young girl sitting under a tree with two dogs and a laptop
Economic Development, Social Development

Rural empowerment - global impact

Rural development goes beyond geographic boundaries and addresses critical challenges such as poverty, inequality, food insecurity, and sustainability. Celebrated on 6 July, World Rural Development Day promotes an integrated approach that values traditional knowledge, advances gender equality, and fosters digital inclusion. It calls on governments, international organizations and civil society to engage in tangible initiatives, informed policy dialogue, and community-led efforts to uplift and empower those who till the soil, harvest the seas, and nurture the land in the rural corners of the world.

Investing in key facilities and services in rural areas is an effective approach to address rural poverty and hunger.
Photo:Adobe Stock/Lertluck Thipchai
Civilians in Gaza have been displaced multiple times and forced to find shelter in areas with little public or sanitation services.

UN chief ‘appalled’ by worsening Gaza crisis as civilians face displacement, aid blockades

3 July 2025 — The UN Secretary-General is “appalled” by the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, as civilians face yet another wave of mass displacement with few safe places to go.

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The 4th International Conference on Financing for Development came to a close with a call to action on 3 July.

With sustainable development under threat, Sevilla summit rekindles hope and unity

3 July 2025 — The landmark Financing for Development conference in Sevilla has concluded with a renewed sense of resolve and a focus on action that can change lives worldwide, according to UN...

Temperatures have plummeted across southern South America in a rare polar cold wave. Pictured here, early-morning frost in Argentina.

Chile and Argentina among coldest places on Earth as polar anticyclone grips region

3 July 2025 — Temperatures across lower South America have plummeted – falling as low as -15° Celsius or 5° Fahrenheit in some places – as a rare polar cold wave grips the region, the World...

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.

youth with crate of tomatoes Agriculture and Food, Youth, FAO

Youth in agrifood systems

As key agents of change, the current generation of young people must increase food production, replace an aging workforce, and adapt to increasing extreme climate events. With 1.3 billion individuals aged 15 to 24 globally, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has released a comprehensive report titled “The Status of Youth in Agrifood Systems,” which examines and emphasizes the crucial role of youth in transforming agrifood systems to improve food security, nutrition, and economic opportunities.

Two people hugging Health, WHO

Social connection improves health and longevity

The World Health Organization (WHO) has released a global report revealing that 1 in 6 people worldwide is affected by loneliness, with significant impacts on health and well-being. Loneliness is described as the painful feeling that arises from a gap between desired and actual social connections. It is linked to an estimated 100 deaths every hour—more than 871,000 deaths annually. Strong social connections can lead to better health and longer life, and also strengthen the social fabric, contributing to making communities healthier, safer and more prosperous.

collage of women of different ages and ethnicities Women and Gender Equality, UN Women

UN Women at 15: Delivering power, driving rights and equality for all women and girls

Fifteen years ago, UN Women was created with a bold mission: to become the United Nation’s powerhouse for gender equality and women’s empowerment. Active in more than 80 countries, UN Women has become a driving force, leading campaigns, reshaping laws, and rallying people everywhere to stand up for the rights, equality, and empowerment of the world’s 4 billion women and girls.

A picture of a mountain in the background amongst ancient ruins.
Tourism, Transport and Communications

Building resilient tourism destinations

The Safe Destinations Challenge invites innovative solutions to strengthen tourism resilience across Europe, focusing on hazard preparedness, safety, and crisis communication.

A collage of different transport modes.
Climate Change, UNDP

Advancing equitable low-carbon mobility

Sustainable transport is a systems-based approach that reduces emissions and environmental impacts while improving safety, equity, and access across all modes of mobility.

A young girl staring outside the window.
Children, Humanitarian Aid, UNICEF

Aid cuts endanger children

As global aid declines, vital services for children, like healthcare and immunization, are collapsing, threatening millions of lives and undermining progress in humanitarian and development efforts.

A school of reef fish deep in the ocean.
Natural Resources and the Environment, UNOPS

Turning the tide together

PROCARIBE+, a UNOPS-supported regional initiative, is uniting Caribbean nations, communities, and organizations to restore marine ecosystems, empower coastal livelihoods, and build a sustainable blue economy for future generations.

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.

Smurfs unite for children's voices

The Smurfs, alongside the UN’s ActNow campaign and UNICEF, are inspiring children worldwide to speak up for fairness, empowerment, and a more inclusive future, with support from global stars like Rihanna and Hannah Waddingham.

Rewriting the shark story

Fifty years after Jaws, UN Ocean Patron Lewis Pugh is swimming 96km around Martha’s Vineyard to shift perceptions and highlight the real threat sharks face, mass killing by humans, not the other way around.

Early moments matter

Parenting may not always be easy, but it's filled with meaningful, lasting moments that shape both parent and child.

UN Podcasts

Philippa Janet Lowe

Investing in communities beats border spending, says UN migration chief

Investing in the future of communities that are most likely to migrate to other countries is more effective than spending money on reinforcing border security according to Amy Pope, Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Ms. Pope was speaking on the sidelines of the UN’s Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development Sevilla, Spain. The Conference was a crucial opportunity to push for financial reforms and boost investment in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), 17 global goals adopted by all UN Member States to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure healthy lives for all by 2030, including Goal 10.7 on the orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people.

UN News’ Matt Wells spoke to Ms. Pope and began by asking her how sustainable development is linked to migration issues. 

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.

Munashe and Tamari on their farm in Zimbabwe.
Photo:© IFAD/Simon de Swardt

The many faces of rural development

Small-scale farmers live on the frontlines of climate change – and because they grow so much of the world’s food, their ability to adapt is in everybody’s interest. Munashe and Tamari live in Zimbabwe’s southeastern drylands, where rain has grown scarcer in recent years and crop failure has become commonplace. But with support from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) they have been able to double their crop yields. With the resulting income boost, they have renovated their home and paid for their children’s education. Rural development is IFAD’s bread and butter. As the only UN agency exclusively dedicated to transforming agriculture, rural economies and food systems, it makes sure that small-scale farmers can improve their lives. To mark the first-ever World Rural Development Day, take a look at five essential parts of the Fund's work.

women in traditional Pacific islands dress
Photo:© UN Women/Nicky Kuautonga

Women’s market power driving change in the Pacific

Members of the Green Valley Women’s Association take part in Vanuatu’s International Day of Rural Women celebrations in the village of Emua. Emua is one of five market sites on Efate Island that are part of UN Women’s Markets for Change programme. After it was devastated by Cyclone Pam in March 2015, it was one of the first markets to be up and running again. Over a decade, the programme operating in Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu, has demonstrated how local markets can become engines of women’s empowerment and economic growth, not just places to buy and sell goods. 

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