a mangrove tree above and below the surface of clear tropical waters
Oceans and Marine Life

Mangroves: Rare but essential

Mangroves are unique coastal ecosystems that serve as vital nurseries for marine life, protect shorelines from storms and erosion, and support the wellbeing and food security of coastal communities. Their soils store vast amounts of carbon, playing a key role in climate action. Yet mangroves are disappearing three to five times faster than global forests, posing serious ecological and socio-economic risks. On the International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem declared by UNESCO, learn more about their value and help spread awareness to protect them.

Mangroves are rare globally, making up less than 1% of all tropical forests.
Photo:Adobe Stock/James White & Danita Delimont
A children’s playground in front of a heavily damaged residential building in Saltivka, Kharkiv. (file)

UN warns of escalating human toll in Ukraine amid relentless aerial attacks, mounting aid shortfall

25 July 2025 — Russian aerial attacks continue to intensify across Ukraine, exacting a rising toll on civilians and infrastructure, senior UN officials told the Security Council on Friday, warning...

Popular, student-led protests against the Government in Bangladesh in 2024 were met with violent oppression by security forces, but ultimately forced the Prime Minister to resign.

In hard-hitting human rights address, Guterres calls for urgent action on Gaza, authoritarianism and climate justice

25 July 2025 — The world is facing a “moral crisis” marked by rising authoritarianism, deepening inequality and a dangerous indifference to human suffering, UN Secretary-General António Guterres...

A young girl shows off her dress in front of her family at home on the island of Antigua, in the Caribbean.

Women and girls of African descent: Celebrating contributions, recognising challenges

25 July 2025 — This Friday marks the first observation of the International Day of Women and Girls of African Descent, following a declaration last year by the UN General Assembly.

...

UN Sustainable Development Goals

17 Goals to transform our world

The Sustainable Development Goals are a call for action by all countries — poor, rich and middle-income — to promote prosperity while protecting the planet.

hands holding megaphone and speech bubble

ActNow Campaign

ActNow is the UN campaign to inspire people to act for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In the lead up to the Summit of the Future, join the 1 Million Actions for our Common Future challenge to contribute to a more sustainable and peaceful world. Find new inspiring actions on the app and at un.org/actnow.

Thomas the Tank engine

Student Resources on the SDGs

Learn more about the Sustainable Development Goals! On our student resources page you will find plenty of materials for young people and adults alike. Share with your family and friends to help achieve a better world for all.

children holding up books

SDG Book Club

Reading and learning are essential to children’s growth and development; stories can fuel their imagination and raise awareness of new possibilities. The SDG Book Club aims to encourage them to learn about the Goals in a fun, engaging way, empowering them to make a difference.

Partnerships for the Goals

Goal of the month

 

Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals

Revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development

 

More about the UN Sustainable Development Goals

More from the
United Nations

Featured stories from across the United Nations and our world-wide family of agencies, funds, and programmes.

mangroves Natural Resources and the Environment, FAO

Unlocking the secrets of mangroves

Where land and sea meet, a unique ecosystem is found: mangrove forests. Whether offering protection from climate change, supporting livelihoods, biodiversity and more, mangroves benefit us all. In the first study of its kind, FAO, with experts around the world, uncovered a wealth of information on the extent of mangrove forests globally, as well a glimpse into what causes mangrove losses and gains. Find out more about this precious ecosystem and see how mangroves affect our daily lives.

two women seen from the back working in greenhouse Women and Gender Equality, UNFPA

Empowering survivors of sexual violence

In conflicts across the globe, sexual violence – including rape, abuse, coercion and trafficking – is increasingly being wielded as a weapon to terrorize women and girls, often leading to devastating physical and psychological trauma. At least 20,000 women and men were raped or abused during the 1992-1995 conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Jasna (name changed) is one of these survivors. She has gained stability and healing through Snaga Žene, an NGO offering psychological, legal, social, and economic support, including access to a greenhouse to cultivate and sell vegetables.

young woman in pilot's uniform smiling Refugees, UNHCR

Maya Ghazal gets her wings

UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Maya Ghazal has become the world’s first female Syrian commercial pilot from a refugee background, having officially received her “wings” to fly Boeing 737 jets as a second officer. Flight training is a demanding and competitive process, and only 5 per cent of the world’s pilots are women. Having arrived in the UK ten years ago, Ghazal taught herself English and graduated with a degree in aviation engineering, then completed a 19-month intensive cadet training programme. She advocates for safe legal routes and education for refugees.

A new born baby's foot being imprinted on a chart by a medic.
Human Rights, OHCHR

Digital tools key to birth rights

Despite progress, millions of children lack birth certificates, but inclusive universal digital registration systems could bridge the gap and uphold their rights.

