participants at an event at the UN holding up posters of the SDGs
Philosophy and Religion

Interfaith harmony

The first week of February is marked as World Interfaith Harmony Week, during which religious leaders are urged to use their pulpit to promote interfaith dialogue, mutual respect and understanding across different faiths. As mutual understanding and interreligious dialogue constitute important dimensions of a culture of peace, states are encouraged to promote spreading the message of interfaith harmony and goodwill in the world’s churches, mosques, synagogues, temples and other places of worship. In these trying times, we need this spirit more than ever.

Event on Interfaith Harmony and the Sustainable Development Goals at the UN in 2016.
Photo:UN Photo/Manuel Elías
A pregnant woman attends a health check at a UN-supported clinic in the eastern DR Congo.

Building healthy bridges towards peace: WHO launches $1 billion appeal

3 February 2026 — The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday launched its 2026 global appeal for nearly $1 billion to ensure that millions of people living in humanitarian crises and conflicts...

An injured child waits in the courtyard of Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis.

Gaza: Limited Rafah crossing reopening sparks hope – but also ‘massive trepidation’

2 February 2026 — The reopening of the Rafah crossing in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday after more than a year is being met with both optimism and fear, a senior official with the UN agency...

Dusk approaches in Yangon, Myanmar. (file photo)

Myanmar crisis deepens five years after coup, as military ballot entrenches repression

30 January 2026 — Five years after Myanmar’s military seized power and jailed the country’s elected leaders, the United Nations says the country’s crisis has only deepened, marked by escalating...

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. 

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 1: no poverty icon with silhouettes of people with children

Goal of the month 1

 
Goal 1: No Poverty

End poverty in all its forms everywhere.

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.

Two children standing in front of a large wall covered with densely printed text. UNESCO

A decade of action against antisemitism

Decades after the Holocaust, antisemitism is rising in Europe and beyond, making education crucial for understanding violent pasts and preventing future atrocities. As Holocaust survivors dwindle, UNESCO is dedicated to advancing Holocaust education through its International Programme on Holocaust Education. Since 2015, it has reached 31 countries, developing teacher training resources and new curricula. Recently, UNESCO organized policy training at Auschwitz-Birkenau for senior policymakers. UNESCO also fights Holocaust denial through its partnership with the World Jewish Congress, providing factual resources, including the AboutHolocaust.org website, and has published guides to help educators counter denial while teaching about the genocide.

Three children are lying on a blanket, looking at each other, in front of a selection of healthy foods such as oranges and blueberries. WHO, Food

A recipe for change: Schools urged to promote healthy eating

Healthy food in schools is crucial for children’s lifelong dietary habits. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) new guidelines, and with childhood obesity rising and undernutrition persisting, schools play a key role in addressing this double burden. In 2025, 188 million school-aged children were living with obesity. WHO recommends setting standards to promote healthy foods while limiting unhealthy options and implementing nudging interventions to encourage better choices. Effective policies and enforcement are essential, yet only 48 countries have restrictions on marketing unhealthy foods. Prioritizing nutrition in schools is vital for future health and well-being.

A woman standing in a garden within a refugee camp. Refugees, Food

A refugee camp and a green thumb

Inside the Hagadera Refugee Camp in Dadaab, Kenya, Mariam has cultivated a thriving kitchen garden over the past 19 years, following her arrival from Somalia due to political unrest. Supported by the EU-funded Refugee Settlement Project and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), her garden produces nutritious crops like spinach, kale, and jute mallow, surpassing others in quantity and quality. Fellow community members frequently visit to admire her garden and learn from her. The project aims to expand support to another 2,000 households, promoting vegetable gardening and backyard chicken rearing to improve nutrition and dietary diversity for families in the camp.

A child in a tented area.
Children, Crisis and emergency response, UNICEF

Winter deepens Gaza children’s crisis

As winter storms batter Gaza, displaced children and families sheltering in fragile tents face life-threatening risks from flooding, cold, and disease, even as parents struggle desperately to protect them with almost nothing left.

