Four children look up at the camera, smiling as they wait to clean their hands.
Water, Global Issues

Water: Humanity’s most precious resource

Declared a human right by the United Nations in 2010, clean water and sanitation are essential for life, health, and dignity. Yet over 2 billion people lack safe drinking water, and nearly half the world lives without safely managed sanitation services. Climate change, pollution, and scarcity are pushing this lifeline to the brink. UN-Water is calling for urgent global action. Improving access to water, sanitation, and hygiene could save 1.4 million lives every year. Water is life. Without it, there is no future.

Better water, sanitation, and hygiene could prevent the deaths of around 1,000 children under 5 per day.
Photo:UNICEF/UN0301324/Muellenmeister
A May 2009 photo of an IDP camp outside the town of Vavuniya in northern Sri Lanka. Vavuniya was the site of an alleged massacre of more than 200 Tamil civilians by the army in 1985.

UN says Sri Lanka has ‘historic opportunity’ to end impunity, deliver justice

13 August 2025 — Sri Lanka’s Government has a “historic opportunity” to end decades of impunity and deliver justice for victims of past violations, the UN human rights office (OHCHR) has said,...

An airdrop of humanitarian aid targets northern Gaza in late July.

Malnutrition deaths mark ‘latest in the war on children’ in Gaza: UNRWA chief

13 August 2025 — At least 100 children in Gaza have died from malnutrition and hunger, prompting humanitarians to underscore the need to speed up medical evacuations from the enclave while also...

Families who fled fighting in El Fasher seek refuge in Tawila in North Darfur.

‘Only hunger and bombs’ for besieged civilians in Sudan’s El Fasher

13 August 2025 — UN human rights chief Volker Türk has expressed outrage over Monday’s deadly large-scale attack by the Rapid Support Forces militia on El Fasher, the capital of Sudan’s North...

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.

Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

Goal of the month

 

Goal 9: Industries, Innovation and Infrastructure

Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation

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 vast, arid landscape with a person walking along a narrow path flanked by dry grass. Natural Resources and the Environment, UNDP

If everything is connected, everything is important

Dayana Blanco, from Bolivia, and Maggie Bukowa, from Zambia, represent two influential voices of change within a global network dedicated to talent, conviction, and passion, which serves as the foundation for the Equator Initiative. This initiative recognizes the invaluable wisdom and knowledge of Indigenous Peoples and local communities worldwide. Supported by the governments of Norway and Germany, the Equator Initiative aligns with the UNDP's Nature Pledge and Climate Promise initiatives, which aim to enhance livelihoods while safeguarding nature and human rights. The inaugural Equator Prize was established in 2002 during the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, also known as Rio+10, building upon the commitments made during the landmark 1992 Earth Summit.

A large conference room where a meeting is taking place. Human Rights, Youth

Youth Rights Academy: Learning skills to lead change

A group of 45 young human rights advocates from all over the world gathered recently in Geneva for a Youth Rights Academy. They emphasized the importance of knowing their rights to create real change, with speakers like Avril Murillo from Bolivia and Yara Al-Zinati from Gaza highlighting how young people understand the urgency of the situation today. The Academy was set up through a partnership between UN Human Rights and Qatar’s Education Above All, focusing on empowering youth, especially in conflict zones. They previously launched a Youth Advocacy Toolkit to help with this mission. During the Academy, participants engaged in workshops covering various topics such as international law, education rights, the climate crisis, and how to use social media for advocacy.

Two individuals in a crop field holding large bundles of freshly harvested plants. Agriculture and Food, FAO

From sea to soil

Paulo Benedito, a lifelong fisherman from Quissanga, a small coastal town in northern Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province, faced devastating changes in 2021 when armed Islamist insurgents attacked his community, forcing him and his family to flee. They sought refuge at the Meculane Centre for Internally Displaced Persons, where Paulo had to transition from fishing to farming. Despite the challenges, he embraced agricultural training offered by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). He soon excelled in his new role, expressing a newfound preference for farming over fishing, as it provided more stability and ensured food for his family.

young woman showcasing SDGs poster
Youth, SDGs, UN Women

Youth leading local change

UN Women spoke with four young changemakers who are localizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through bold feminist leadership. Their message is clear: invest in youth-led action, especially by young women and girls.