A gentleman at a desk surrounded with books and computers.
Science and Technology, ILO

AI reshapes, not replaces, jobs

While Generative AI transforms job tasks, junior programmers can thrive by adapting, upskilling, and embracing human-machine collaboration.

A view of a river winding into forest area.
Natural Resources and the Environment, UNESCO

Hope returns to Madagascar’s rainforests

International support and local action are reviving Madagascar’s rainforests, paving the way for their removal from UNESCO’s List of World Heritage in Danger.

Mining vehicles at a site.
Trade and Commerce, UNCTAD

Commodity dependence challenges persist

Over two-thirds of developing countries remain reliant on primary exports, risking instability and missed opportunities without urgent economic diversification.

What we do

Due to the powers vested in its Charter and its unique international character, the United Nations can take action on the issues confronting humanity in the 21st century, including:

A UNIFIL peacekeeper from Spain on a regular patrol in the vicinity of Al Wazzani, south-eastern Lebanon as the sun sets in the horizon. Since 1948, more than a million women and men have served as UN peacekeepers.

Maintain International Peace and Security

The United Nations came into being in 1945, following the devastation of the Second World War, with one central mission: the maintenance of international peace and security. The UN does this by working to prevent conflict; helping parties in conflict make peace; peacekeeping; and creating the conditions to allow peace to hold and flourish. These activities often overlap and should reinforce one another, to be effective. The UN Security Council has the primary responsibility for international peace and security. The General Assembly and the Secretary-General play major, important, and complementary roles, along with other UN offices and bodies.

Students at Butkhak High School in Kabul, Afghanistan, cheer in unison on the last day of Global Action Week, an international campaign advocating free, quality education for all.

Protect Human Rights

The term “human rights” was mentioned seven times in the UN's founding Charter, making the promotion and protection of human rights a key purpose and guiding principle of the Organization.  In 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights brought human rights into the realm of international law.  Since then, the Organization has diligently protected human rights through legal instruments and on-the-ground activities.

A child has a meal at a food distribution centre in the Rwanda camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs), near Tawila, North Darfur. More than 8,000 women and children living in the camp benefit from nutrition programmes run by the World Food Programme

Deliver Humanitarian Aid

One of the purposes of the United Nations, as stated in its Charter, is "to achieve international co-operation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian character."  The UN first did this in the aftermath of the Second World War on the devastated continent of Europe, which it helped to rebuild.  The Organization is now relied upon by the international community to coordinate humanitarian relief operations due to natural and man-made disasters in areas beyond the relief capacity of national authorities alone.

Grace, a farmer from Kipilat village, and a leading member of the forest community in Ainabkoi, Kenya, planting a tree in 2012.

Promote Sustainable Development

From the start in 1945, one of the main priorities of the United Nations was to “achieve international co-operation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian character and in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion.”  Improving people’s well-being continues to be one of the main focuses of the UN. The global understanding of development has changed over the years, and countries now have agreed that sustainable development offers the best path forward for improving the lives of people everywhere.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) delivers its order on the request for the indication of provisional measures filed by Nicaragua on 11 October 2013 in the case concerning Construction of a Road in Costa Rica along the San Juan River.

Uphold International Law

The UN Charter, in its Preamble, set an objective: "to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained."  Ever since, the development of, and respect for international law has been a key part of the work of the Organization.  This work is carried out in many ways - by courts, tribunals, multilateral treaties - and by the Security Council, which can approve peacekeeping missions, impose sanctions, or authorize the use of force when there is a threat to international peace and security, if it deems this necessary.  These powers are given to it by the UN Charter, which is considered an international treaty.  As such, it is an instrument of international law, and UN Member States are bound by it.  The UN Charter codifies the major principles of international relations, from sovereign equality of States to the prohibition of the use of force in international relations.

Structure of the
United Nations

The main parts of the UN structure are the General Assembly, the
Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Trusteeship Council, the International Court of Justice, and the UN Secretariat. All were established in 1945 when the UN was founded.

General Assembly

The General Assembly is the main deliberative, policymaking and representative organ of the UN. All 193 Member States of the UN are represented in the General Assembly, making it the only UN body with universal representation.

Security Council

The Security Council has primary responsibility, under the UN Charter, for the maintenance of international peace and security. It has 15 Members (5 permanent and 10 non-permanent members). Each Member has one vote. Under the Charter, all Member States are obligated to comply with Council decisions.

Economic and Social Council

The Economic and Social Council is the principal body for coordination, policy review, policy dialogue and recommendations on economic, social and environmental issues, as well as implementation of internationally agreed development goals.

