A smiling elderly woman with cotton in her hands poses with 2 young kids.
FAO

Cotton: the fabric of our lives

Cotton offers comfort, durability, and breathability to our wardrobes. But this fabric is so much more than a textile: it sustains 24 million growers and benefit over 100 million families worldwide across 80 countries. Crucial for developed economies, it's a safety net in developing nations, providing income to rural smallholders, including women. On World Cotton Day (7 October) the United Nations aims to raise awareness about cotton's pivotal role in economic development, trade, and poverty reduction.

On UN World Cotton Day, the UN wants to raise awareness of the cotton sector's role in economic development.
Photo:© FAO/Imanol Camblor
Hostages taken during the 7 October raid by Hamas on Israel are still being held in Gaza.

Two years of Gaza-Israel war bring ‘indescribable’ pain, warn aid agencies

7 October 2025 — As the Gaza-Israel war enters its third year, sparked by Hamas-led terror attacks on Israel, the UN is appealing for the release of all hostages, an immediate ceasefire and an aid...

Secretary-General António Guterres holds a press conference at UN Headquarters in New York.

Release the hostages in Gaza ‘unconditionally and immediately’: Guterres

6 October 2025 — The UN Secretary-General António Guterres marked two years since the Hamas-led terror attacks on southern Israel by reiterating his long-standing call for the unconditional and...

Smoke rises from a bombed building in Gaza City.

Gaza: Major UN aid operation ‘ready to go’ if agreement is reached on US peace plan

6 October 2025 — UN aid teams in Gaza are “ready to go” with thousands of tonnes of supplies on standby to alleviate famine, widespread hunger and malnutrition, in the event of agreement being...

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

The Goals can improve life for all of us. Cleaner air. Safer cities. Equality. Better jobs. These issues matter to everyone. But progress is too slow. We have to act, urgently, to accelerate changes that add up to better lives on a healthier planet. Find new inspiring actions on the app and at un.org/actnow.

Act Now for a Peaceful World

Today, half the world is under 30, and this generation is a powerful force for peace. The UN "Hear Us. Act Now for a Peaceful World" campaign, launched on the International Day of Peace, aims to include, invest in, and partner with young people to build lasting peace. 

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.

Goal 2: Zero Hunger

Goal of the Month 2

 
Zero Hunger

End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.

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.

In Myanmar, a crowded street scene features cars and bikes. Humanitarian Aid, Economic Development

Myanmar’s long road back

Six months after a devastating earthquake hit central Myanmar, particularly Mandalay, the area shows signs of destruction with collapsed structures and a need for recovery. The country, already facing civil war and political unrest, struggled further with the added impact of the disaster on poverty and livelihoods. In response, community groups and international partners rallied together. With support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and contributions from nations like Korea and Japan, a comprehensive plan was implemented quickly to clear debris, provide temporary shelters, and ensure access to clean water, marking a significant step in the early recovery process.

A woman walks along a desolate, war-torn urban street. Migrants, IOM

A mother carries Sudan’s tomorrow through her children

In Abu Shouk camp, North Darfur, Jamila and her four children live under a thin plastic sheet, facing daily struggles for survival. Once, they ran a grocery shop in Zalingei, providing dignity and community. War changed everything; a shell destroyed their home and her husband disappeared without a trace. Fleeing with her children, she endured a harsh journey filled with hunger. Now at the camp, she works in exchange for food, but it’s never enough. Despite the overwhelming loss and uncertainty, Jamila remains determined to keep her children alive. With millions displaced in Sudan, her story reflects the profound struggle for safety and hope.

In a sunlit courtyard between two white buildings, three women are handling a pile of straw. Agriculture and Food, FAO

Secrets of the Andean chakras

Magdalena Laine, a 59-year-old farmer from the Kichwa Indigenous Peoples in Ecuador, prepares maize flour before dawn for the La Pachamama nos alimenta (Mother Earth feeds us) agroecological market, where around 300 Kichwa women sell their produce. While Magdalena works with maize, her daughter Verónica and the family prepare fresh vegetables, lemons, lupins, quinoa and eggs that they will sell at the fair. Despite farming challenges and climate change, Kichwa women have maintained food security through their biodiverse farms, known as chakras, recognized as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO).

