City hit by a heatwave.
Climate Change, Global Issues

Climate Change, the defining issue of our time

Extreme heat affecting the health of 70% of the global workforce. Shifting weather patterns damaging our harvests. Rising sea levels increasing the chances of catastrophic floods. The impacts of climate change are global in scope and unprecedented in scale. Since the 1800s, human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily through the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas. Without drastic action today, adapting to these impacts in the future will be more difficult and costly. We are at a defining moment to change the path of humanity.

UN Secretary-General recently called for urgent international cooperation to address extreme heat, another important threat brought by climate change.
Photo:Adobe Stock/Vitezslav Vylicil/ AI generated
Two rounds of a polio vaccination campaign are expected to be launched at the end of August and September 2024 across the Gaza Strip.

Guterres appeals for ‘Polio Pause’ in Gaza

16 August 2024 — UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on Friday for warring parties in Gaza to lay down their arms so that humanitarians can safely vaccinate more than half a million...

The movement of Palestinians is restricted in the West Bank including through the use of checkpoints. (file)

UN rights office calls for accountability for latest ‘horrific’ West Bank killing

16 August 2024 — The perpetrators of a deadly rampage targeting a Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank must face justice to deter future attacks, the UN human rights office, OHCHR,...

A girl walks through the rubble of war in Sana'a, Yemen.

UN reiterates call to release staffers detained in Yemen

15 August 2024 — Ansar Allah in Yemen must immediately release 13 UN staff and dozens of personnel from civil society, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other entities, who have been...

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.

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.

SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Goal of the month

 

Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies.

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.

Displaced Sudanese in a classroom in White Nile state. Éducation, Humanitarian Aid

Sudan War Steals Education and Future from youth

Ibrahim Abdulrahman was the top scorer in Sudan's high school exams in 2020. The war in Sudan has disrupted his dream of becoming the country's Minister of Agriculture and the education of millions of young people in a country where more than 90% of school-age children have no access to formal education. More than 10 million people have fled their homes in Sudan since the outbreak of war in 2023. The unprecedented influx has strained community resources and public services in Sudan's White Nile State. UNHCR is providing life-saving assistance to displaced people, including food, water, health care and cash.

Close-up of an Ethiopian woman's face in shadow with a window in the background. Migrants, Humanitarian Aid

When the search for better economic opportunities becomes a nightmare

Amara and Aisha, ages 16 and 15, are from Eastern Ethiopia. Both decided to seek better economic opportunities in Saudi Arabia, inspired by a neighbor's sister who had found financial success there. They enlisted the help of a local smuggler to travel through Somalia and Yemen to reach Saudi Arabia, with the promise of finding work as maids to gradually pay off the smuggling fees. They escaped the smugglers in Bossaso, on the northern coast of Somalia, and found refuge at a local Migration Response Centre (MRC) run by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

An Azerbaijani beekeeper stands in front of a row of beehives. Agriculture and Food

Buzzing Futures: Training Azerbaijan's Next Generation of Beekeepers

Isgandar Shiralizada developed a passion for beekeeping at an early age. He fulfilled his childhood dream of keeping bees and producing honey, which eventually led to a successful career in the honey sector. With support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Isgandar has been able to expand his beekeeping business, become economically independent and serve as an ambassador to inspire the next generation of beekeepers.

compilation of portraits of youth
SDGs, Youth, Science and Technology, UNDP

Digital generation

As world leaders prepare to gather for the Summit of the Future, meet 10 young leaders who are leveraging digital solutions to create a secure future for all of us. 

profile of Afghan woman
Women and Gender Equality, UN Women

Afghan women three years after the Taliban takeover

In the face of severe restrictions imposed by the Taliban, Afghan women continue to demonstrate remarkable resilience and courage. UN Women sheds light on their reality.

young woman in a field with cabbages
Youth, Agriculture and Food, Science and Technology, IFAD

Making irrigation in Asia smarter

Young rural people are bringing agriculture into the digital age. Meet three young people in Asia who’ve cracked the code: how to irrigate crops while saving both time and water.

students using computers
Energy, Climate, UNOPS

Beyond the grid: Powering communities in Yemen

Renewable energy solutions are providing a more reliable source of electricity for millions of people in Yemen – and improving their access to essential services.