Trusteeship Council

The Trusteeship Council was established in 1945 by the UN Charter, under Chapter XIII, to provide international supervision for 11 Trust Territories that had been placed under the administration of seven Member States, and ensure that adequate steps were taken to prepare the Territories for self-government and independence.

International Court of Justice

The International Court of Justice is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. Its seat is at the Peace Palace in the Hague (Netherlands). It is the only one of the six principal organs of the United Nations not located in New York (United States of America).

Secretariat

The Secretariat comprises the Secretary-General and tens of thousands of international UN staff members who carry out the day-to-day work of the UN as mandated by the General Assembly and the Organization's other principal organs.

More about the structure of the United Nations

Learn more

General Assembly hall with the Secretary-General at the podium

The Essential UN

The United Nations is the only place on Earth where all the world's nations come together to discuss common problems and find shared solutions that benefit all of humanity. Learn about the main areas of the UN’s activities; how it makes a difference to the world’s people; and how every citizen can get involved and make a contribution. 

Climate Change

Climate change is the defining issue of our time and now is the defining moment to do something about it. There is still time to tackle climate change, but it will require an unprecedented effort from all sectors of society.

Women at UN CSW63 Side Event - “Take the Hot Seat”. Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

Gender Equality

Women and girls represent half of the world’s population and, therefore, also half of its potential. Gender equality, besides being a fundamental human right, is essential to achieve peaceful societies, with full human potential and sustainable development.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres is greeted on his visit to the Central African Republic

Ending Poverty

While global poverty rates have been cut by more than half since 2000, one in ten people in developing regions still lives on less than US$1.90 a day — the internationally agreed poverty line, and millions of others live on slightly more than this daily amount.

Watch and Listen

Video and audio from across the United Nations and our world-wide family of agencies, funds, and programmes.

Inside a scam farm: The person on the line is not who you think

Scams are spreading rapidly with technology, leaving victims in ruin and driving a brutal underworld of trafficking and exploitation. Tackling this crisis requires exposing the criminal networks behind the lies and dismantling their operations.

Babies before bottom lines

Over half of parents and pregnant women are exposed to misleading formula marketing that violates international standards and undermines informed feeding choices.

Skills programme transforms refugee youths futures

UNICEF’s Learning to Earning programme is empowering young refugees and vulnerable youth like Taima and Touqa with skills and opportunities to build brighter, more resilient futures.

UN Podcasts

WHO logo on a window

Gaza: UN health agency pledges to stay and deliver despite attacks

The World Health Organization (WHO) has repeated its call for the release of an employee detained by the Israeli military following attacks on a WHO guesthouse and its main warehouse in Deir Al-Balah, central Gaza, on Monday. 

Substantial amounts of medical supplies and medicines have been lost, while the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate rapidly, said WHO representative in the occupied Palestinian territory, Dr. Rik Peeperkorn. Despite the “huge blow” to Gaza’s already crippled health system, the veteran emergency medic insisted that WHO will stay and deliver for the people of Gaza, despite the increasing challenges. 

Here he is now, with UN News’s Daniel Johnson.

Photo:© WHO/Pierre Albouy

Latest Audio from UN News

The United Nations in Pictures

Images from across the United Nations and our world-wide family of agencies, funds, and programmes.

mother holds hand of a tiny baby through an incubator
Photo:©UNFPA Somalia/Usame Nur Hussein

A Chance to Breathe

Tiny cries, big hope: incubators are giving Somalia’s newborns a fighting chance.

Imagine holding your breath, waiting for your newborn’s first cry, and hearing only silence... That was Faduma’s reality in Mogadishu, until a simple incubator gave her baby the breath of life. In this powerful, heart-tugging story from UNFPA, discover how a handful of life-saving machines —incubators, oxygen units, and surgical gear — are transforming hospitals once teetering on the edge of despair. Meet the unstoppable health workers defying the odds, mothers who turn fear into joy, and the miracle of modern care in places where even electricity isn’t a guarantee. It’s a story of survival, love, and why funding matters — because every breath counts.

lush mountainous landscape with a lake and sheep plus their herder seen in the distance
Photo:©SGP Peru

In Harmony with Nature

What do lush tea fields, spicy wasabi, and floodplains that double as community parks have in common? They’re all part of a global movement where people and nature thrive together! 

In this lively, globe-trotting article from UNDP Nature, you’ll meet the passionate locals and Indigenous leaders behind COMDEKS — an initiative that blends age-old traditions with modern smarts to protect biodiversity and boost livelihoods. Follow their journey from the forests of Costa Rica to the satoyama heartlands of Japan, and discover how sustainable farming, clever land management, and a whole lot of community spirit are turning everyday places into pockets of ecological magic. It’s proof that saving the planet can start right in your backyard—and yes, it can be delicious too.

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