man turning on solar lamp as a boy watches
Energy, UNESCO

UNESCO brings clean energy to Cameroon village

3,000 households with no access to electricity received solar kits designed to reduce reliance on firewood, improve living conditions and help protect ecosystems.

illustration of woman in headscarf holding baby
Migrants, IOM

Her feet reached Yemen but her heart never rested

Like many others on the Horn of Africa to Yemen route, a 20-year-old Ethiopian woman became a target of traffickers. Months later she found safety at IOM’s Migrant Response Point in Sana’a, where she gave birth. 

man and woman carrying food items towards hut
Food Aid, WFP

As hunger soars in Nigeria, WFP funds dry up

Earlier this year, the World Food Programme’s food and nutrition support reached 1.3 million people in northern Nigeria. Without an immediate influx in donations, only half that will be assisted in August.

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

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. 

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.

Watch and Listen

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

Circular fashion: the $700 billion opportunity to #beatpollution

The global textile sector is massive, but so is its environmental impact. The current "take, make, and dispose" model needs a revolution. InTex, a programme by the UN Environment Programme and funded by the European Commission and Denmark, is working to transform the industry into a sustainable, circular model through better data. By shifting to circular business models, and reducing carbon footprints across Africa and Asia, it has the potential to generate $700 billion by 2030. Find out more at UNEP InTex.

Chad: the reality of hunger

In Chad, more than 3.3 million Chadians (19% of the population) are facing high levels of acute food insecurity. The continued influx of people fleeing conflict in Sudan, persistent insecurity, and increased risks of flooding and drought place the country on the list of hotspots for malnutrition and hunger.

WMO certifies lightning record

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has established a new world record for the longest lightning flash – an incredible 829 km (515 miles) in a notorious storm hotspot in the United States of America.

UN Podcasts

standing next to an African man and making a fist bump

Do not take Democracy for granted, with Nicholas Haysom (AAN S11-E2)

“Peace agreements don't last forever … peace itself doesn't last forever. Democracy is not something that can be taken for granted. These are all issues which require kind of constant engagement by people of good intent.”

As a young white activist in South Africa, Nicholas Haysom risked detention to oppose the apartheid regime, later working alongside Nelson Mandela. Now Special Representative of the Secretary-General for South Sudan and Head of the United Nations Mission there, he is still striving tirelessly in pursuit of peace and human rights.

“The lesson of Mandela is not just being a nice person, it's perseverance in your ideals. It'll change the world.”

After a long and varied career, Nicholas (Fink) Haysom is supporting recovery and resilience in South Sudan, the UN’s newest member state. In this episode, he reflects on helping the world’s youngest nation build a better future, on why thorny negotiations are always necessary to move on from any civil war, and on why lasting peace should never be taken for granted.

Photo: ©UNMISS/Gregorio Cunha

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 close-up of a harpy eagle, showcasing its striking and powerful features.
Photo:UNDP/Phil G C Thomas

Guardians of what remains

Franklin Olivo was exploring the Tagarkunyal jungle in Panama's Darién province when he encountered a harpy eagle, the largest eagle in the Americas. This bird, recognized as Panama's national symbol, holds significant cultural importance for Indigenous groups and plays a crucial role in the rainforest ecosystem. However, it faces threats from hunting and habitat loss, particularly in the Darién region, which is also plagued by poverty and illegal activities. Despite economic pressures from agriculture, logging, and mining, the Guna and other Indigenous Peoples play a vital role in conserving the rainforest through their traditional knowledge and community stewardship. Franklin's sighting of the eagle was part of a monitoring project initiated by Guna leaders to empower local youth as environmental guardians.

A woman dressed in a black garment walking down a paved road with two children.
Photo:UNOPS

In Afghanistan change starts close to home 

Earlier this year, Fatima, a resident of a remote village in Herat Province, received humanitarian cash assistance that provided much-needed relief. However, two local men seized the funds from 23 recipients, claiming they needed redistribution. Despite the risk of retaliation, Fatima contacted Awaaz Afghanistan, a nationwide platform for reporting issues related to humanitarian aid. The team acted on her complaint, leading to a field visit that confirmed the misuse of funds. Within ten days, each affected household received their full assistance. This case underscores the impact of speaking out and the responsiveness of humanitarian actors, facilitated by Awaaz Afghanistan, which has assisted nearly 600,000 calls and reached almost 4 million people.

Main Bodies

Departments / Offices

Resources / Services

Key Documents

News and Media

Issues / Campaigns