De Montfort University, Leicester (DMU) is set to host a major United Nations global exhibition on campus next week, opened by a leading UN official.
The Shared Lives, Shared Futures exhibition marks the 80th anniversary since the founding of the UN and will be seen by venues around the globe right from the heart of DMU’s campus.
UN officials have also agreed that the exhibition will include an additional element celebrating the university’s work and its links with the United Nations.
The exhibition will be officially launched on 20 May at 1pm by Aimée Comrie, Chief of the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Section at the UN Office on Drugs and Crime in Vienna.
Showcased as a digital exhibition, Shared Lives, Shared Futures features 120 stories from around the world, highlighting the UN’s impact on everyday life: from supporting peace and security and overseeing regulatory frameworks, to providing humanitarian assistance, fostering development, facilitating international trade conventions, and advancing human rights.
A UN spokesman said: “No matter who we are, we share one world. Our lives are connected, our challenges are mutual, and our future is intertwined.”
DMU’s contribution will include 20 stories from staff and students, showcasing their work with the UN and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The university is the global academic hub chair for SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.
DMU’s lead for SDG 11 and head of the SDG Impact Hub, Dr Mark Charlton, said: “We are delighted and honoured to be staging this important exhibition on campus at the university.
“We are doubly honoured that the UN has agreed to us having a DMU element to an exhibition that has been staged across the world.”
The UN hopes other universities in the UK and internationally will follow DMU’s lead in hosting the exhibition.
The event follows a series of recent key engagements delivered in partnership with the UN, including the DMU London opening attended by the UN’s Sherri Aldis, and a student delegation visit to the UN Headquarters, where DMU students brought pioneering research and personal stories to the global stage.
The launch also forms part of DMU’s Make A Difference Day on 20 May. Earlier that day, around 40 students will take part in a Big River Clean-up, removing plastics and other waste from the River Soar and Grand Union Canal in Leicester.
The clean-up is part of the Stop Plastics Getting into the Ocean campaign run by the Canal & River Trust, which is organising the event for DMU.
Posted on Friday 15 May 2026