A child with cancer receives treatment from a nurse
Children, WHO

Reduce the burden of cancer in children

Cancer is a leading cause of death for children and adolescents. Each year, an estimated 400,000 children and adolescents develop cancer. The most common types of childhood cancers include leukemias, brain cancers, lymphomas and solid tumours. It is generally not possible to prevent cancer in children, so the most effective strategy to improve outcomes is to focus on a prompt, correct diagnosis followed by effective, evidence-based therapy. International Childhood Cancer Day, 15 February, spotlights the need for more equitable access to treatment and care for all children with cancer, everywhere.

International Childhood Cancer Day is a global campaign to raise awareness about childhood cancer and to express support for children and adolescents with cancer, the survivors and their families.
Photo:Rodrigo Gaitan, AYUVI, Unidad Nacional de Oncologia Pediatrica, Guatemala
Displaced Gazans (file)

UN chief welcomes continued Gaza ceasefire and hostage release

16 February 2025 — UN Secretary-General António Guterres has welcomed the latest round of hostage releases in Gaza and the continued implementation of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

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UN Secretary-General António Guterres delivers remarks at the 2025 African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Africa 'brimming with hope and possibility': Guterres

15 February 2025 — The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, emphasized the potential of Africa and its young population and called for global reforms to right the injustices of the past, in...

Central African Republic, 2024. Newly arrived Sudanese refugees at Korsi refugee camp.

Sudan, ‘the most devastating humanitarian and displacement crisis in the world’

14 February 2025 — Sudan’s ruinous civil war is approaching its third year, leaving a legacy of malnutrition, massive population displacement and chronic insecurity. As the UN system prepares to...

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.

SDG 4: Quality Education

Goal of the Month

 
Goal 4: Quality Education

Sustainable Development Goal 4 is all about ensuring everyone has access to quality education no matter who they are or where they are. Access to education can help lift people out of poverty and is fundamental to creating a peaceful society.

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 group of people gathered around a table to learn about a framework that brings together religious leaders and faith-based actors to learn from each other. Human Rights, Philosophy and Religion

Faith-based cooperation is essential to the protection of human rights for all

“More and more conflicts are shattering lives, livelihoods and our shared future,” said UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk in the General Assembly of ACT Alliance, a global faith-based coalition organized in national and regional forums operating in more than 120 countries. He stressed the need for a bottom-up transformation involving governments, religious leaders, and civil society to foster social cohesion and human dignity. Emphasizing equal rights for all individuals, regardless of belief, Türk called for inclusive faith literacy and holistic human rights education to counter hate.  UN Human Right’s “Faith for Rights” framework, established in 2017, encourages religious leaders to uphold universal rights and promote peaceful coexistence.

Women protesting against femicide in Kenya. Women and Gender Equality, UN Women

The Beijing Declaration at 30, and why that matters for gender equality

The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, established in 1995 by 189 governments at the Fourth World Conference on Women, is the most comprehensive plan for achieving equal rights for all women and girls. It focuses on 12 critical areas, including jobs and economy, political participation, peace, the environment, ending violence against women and more. As we approach the 30th anniversary in 2025, it is crucial to continue the fight for gender equality and equitable power structures for all. Are you ready?! 

Georgian farmer in a maize field. Agriculture and Food, Health

From Cheesemaking to Community Leadership: How One Georgian Woman Turned Skills into Survival

Nino Kavtaradze, a skilled producer of dried fruits, jams, and distinctive Georgian cheeses, has relied on her income to support her health after being diagnosed with cancer nearly 20 years ago. The sales of dried fruits and tklapi [sheets of dried fruit puree which roll up like leather] helped cover her medical expenses while she underwent chemotherapy and managed her home-based business in the northwestern mountains of Georgia. Her resilience led her to become a Lead Farmer in a project aimed at empowering smallholder women dairy farmers. After connecting with a fellow cheese producer involved in a Farmer Field School initiative by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and UN Women, Nino took on the challenge of recruiting participants. She exceeded expectations by bringing together 30 local women dairy farmers.

