When the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation was founded in 1966 by Dharma Master Cheng Yen, it began with a simple yet powerful mission: to alleviate suffering through compassionate action. What started as a small circle of homemakers saving a few coins each day to help those in need has grown into a global humanitarian organization rooted in sincerity, integrity, faith, and steadfast love. Over the decades, Tzu Chi’s work has expanded beyond responding to disasters to supporting education, healthcare, and protecting the planet through mindful living.

As its humanitarian reach expanded, the United Nations became a platform for Tzu Chi to leverage its compassionate mission in global policymaking, bringing grassroots experience to international dialogue on peace and sustainability.

In 2010, Tzu Chi was officially granted Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). This accreditation marked the beginning of Tzu Chi’s official participation in UN meetings and its contribution to shaping policy discussions on humanitarian relief, sustainable development, and social equity. It transformed decades of compassion-driven work into recognized global advocacy. Tzu Chi’s youth leadership continues to shine through participation in the annual ECOSOC Youth Forum, a key platform for dialogue between young changemakers and global policymakers.

From 2010 onward, Tzu Chi became a regular and active participant in the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), held annually at the UN Headquarters in New York. Tzu Chi’s ongoing presence at CSW underscores its commitment to gender equality and women’s empowerment. Each year, Tzu Chi representatives share real-world stories of resilience from women and girls supported through education, livelihood programs, and health initiatives.

Since 2012, Tzu Chi has joined the annual Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP), beginning as a climate observer at COP18 in Doha, Qatar, and has organized a participating team since COP19 in Warsaw, Poland, in 2013. By convening grassroots actors, youth, faith leaders, and policymakers, Tzu Chi emphasizes that addressing the climate and ecological crisis is a shared responsibility.

By 2019, Tzu Chi’s environmental commitment earned it accreditation by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) as an observer to the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA). This accreditation deepened Tzu Chi’s engagement in the UN’s decision-making spaces, reinforcing its role as a moral voice for environmental efforts.

In the same year, Tzu Chi was appointed one of four rotating Co-Chairs of the Multi-Faith Advisory Council (MFAC) under the Inter-Agency Task Force on Religion and Sustainable Development (IATF). This appointment recognized Tzu Chi’s long-standing commitment to multifaith collaboration and its contributions to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, enabling Tzu Chi to scale localized, faith-based responses to sustainable development challenges and humanitarian emergencies in partnership with other faith-based organizations (FBOs).

Today, Tzu Chi’s engagement with the UN continues to evolve through GPYD, which connects young volunteers to the SDGs and fosters intergenerational leadership. 

In July 2022, at the United Nations General Assembly’s “Moment for Nature” high-level thematic debate, Ashley Yong, a Tzu Chi youth representative, delivered an address on youth leadership in environmental action. Speaking on behalf of the Civil Society Youth Representatives Steering Committee, she highlighted the innovative environmental initiatives already being led by young people around the world and urged intergenerational collaboration in addressing the climate and ecological crisis.

During the 2024 UN General Assembly High-Level Week, Tzu Chi hosted a series of side events and dialogues aligned with the UN’s priorities, including climate action, empathy, and sustainable leadership. One of the side events, “Youth as Agents of Social Change,” highlighted youth perspectives on how to make the Pact for the Future actionable and relevant to their work at the grassroots level.

At the 69th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW 69) in 2025, Tzu Chi volunteers from around the world gathered at the UN Headquarters in New York to amplify the voices of women leaders advancing community resilience through compassion and service. In addition to hosting multisectoral dialogues around gender equality and women’s leadership in climate and humanitarian efforts, Tzu Chi joined the 2025 NGOCSW Artisan Fair to showcase products created by women and girls from Nepal to Sierra Leone, and to share stories of their grassroots leadership at the global stage.

Tzu Chi’s involvement in the United Nations over the past fifteen years has been just one example of many which show the organization’s walk into the global mainstream. Through making our grassroots experience heard on the global stage, we have begun to shape the future through a more compassionate lens. Our journey continues, hopefully for the indefinite future, as we move forward into a future shaped by our ideals.