Jim Luce has been a longtime advocate and observer of the United Nations, bringing a unique insider-outsider perspective shaped by decades of engagement with the global institution. After leading Orphans International Worldwide to U.N. accreditation (UNDPI) in the 2000s, Luce has spoken at and convened major conferences within U.N. halls, including a memorable fifth anniversary celebration that drew over 1,000 guests. His connections run deep: he has met numerous Secretaries-General, and several Presidents of the U.N. General Assembly have served on the advisory boards of his charitable organizations. In this collection, Luce explores the U.N. through various lenses—profiling leaders like António Guterres with his socialist roots, celebrating initiatives from International Happiness Day to UNICEF’s goodwill ambassadors, and examining how nations like Indonesia navigate their roles in an increasingly fractured multilateral system. These essays reflect both the idealism and the complex realities of an institution striving to unite a divided world.