Migrants, IOM

“If you have dreams, you can achieve them”

Ulukbek and Gulkayir’s entrepreneurial journey in Kyrgyzstan represents hope and resilience, as they turn their savings from seasonal work in the UK into a children's store.

Women and Gender Equality, UNEP

Supporting women in environmental sciences

With a looming planetary crisis, experts stress the need for more women in science. UNEP’s Susan Gardner discusses the importance of gender equality in environmental solutions.

Communication and Mass Media, UNESCO

And the winner is...

In honor of the World Radio Day, the "Radio Bridges - Joint Actions for Climate" contest, organized by COPEAM and UNESCO, attracting 18 countries worldwide, focusing on collaborative radio projects for climate change solutions. Find out!

Health Interventions, UNOPS

Philippines revolutionizes medical access

The ADB-HEAL project, supported by UNOPS, has installed over 45 CT scans, trained 800 healthcare workers, and delivered vital equipment to improve healthcare accessibility and resilience in the Philippines.

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.

What is the Future of Transportation?

The future of transportation is being shaped by climate change and breakthrough technologies, creating sustainable and efficient modes of travel. As innovations like driverless cars, electric vehicles, and space tourism emerge, understanding these advancements is crucial for shaping policies and personal choices in transportation. 

The World Intellectual Property Organisation Technology Trends 2025 report on the Future of Transportation dives into the transformative changes reshaping the transportation sector.

Women and girl's voices in science

On this International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we are imagining what happens when ALL voices in science are included.

Whistleblower policy

FAO personnel are required to report rule breaches in good faith and are protected against retaliation for doing so.

UN Podcasts

Various drawings of the cerebral cortex along with the program title, Science in 5.

Measles: A growing threat

Did you know that if a child with measles walks into a classroom, every unvaccinated child will most certainly get it? Why are measles cases increasing worldwide? Why should you be concerned about it?  And is the measles vaccine safe and effective? Dr Natash Crowcroft answers these questions in a new episode of WHO's Science in 5 podcast.

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 woman with a basket on her back walking in a green space.
Photo:© UNDP DRC CO, SGP DRC

Reviving Ecosystems: Indigenous Plant Restoration in the DRC Tackles Climate Change

Fumbwa (Gnetum africanum) is a wild vine with thick leaves found in Africa's tropical forests. It's a staple food in Kongo Central, where local communities, guided by the Rural Initiative for Integrated Development (RIID), are working to preserve these forests that combat climate change. In Kasangulu, charcoal and firewood extraction dominate the economy, as only 11% of the DRC is connected to the electrical grid. The proximity to Kinshasa provides a profitable market for these fuels, but the exploitation of trees is leading to severe deforestation and environmental damage. Forests, which are vital for biodiversity, play a key role in addressing climate change and supporting 1.6 billion people worldwide. Despite their immense value, global deforestation remains a pressing issue, with 13 million hectares lost annually, contributing significantly to greenhouse gas emissions.

Two girls smile for the camera on the banks of the Niger River near the village of Diafarabe, Niger.
Photo:M. Di Lauro

A historic milestone: Niger is the first African country to be certified onchocerciasis-free

Congratulations to Niger for being verified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the first country in Africa to eliminate the transmission of onchocerciasis, also known as river blindness. This parasitic disease is caused by the Onchocerca volvulus worm, which is transmitted through bites from infected black flies. Niger faced significant challenges due to this disease, particularly in communities near fast-flowing rivers. However, a strong national elimination program and collaboration with partners like the Ministry of Health, USAID, and WHO have led to this historic achievement. Onchocerciasis is one of the three diseases targeted for elimination of transmission in the WHO NTD road map for neglected tropical diseases 2021–2030, the other being leprosy and the gambiense form of human African trypanosomiasis. 

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