Theo James, famous actor, standing in Syria's ruins.
Displaced Persons and Refugees, UNHCR

A fragile return to Syria

Theo James visited Syria to meet returning refugees and displaced families, highlighting both hope for rebuilding after years of conflict and the urgent need for continued humanitarian support, in his role as a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador.

A man walking past a tower of computers while pushing a trolley.
Science and Technology, UNCTAD

Data centres drive investment surge

Global foreign direct investment rose 14% in 2025, led overwhelmingly by capital-intensive data-centre projects tied to AI growth, though gains were concentrated in developed economies and masked weaker underlying investment activity.

A group of girls in a class setting
SDG 4: Quality Education, UNOPS

Bangladesh girls amplify leadership voices

Through the Accelerate SDG Localization initiative, adolescent girls in Bangladesh are learning leadership, rights, and digital safety, gaining the confidence and support to challenge restrictive norms and participate actively in their schools and communities.

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

On 25 November 2025, the President of the General Assembly and the President of the Security Council initiated the process of selecting and appointing the next Secretary-General. Candidates are nominated by a Member State or a group of Member States. Learn more about the multi-step selection and appointment process of the next United Nations Secretary-General.

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.

Gaza school: before and after October 2023

UNRWA has been providing education across four generations. For more than 75 years, the Agency has supported more than 2.5 million Palestine Refugees to finish school. Over 66,000 children are being taught in UNRWA’s temporary learning spaces, and nearly 300,000 through digital learning.

Every child has the right to education. 

30 years, zero nuclear tests

Marking 30 years of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBT), the world celebrates a near-universal commitment to end nuclear testing, upheld by a unique global verification network and proving that multilateral progress is possible.

Swiss startup takes hyperloop a step closer

Swiss engineers at Swisspod are developing hyperloop capsules that travel up to 1,200 km/h in low-pressure tubes, aiming to make ultra-fast, affordable transport a reality within the next decade.

UN Podcasts

Felipe in a photo-op with 3 young women. They are holding signs with hashtag key messages.

Interview with the youngest senior appointment in the history of the UN: Felipe Paullier (AAN S12-E7)

“Leaving young people at the sidelines of how we find solutions is not the way. It's really bringing them [in], because on many of the things, the solutions will come from them.”

A medical doctor by training, Dr. Felipe Paullier is a passionate advocate for young people. Two years ago, aged just 32, his life took a new turn when he became the first-ever Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs, the youngest senior appointment in the history of the United Nations.

“I've heard this from the Secretary General. You know, power, in essence, is not to be given, it's to be taken. ”

The UN Youth Office believes that positive change is rooted in empowering young people to meaningfully participate in decisions that impact their lives and futures. In this episode of Awake at Night, Felipe reflects on youth demands for peace and opportunity, on the stubborn barriers to change, and shares why he always prescribes reconnecting with nature as a cure for digital overwhelm.

Photo: ©YuWaah (GenU India)

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The United Nations in Pictures

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

in the darkness we see hands next to a boy plus his own hands as they reach towards a multitude of yellow candles aflame
Photo:© Ximena Borrazás

A photographer's account of the Ukraine war 

Loss and compassion in Ukraine: from the front lines to evacuation routes, Ximena Borrazás, a UN staff member with the Ukraine Humanitarian Coordinator’s Office (OCHA), has been documenting the human cost of Russia’s war against Ukraine — and the quiet dignity of those who endure it.

group photo of people standing in water submerged to their waist
Photo:© SGP Mexico

United by wetlands 

Although they cover only about six percent of the Earth’s land surface, 40 percent of all plant and animal species live or breed in wetlands. In the Bahamas, Mexico, and Zambia, local communities are working to protect this life-sustaining ecosystem. United in action with UNDP.

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