The Earth seen from outer space.
Outer Space

Ready. Set. Blast off.

Sputnik 1 launched on 4 Oct 1957, starting the Space Age and a tech race that reshaped humanity’s link to space. Learn more about World Space Week (4–10 Oct) with this interactive feature.

A pair of hands behind bars.
Human Rights, OHCHR

Life after prison

Global experts and formerly incarcerated individuals emphasize that successful reintegration after prison requires addressing stigma, ensuring access to basic rights, and treating support not as charity, but as a fundamental human right.

A mountainous region
Natural Resources and the Environment, UNESCO

Expanding biosphere reserves

UNESCO’s 5th World Congress added over 26 new biosphere reserves, strengthening global efforts in biodiversity conservation, climate adaptation, and sustainable development initiatives.

A farmer holding his produce in a refrigerated truck.
Pollution and Waste, Food, UNEP

Kenya’s cold chain revolution

A UNEP-led cold chain project in Kenya, has helped farmers reduce post-harvest losses by up to 40%, showcasing the vital role of temperature-controlled storage in improving food security.

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.

Remembering Dr. Jane Goodall

Dr. Jane Goodall (1934-2025) began her landmark studies on chimpanzees in 1960. For over 60 years, she dedicated herself to wildlife conservation and animal welfare. Her Roots & Shoots programme fostered young conservation leaders in over 60 countries. In 2002, Dr. Goodall was appointed as a United Nations Messenger of Peace. She continued to speak about the threats facing endangered species and environmental crises and urged people to take actions for a more sustainable world.

World Food Day 2025

An estimated 673 million people face hunger, while obesity and food waste reveal deep imbalances in the global agrifood system which are under growing strain from conflict, climate change, economic shocks, and inequality. 

Together we can create a better, more sustainable food future for all. Make World Food Day, YOUR day

Beyond baby delivery

Amid Sudan’s war, this remarkable midwife, Hager, provides critical care and emotional support, holding her community together through crisis.

UN Podcasts

An image of the deputy division chief in the IMF’s Legal Department, Chady El Khoury.

IMF flags crypto’s role in criminal finance

While countries came together in the late 80s to fight money laundering and the financing of terrorism, technology and the advent of virtual currencies have further complicated the tracking of illicit financial flows across borders. Over $51 billion in cryptocurrency was used by criminals last year to circumvent traditional banking regulations. Chady El Khoury is an assistant general counsel and heads the Financial Integrity Group at the IMF. In this podcast, El Khoury says the anonymity of virtual currency transactions is supercharging the ability for criminals to grow their empires

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.

A close-up of two hands holding a large quantity of ripe coffee cherries.
Photo: © Nuria Angeles Tapia/PNUD Peru/GCP

The aging countryside

Peru is a leading producer of coffee and cocoa, ranking fifth and seventh globally, respectively. These crops are mainly grown by small farmers on the Andean slopes, supporting over 200,000 coffee and 100,000 cocoa families. Cocoa cultivation has been actively promoted as an alternative to illegal coca leaf production, leading to a significant expansion from 41,000 hectares in 2000 to 177,000 hectares today. However, both sectors face challenges like low competitiveness, poor sustainability, and limited access to training and financial services. Most family farms are small, and producers often rely on traditional practices, resulting in low yields and contributing to deforestation. High-quality producers are scarce, and market prices are volatile. Additionally, an aging population continues to bear the burden of agricultural labor in these communities.

A woman walks alongside a donkey laden with large yellow containers along a dirt path in a rural scene.
Photo:OCHA

When wells run dry

Ugbaad Ducaale, a camel herder and mother of three in Somaliland's Awdal region, travels 20 kilometers to fetch water as local wells have dried up. She leaves one child at home and takes the others on the long journey, causing them to miss school. This is the harsh reality for millions in Somalia, where drought has intensified after yet another failed rainy season. Families already burdened by conflict and displacement now face worsening hunger. Meanwhile, the humanitarian community struggles to meet the rising needs due to global funding cuts. Here are five things to know about the crisis.

Main Bodies

Departments / Offices

Resources / Services

Key Documents

News and Media

Issues / Campaigns