives being directly improved through job opportunities, access to health and education, improvement of infrastructure, improved food security and agricultural productivity, safer living conditions and a protected environment. The capacity of national institutions and civil society organizations was also strengthened.

In 2010, the total financial support provided by the EU to the UN was over € 1,205 million.