people sitting along a curved bench
Women and Gender Equality

Advocating for increased representation of women in diplomacy

Research shows that when women serve in cabinets and parliaments, they pass laws and policies that are better for ordinary people, the environment and social cohesion. Women also bring immense benefits to diplomacy, yet their contributions have often been overlooked. It's time to recognize and celebrate the ways in which women are breaking barriers and making a difference in the field of diplomacy.  On this International Day of Women in Diplomacy (24 June), we must all do everything possible to ensure women are at the table, their voices heard, and contributions valued.

Unveiling of "The Best Weapon" at UN Headquarters among ministers, diplomats and other civil servants - in the words of Nelson Mandela “The best weapon is to sit down and talk.”
Photo:UN Photo / Mark Garten
Workers sort through a large pile of garbage at a landfill, with a dump truck unloading waste in the background and smoke rising from a distant fire.

UN chief: Targeting methane is a climate battle ‘we can win’

24 June 2026 — Amid efforts to cool global warming, the battle hinges on targeting such super-pollutants as methane, which emits one third of the world’s greenhouse gases and “is a fight we can...

WHO staff and inmates establish an Ebola isolation unit inside a prison in Bunia, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Lives at risk in DR Congo as Ebola outbreak continues to outpace response

24 June 2026 — The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continues to spread faster than aid efforts can keep pace, despite significant gains in treatment capacity and...

A wide bay with deep blue water, bordered by arid, rocky mountains and a small coastal settlement on the right.

Stranded Hormuz seafarers begin mass evacuation operation

24 June 2026 — As the UN International Maritime Organization (IMO) released more details of its plan to evacuate more than 11,000 seafarers stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, one mariner caught up...

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

The Goals can improve life for all of us. Cleaner air. Safer cities. Equality. Better jobs. These issues matter to everyone. But progress is too slow. We have to act, urgently, to accelerate changes that add up to better lives on a healthier planet. Find new inspiring actions on the app and at un.org/actnow.

Act Now for a Peaceful World

Today, half the world is under 30, and this generation is a powerful force for peace. The UN "Hear Us. Act Now for a Peaceful World" campaign, launched on the International Day of Peace, aims to include, invest in, and partner with young people to build lasting peace. 

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.

icon with fish swimming below waves

Goal of the month 14

 

Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources

Healthy oceans and seas are essential to human existence and life on Earth.

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 shepherd on horseback next to a flock of sheep. UNEP, Natural Resources and the Environment

Seven ways to restore the land that sustains us

Land is essential to life, providing food, water and raw materials, yet more than 2 billion hectares worldwide are degraded, affecting over 3 billion people. As droughts intensify and temperatures rise, restoring ecosystems is critical to protecting biodiversity, food security and freshwater resources. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), everyone has a role to play. Key actions include promoting sustainable agriculture, protecting soil health and pollinators, restoring freshwater ecosystems, reviving coastal and marine habitats, bringing nature back into cities, and increasing investment in ecosystem restoration. These efforts are central to the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030), a global initiative to scale up action for a healthier, more resilient planet.

A woman is sitting at a desk writing on a laptop computer. IFAD, Economic Development

Turning remittances into engines of rural development

Remittances sent by more than 200 million migrants and diaspora members support around 800 million people worldwide and are a vital source of income for rural communities. Through its Financing Facility for Remittances, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is helping maximize their impact by investing in digital infrastructure, financial inclusion and innovative partnerships. Programmes in Africa, Central Asia and beyond are making remittances safer, cheaper and more accessible while linking them to savings, credit, entrepreneurship and climate resilience. By strengthening financial services and leveraging diaspora investments, IFAD aims to transform remittance flows into a powerful driver of rural development, economic growth and long-term resilience.

Thanks to the fog catchers, residents can collect moisture from the coastal camanchaca fog. This condenses into water that can be used to irrigate crops, for ecological restoration and for local consumption. FAO, Water

Turning fog into water in drought-hit Chile

In northern Chile, where drought and water scarcity are a growing challenge, the agricultural community of Peña Blanca is turning fog into a vital source of water. Using mesh structures known as fog catchers, residents collect moisture from the coastal camanchaca fog, which condenses into water for crops, ecological restoration and local consumption. Located in the Fray Jorge Biosphere Reserve, the community has refined the system over two decades. Today, 34 fog catchers collect up to 650,000 litres of water annually, making the site one of the largest of its kind in Latin America. Recent support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and partners has expanded the system, demonstrating how local innovation can help communities adapt to climate change and water scarcity.

collage of women's portraits
Women and Gender Equality, UNDP

HE[R]EAL – Her Reality

HE[R]EAL is a global multimedia exhibition that challenges dominant narratives of war-to-peace transitions, offering another perspective: women as survivors, former combatants, family members of armed actors, caregivers, leaders and agents of change.

illustration of film clapperboard
Intellectual and Cultural Property, WIPO

Global Film Production Hits a Record

Feature film production hit a record high, reflecting the expanding geography of global creative capacity, even as global box office revenues remain below pre-pandemic levels.

flooded area
Migration, IOM

Rebuilding beyond the flood line

The International Organization for Migration (IOM), together with its partners, has been working with communities in border municipalities across the Amazon to strengthen resilience and better understand the impacts of recurring floods.

nickel mine in Indonesia
Trade and Commerce, UNCTAD

Critical minerals are reshaping global trade

Demand for critical minerals is rising fast. Supply remains highly concentrated. Trade policy is a strategic tool to increase the gains resulting from trade in critical minerals.

