Waste Collects on the Shores of Timor-Leste.
UNEP, Pollution and Waste

Promote sustainable production while improving waste management

Humanity's unsustainable production and consumption patterns are driving the planet toward destruction. Households, small businesses and public services generate more than 2.1 billion tons of municipal solid waste each year. Yet the world's waste management services are ill-equipped: 2.7 billion people have no access to solid waste collection and only 61-62% of municipal solid waste is managed in controlled facilities. The International Zero Waste Day (30 March) highlights the critical need to strengthen waste management globally and promote sustainable production and consumption practices.

Plastic bottles and trash from a Timor-Leste village wash up on a riverbank and spill into the sea.
Photo:UN/Martine Perret
Children in Haiti line up for a hot meal and water distributed by the World Food Programme (WFP) in Port-au-Prince.

Bold action needed now to address ‘cataclysmic’ situation in Haiti

28 March 2024 — Immediate and bold action is required to tackle the “cataclysmic” situation in Haiti, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said in a report issued on Thursday. 

...

Food is distributed to Sudanese refugees in Koufron, Chad.

First Person: ‘We had to avoid stepping on the bodies in the streets’ in Darfur

27 March 2024 — A former UN staff member who worked for a decade in Sudan’s Darfur region for the African Union-United Nations mission, UNAMID, has told UN News how she had to “avoid stepping on...

One fifth of all food available to consumers eventually goes to waste, a new UNEP report reveals.

With 783 million people going hungry, a fifth of all food goes to waste

27 March 2024 — While a third of humanity faces food insecurity, an equivalent of one billion meals go to waste every day, a new report by the UN environment agency (UNEP) revealed on Wednesday....

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.

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.

Act Now

ActNow Campaign

ActNow is the United Nations campaign to inspire people to act for the Sustainable Development Goals. The SDGs can improve life for all of us and everyone can join the global movement for change. To log your actions, download the app.

Goal of the Month

 
Gender Equality

 

Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

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 man watering a vegetable garden. FAO, Water, Economic Development, Climate Change

Connecting Water, Data, and Peace

Water is crucial to life and economies, but it can also cause or be affected by conflict. The risk of conflict is increasing due to water scarcity and climate change, making effective water resource management essential for peace. Remote sensing, using open-access satellite data, can help monitor water resources, even in conflict-affected areas. The Water Productivity through Open-access of Remotely-sensed derived data, a tool created by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), has been used in conflict zones like Syria, Sudan, Mali, and Sri Lanka to monitor water resources, reduce conflict, and restore access to water.

A Pakistani girl washes her hands in front of a latrine. IOM, Water, Health, Women and Gender Equality

Post-flood water initiatives empower women and girls in Pakistan

Women and girls were disproportionately affected by the devastating floods that hit Pakistan in 2022. Nisha, a seven-year-old girl from the Mirpurkhas District of Sindh, had to endure months of displacement and walk several miles every day to access clean water after her home and latrines were destroyed. Sampa, a 55-year-old widow, fell ill after drinking contaminated water during the floods. With the responsibility of caring for her ten-year-old child, she struggled to fetch water daily in the scorching heat. The efforts by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to construct latrines, handwashing stations, and lead-line hand pumps in Nisha and Sampa's villages brought relief and improved access to clean water and hygiene services.

A group of women and girls take shelter at a displaced site in central Mali. UNFPA, Health, Women and Gender Equality

Conflict in Mali takes heavy toll on pregnant women

Mali's central and northern regions have been plagued by violence and insecurity in recent years. Terrorist groups have taken control of many remote villages, causing mass displacement, while maternal mortality rates are up to 35 times higher than in developed countries. Access to maternal health services is nearly impossible. In this complicated scenario, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is equipping the maternity ward at Sominé Dolo Hospital in the Mopti region. UNFPA partner HELP sends mobile health units to rural areas of Mopti to reach women and girls with essential services and transport critical cases to health centers.

Food, Peace and Security, WFP

Gang violence deepens Haiti's food crisis

Farmers in Haiti's Artibonite department, face dire challenges due to armed bandits plundering crops, underscoring the urgent need for security and stability to ensure food security and long-term resilience in the country's agricultural sector.

Women and Gender Equality, UN Women

Intersecting crises: Care work, gender, climate

The disproportionate burden of crises, including protracted conflicts and climate change, falls heavily on women and girls, amplifying care demands that often go unrecognized.

Transport and Communications, UNEP

Eco-friendly buses empower women

Colombia's electric buses are not only countering climate change by reducing emissions, but are also creating job opportunities for women, contributing to a more sustainable and inclusive transportation sector.

Trade and Commerce, UNCTAD

Resilience and growth in global trade

UNCTAD's Global Trade Update emphasizes the resilience of international trade amid challenges, projecting growth opportunities and a rebound in 2024, especially in sectors like transportation equipment and electric vehicles.

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.

Pregnant women in Gaza forced to give birth on hospital floors

UNFPA's Palestine Representative Dominic Allen describe the heroic efforts of desperate medical staff helping women in Gaza give birth safely at the overcrowded Al-Emirati Hospital in Rafah as doctors run out of basic medical supplies.

Didier Drogba warns against football exploitation

Didier Drogba cautions young African footballers on the perils of exploitation and human trafficking as part of a campaign by the International Labour Organization, FIFPRO, and the Didier Drogba Foundation, aiming to raise awareness and protect aspiring players.

The food waste index: Essential action for reduction

Grasping the extent of food waste through robust measurement, as highlighted in the Food Waste Index Reports, is crucial for catalyzing essential action and progress towards achieving SDG 12.

UN Podcasts

A group of journalists at work on their computers.

Digital Skills for safe navigation in digital spaces

UNESCO has launched a podcast series called "Think Critically, Click Wisely" to improve people's media and information literacy skills. The series has 8 episodes on various topics such as disinformation, hate speech, digital skills, AI, and privacy. Listeners can expect to gain practical insights and skills for navigating the digital world. Today's episode focuses on learning digital skills to navigate safely in digital spaces.

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.

Iraqi woman and girl with their backs turned to the camera.
Photo:UNDP

Iraq: Reunifying communities to accept 9,000 ISIL-affiliated families

The horrific atrocities committed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) when it invaded Syria and Iraq in 2014 shocked the world. Thousands of Iraqi women were left to bring up children alone, separated from families, and living in poverty in displacement or refugee sites. By working closely with the government, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has prepared communities in Anbar, Ninewa, Salah al-Din, and Kirkuk to accept 9,000 ISIL-affiliated families back into their societies.

A woman showing a plate of charcoal briquettes made from charred water hyacinths, an invasive species that disrupts waterways and aquatic food systems.
Photo:WFP/Arete/Fredrik Lerneryd

WFP: Making water work where people face hunger

In Rubkona, South Sudan, Nyagara Maluit shows off charcoal briquettes made out of carbonized water hyacinths - an invasive species that disrupts waterways and aquatic food systems, exacerbating flooding. Turning them into sustainable fuel helps reduce deforestation. Over 70% of the world's food-insecure people are in areas where water is scarce. Climate change is worsening water-related hazards and land degradation, leading to social, gender and education inequality. The World Food Programme (WFP) responds to water-related disasters and provides emergency food and cash assistance around the world while also building resilience in communities by restoring ecosystems to improve long-term water availability and food access.

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