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.

World Food Day Poster Contest (ages 5-19) - submission deadline: 8 Nov. 2024

Join the World Food Day Poster Contest and show us your creativity! Design a poster that symbolizes your favourite dish or recipe, representing the importance of diverse, nutritious, safe and affordable foods. Show us what this means to you, your community or the world through art. The submission deadline is 8 November 2024.

Puyanawa people of Acre protect Brazil's forests #climateaction

Every year, the world loses enough forest cover to fill Portugal, with much of that deforestation happening in 20 tropical countries, including Brazil.

Puyanawa is the chief of the Puyanawa Indigenous Peoples, whose traditional territory had for generations been diced up and deforested, including by the notoriously brutal rubber barons of the colonial era. But in recent years, the Puyanawa have regained control over their lands, largely ending the clear cutting ravaging much of the Amazon. Instead, the Puyanawa have turned to farming, using traditional practices, like dotting their fields with hardwood trees, to ease the burden on the land.

SDG-15: Life on land - Sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, halt biodiversity loss.
UNEP: Forests. DESA: United Nations Strategic Plan for Forests 2017–2030. UNECE: Forests.

A Future With Tigers

Wild tigers have a crucial place in Asian landscapes and biodiversity and act as both an umbrella and indicator species, protecting the wider ecosystem and indicating a healthy environment.

Over the past 12 years, tiger populations have begun to rise in 5 countries – increasing for the first time in over a century. With effective, collaborative conservation, evidence shows tiger numbers can recover.

As part of the solution, fighting for a future with tigers, the Tiger Conservation Coalition brings together leading biologists and experts in wildlife crime, human-wildlife coexistence, policy, finance, development and communications, with unprecedented alignment on achieving tiger conservation at scale. Its member organisations include IUCN, the Environmental Investigation Agency; Fauna & Flora; Natural State; Panthera; TRAFFIC; UNDP; the Wildlife Conservation Society; WWF and ZSL.

UN Podcasts

Do no harm

Meet musician Austin Zhang who uses the power of music, by harmonizing his saxophone jazz melodies with a recording of his mother’s own story of migration to accentuate the emotions of her story. In this episode of the UN Human Rights podcast, #StandUp4HumanRights, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) focuses on how migration is not one-dimensional and why telling individual stories of migration, which reflects all dimensions of people can help avoid the pitfall of triggering a harmful narrative about migration. 

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 young woman is seen from the back cradling a toddler while another baby lies at her feet inside a bucket.
Photo:© UNFPA Haiti / Digiprod productions

Mothers and daughters of Haiti, living in the grip of violence

Esther, whose name has been changed for protection, was raped when she was four months pregnant and sleeping in a public square with her six children, having been forced from home. She received counselling from a UNFPA health centre, but her situation is still dire. You can hear her tell her story in this video.

The situation in Haiti is desperate. Gang violence has forced more than half a million people across the country to flee their homes. The capital reverberates with gunshots day and night, and sexual violence is carried out with impunity. Here, in this deeply personal series of portraits, women and girls share their insight into the stark reality of life today in Port-au-Prince, while UNFPA and partners work around the clock to prevent and alleviate suffering.

An overhead shot of emerald green waters with two small rowing boats each containing a young woman and their catch of the day
Photo:© UNDP/Claudio Sieber

Knowledge is Power

Two Bajau girls in Mabul island are seen selling their catch of mostly shellfish, lobster, snails, sea cucumbers and sea urchins. The Bajau Laut are a sea-faring group that traditionally lived across the Sulu Sea on small wooden boats called lepa, getting everything they needed from the ocean. Due to the creation of maritime borders that disregarded the distribution of ethnic groups, as well as other modern developments that clashed with their nomadic way of life, new generations of Bajau Laut have been forced to settle on land, not recognized as citizens by any country. The denial of citizenship means stateless people are often unable to access basic rights and services, such as state education, water, healthcare, and legal employment, leaving them at higher risk of exploitation, discrimination and abuse.

In 2023, a youth-led movement received a grant from the GEF Small Grants Programme, implemented by UNDP, to launch an environmental education project aimed at raising awareness and preparing students to address the various issues affecting their community.

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