Meetings organized by UNOV and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) range from large international conferences to small workshops or expert group meetings. The purposes, or "mandates", of such meetings are given by the General Assembly or the Economic and Social Council or are spelled out in international conventions.

Some of these mandates include:

• Mobilizing Governments and non-governmental organizations to take action on major global problems;
• Studying global problems and making recommendations on dealing with them;
• Preparing international conventions, standards and guidelines;
• Serving as a forum where new proposals can be debated and consensus sought;
• Monitoring compliance with international conventions or treaties;
• Reviewing budgets and establishing policy;
• Providing expert or technical advice and making recommendations on specific issues;
• Training (seminars, workshops, training courses).

United Nations bodies serviced by UNOV