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

Podium of the General Assembly Hall seen from below with the gold wall and the golden UN logo behind

Selecting the next Secretary-General

The United Nations process to appoint the next Secretary‑General continues with interactive dialogues guided by the principles of transparency and inclusivity. Watch the dialogues with the candidates: Michelle Bachelet Jeria (21 April), Rafael Mariano Grossi (21 April), Rebeca Grynspan Mayufis (22 April), Macky Sall (22 April), María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés (15 June) and Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett (18 June).

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child warming its hands on fire

The Spotlight series

This series shines a light on communities facing conflict, displacement, public health emergencies and other humanitarian challenges around the world. Drawing on reporting from across the UN system, it amplifies voices from countries including Haiti, Gaza, DR Congo, Yemen, Afghanistan and Myanmar, to foster understanding, encourage engagement, and help mobilize support, assistance, and protection for the most vulnerable people.

Climate Change

Climate Change is one of the defining issues of our time and we are at a pivotal moment. From shifting weather patterns that threaten food production, to rising sea levels that increase the risk of catastrophic flooding, the impacts of climate change are global in scope and unprecedented in scale. Taking decisive action today will make adapting to these impacts in the future more effective and less costly.

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. 

Watch and Listen

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

Adapting to a 50°C world

Extreme heat is one of the most urgent and fast-growing climate challenges facing cities today. Around the world, urban areas are experiencing more frequent, intense, and prolonged heatwaves, affecting health, infrastructure, and daily life. Through the 50@50 initiative, cities are coming together to share solutions, strengthen resilience, and protect communities. From expanding green spaces and cooling public areas to improving urban design and early warning systems, cities are exploring people-centred approaches to stay safe in a warming world. Learn how cities are shaping a more resilient future.

Miss World Africa 2025 shows what's inside a menstrual hygiene kit

Watch Hasset Dereje unpack a kit with students who are seeing some of these items for the very first time. Hasset knows that for a girl in rural Ethiopia, lacking menstrual hygiene products can impact their education. That’s why a $15 dignity kit is so much more than a box of supplies. It’s a toolkit for her future. For just $15, you can help a girl stay in school. Every gift counts.

Football or Soccer?

For a few weeks, the world looks in the same direction, shaped by the same matches, the same moments, the same emotions. But beyond the stadiums and the spectacle, football has always existed in its simplest form: a ball, a space, and people willing to play. For refugees, football or soccer - it is a chance to dream again. When you have lost everything, that space matters.

UN Podcasts

Kelly leans into 2 girl-pupils for a photo-op

The force of good is much stronger than the force of evil (AAN: S13-E1)

“It was a life-changing moment, not because of what I did, but because of what kind of an impact it had on another human being ... "

From Bangladesh to Kosovo, Syria to Sudan, Kelly Clements has spent more than 30 years helping to save lives during some of the biggest refugee and humanitarian crises in recent times. Now the outgoing Deputy High Commissioner at the UN's refugee agency, UNHCR, she’s making an impassioned case for a more humane world.

"How can we convince those that continue to wage wars, that continue to treat people badly? How can we show what's possible with a little hope, compassion, and more peace? The force of good is much stronger than the force of evil."

Global refugee needs are surging as wealthy nations turn away from helping the most vulnerable people on earth. In this episode, Kelly Clements reflects on her deep frustration at the devastating cuts to life-saving UN services, on the lasting power of helping just one person, and shares how the love of her family always gives her strength to serve.

Photo: ©UNHCR/Tiksa Negeri

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 group of zebras drinking water in a small body of water.
Photo:UNDP/Melanie Pisano

Rangelands, Not Wastelands

Rangelands cover more than half of the Earth’s land surface and support nearly two billion people, yet they are often overlooked as barren or unproductive landscapes. These ecosystems sustain biodiversity, store around 30 per cent of the world’s terrestrial carbon and underpin the livelihoods of 500 million pastoralists. Across countries including Kenya, Mongolia, India, Brazil, Armenia, Sudan and Tajikistan, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is working with communities to restore degraded land, strengthen climate resilience and support sustainable livelihoods. From community-led conservation and climate-smart grazing to women’s leadership and innovative financial tools, these initiatives show that healthy rangelands and thriving communities go hand in hand. Investing in these landscapes is essential for biodiversity, food security and climate action.

: A girl, seen through the mesh of a goal with a yellow UNICEF vest, is holding a soccer ball with her arm.
Photo:© UNICEF/UNI924470/Sergio Izquierdo

More than a team

Sport has long united people across communities, but its impact now extends far beyond the field. Through partnerships with UNICEF, sports organizations, athletes and fans are helping improve children's lives through education, health and protection programmes worldwide. Recent initiatives include the Inter Miami CF Foundation’s support for education and digital skills in Latin America and the Caribbean, and Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club’s efforts to strengthen children’s rights in sport. Building on partnerships with FC Barcelona, EA Sports FC FUTURES and the Women’s Tennis Association Foundation, these collaborations use the power of sport to promote learning, nutrition, wellbeing and opportunity. From football pitches to classrooms, they are helping children develop the skills, confidence and support needed to thrive.

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