Portrait of Moacir
Health

Time to integrate Chagas disease into primary health care

Chagas disease, also known as "silent or silenced disease", mainly affects poor people without access to health care - people without a political voice. The disease progresses slowly and is often asymptomatic. Without treatment, Chagas disease can lead to severe cardiac and digestive alterations and become fatal. There are approximately 6-7 million people infected with Chagas disease worldwide, with 10,000 deaths, every year. World Chagas Disease Day (14 April) aims to raise awareness of the disease to improve the rates of early treatment and cure, and to interrupt its transmission.

Moacir, craftsman, driver and atikum Indian. He lost his father, mother and brother to Chagas disease - he is disease free.
Photo:WHO / A. Severo
Women farmers work in a field in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

Gender inequalities in food and agriculture are costing world $1 trillion: FAO

13 April 2023 — Levelling the playing field for women working in the food and agriculture sectors can bring growth and help feed millions, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on...

UN Secretary-General António Guterres addresses the media during at the end of his visit to Somalia.

Guterres delivers message of ‘hope and renewal’ for Somalia

12 April 2023 — UN chief António Guterres on Wednesday reaffirmed the world body’s commitment to supporting the Horn of Africa country as it continues on its path to establishing lasting peace and...

High food prices are hurting developing countries.

Lost decade looms for debt-ridden developing countries: UNCTAD

12 April 2023 — Debt-ridden developing countries face years of economic pain brought on by a global growth slowdown, high interest rates and reduced investment, the UN Conference on Trade and...

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.

Act Now

ActNow Campaign

ActNow is the United Nations campaign for individual action on climate change. Every one of us can help take care of our planet. Learn what you can do to be part of the solution and influence change. To log your actions, download the app.

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.

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.

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.

A woman hands a plastic bag full of rice and other rations to another woman. Trade and Commerce, UNCTAD

Averting another lost decade for developing countries

UNCTAD - in its latest Trade and Development Report Update - warns that developing countries are facing years of difficulty as the global economy slows down amid heightened financial turbulence. Annual growth across large parts of the global economy will fall below pre-pandemic levels and well below the decade of strong growth before the global financial crisis. Developing countries are facing a projected foregone income of $800 billion and battling unprecedented levels of debt distress. Global growth in 2023 is expected to drop to 2.1%, compared to the 2.2% projected in September 2022.

Winnowing freekeh from a bowl Agriculture and Food, FAO

Green wheat turns women in Lebanon into entrepreneurs

After attending a WADA workshop, Norma Kozah Rahmen and her daughters, who help her when they have time off from technical school, are growing freekeh for the first time in their own home garden. “I am now aware of its economic and nutritive value… I am growing the wheat myself this year on my land to produce freekeh for my family and to sell the extra quantities since it is in big demand now,” says Norma. WADA is one of 255 women group beneficiaries of an FAO project funded by Canada that supports women’s cooperatives, associations and informal groups in the agrifood sector in Lebanon.

Empty shells on the ground. Peace and Security, UNDP

Making Ukraine safe again

Ukraine is now one of the world’s most heavily mine-contaminated countries. It’s estimated that about one third of the country has been exposed to war. “People suffer because of mines and unexploded ordnance. A lot of people have died, adults and children,” says a UNDP Mine Action Analyst. “It’s the highest casualty rate in the world. And we don’t know what level of contamination there will be in a few months.” The task of making Ukraine safe will be time-consuming, complex, and very expensive—the World Bank estimates that a complete clearance of explosive ordnance will exceed US$37 billion.

Portrait of Nemonte Nenquimo
Indigenous Peoples, UNEP

Indigenous people fight for forests

Nenquimo, a UNEP advocate, fronted a lawsuit that banned resource extraction on 500,000 acres of her ancestral lands. The victory of that court case has brought new hope to Indigenous communities.

Portrait of the two sisters
Refugees, UNHCR

Bring refugee aspirations into focus

Portrait of a Stranger, a creative multimedia collaboration between world-renowned photographer and storyteller Platon and UNHCR debuts in partnership with a human rights film festival in The Hague.

Three people on traditional fishing boats collecting the catch from cages in the water.
Culture, UNESCO

35 years of dialogue along the Silk Roads

The Silk Roads Programme, one of UNESCO’s flagship initiatives, has served for more than three decades as a valuable tool for understanding how cultures and societies interact and enrich each other.

Two women in lab coats collecting samples.
Atomic Energy, IAEA

Detecting nuclear material smaller than a pin

The IAEA brings together experts to verify that nuclear material and technology are only used for peaceful purposes - including the collection and analysis of samples from nuclear and other sites.

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

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.

A young girl holds a smiling infant at the Zaatari Refugee Camp

Our Common Agenda

Following up on a pledge made by UN Member States at the UN’s 75th anniversary, the report Our Common Agenda looks ahead to the next 25 years and represents the Secretary-General’s vision on the future of global cooperation. It calls for inclusive, networked, and effective multilateralism to better respond to humanity’s most pressing challenges.

Watch and Listen

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

Smallpox eradication: Science, solutions, solidarity

Smallpox was one of the most devastating diseases known to humanity and caused millions of deaths before it was eradicated. It is believed to have existed for at least 3000 years. The first successful vaccine was developed in 1796. In 1967, widespread immunization and surveillance were conducted around the world for several years. In 1980 WHO declared smallpox eradicated.

Nina's reintegration story

The joint IOM-UNDP Global Programme, aims to harness the development benefits and reduce negative effects of migration for host and home communities, migrants and their family members in 11 countries across the world.

Best Tourism Villages

The UNWTO recognizes villages for their commitment to innovation and sustainability in all its aspects – economic, social and environmental – and a focus on developing tourism in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

UN Podcasts

Man in a desert

LIO: Working together to halt the global water crisis

This year’s UN World Water Development Report warned of a global water crisis, unless international cooperation is rapidly stepped up.

On this week’s episode of The Lid Is On, recorded the day after the release of the study on 21 March, Conor Lennon speaks to Richard Connor, the editor-in-chief of the report, Kristin Meyer from the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), and Neil Dhot, from the International Federation of private water operators.

The conversation took place as part of the SDG Media Zone sessions at the UN Water Conference, held between 22 and 24 March.

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 holding a toddler
Photo:UNOCHA/Adedeji ADEMIGBUJI

It’s not easy being a mother in Somalia

Millions of children are experiencing a surge of preventable diseases because of prolonged drought and conflict in Somalia. Women and children make up more than 80 per cent of the displaced people in Somalia, and they are most affected. by the limited access to and unavailability of water, sanitation and hygiene services and increased risk of waterborne diseases. But only 27 per cent of Somalia’s population have access to essential health care. UNOCHA and its humanitarian partners are noting that the number of IDPs continues to increase due to ongoing conflict, drought-induced displacement and water shortages.

child running hand in water
Photo:©UNICEF/UN0765069/Ho Hoang Thien Trang

Protect children from water insecurity

Safe water is essential to life itself. No one stands to suffer from the consequences of water insecurity more than children. By 2030, half of the global population is expected to be living in water-stressed conditions. A deadly combination of disease, climate risks, and unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene creates a triple threat for children. Competition for water resources will only intensify with increasing urbanization, population growth and the threat of climate change. UNICEF examines the countries that face the greatest risk and where the WASH investments are at its lowest and how to mitigate these factors.

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