A group of people sitting together, reaching their hands toward the center for a collective high five.
Countering Terrorism

Resolve to prevent violent extremism

Terrorist groups exploit instability, runaway technologies, and socio‑economic fragility to target and intimidate vulnerable groups, with young people increasingly exposed to online radicalization. Addressing the roots of the problem requires tackling grievances and the conditions that enable terrorism by strengthening education, expanding civic space, and fostering dialogue and trust. On the International Day for the Prevention of Violent Extremism as and when Conducive to Terrorism (12 February), we are called to build resilient, inclusive communities where extremism cannot take hold and peace can prevail.

Violent extremism goes against the UN principles. It undermines peace, security, human rights and sustainable development.
Photo:Adobe Stock/Nicolas Micolani
A Palestinian family stands outside their home in southern Hebron, in the West Bank, that was burned in a settler attack.

West Bank: UN rights chief warns against deepening Israeli control over Palestinian land

11 February 2026 — UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk called on Wednesday for Israel to rescind recent measures to expand control over Palestinian lands in the occupied West Bank...

UNICEF is working on expanding STEM education for girls in rural areas.

Women and girls in science: Dismantling barriers, closing gender gaps

10 February 2026 — Although women are more likely than young men to pursue higher education, they make up only 35 per cent of science graduates. 

Read...

UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock addresses the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France.

General Assembly President urges Europeans to ‘stand up’ for the UN

10 February 2026 — The President of the United Nations General Assembly appealed on Tuesday for Europe to protect the international rules-based system, defend the truth in the face of fake news...

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.

A girl standing in a laboratory, wearing protective lab glasses and looking toward the camera. Women and Gender Equality

Inspiring girls to pursue science

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are vital for sustainable development, yet women and girls continue to face barriers to entering these fields, with only 35% of STEM graduates being female. UNESCO promotes gender equality in education by enhancing girls' access to quality STEM learning, improving teacher training, and supporting mentorship programs. By advocating for inclusive policies and celebrating women in science, UNESCO aims to challenge stereotypes and eliminate persistent obstacles. The International Day of Women and Girls in Science highlights these issues, featuring voices like Biology and chemistry teacher Edinah Nyakondi and her students from Kenya.

Two women exchanging information at a hospital specialising in cancer treatment in France. Health

Four in ten cancer cases could be prevented globally

In a stark reminder of how much of the world’s cancer burden is within our power to change, new World Health Organization (WHO) findings expose the enormous role preventable risks play in shaping global health. The new analysis reveals that up to 40% of global cancer cases could be prevented, estimating 37% of new cases in 2022, or 7.1 million, linked to preventable causes. Tobacco is the leading culprit (15%), followed by infections (10%) and alcohol (3%). Lung, stomach, and cervical cancers comprised nearly half of preventable cases, with smoking and air pollution primarily contributing to lung cancer. Meanwhile, in Gaza, thousands of patients continue to endure worsening illnesses and untreated pain.

A woman weighing rice noodles on a digital scale in her food stall in Myanmar. Economic Development

Noodles that nourish and empower

Maw Maw Hmwe operates a food stall selling rice noodle salads in Myanmar's Magway Region. As a mother of eight facing unstable crop yields due to climate change and political crisis, she needed a reliable income. In 2024, she joined a women's savings and credit group supported by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), which helped her access low-interest loans. Initially hesitant, she took a loan to improve her rice farming, which led to better harvests. The group not only provided financial support but also fostered a community where women share ideas and support each other during challenging times, giving Maw Maw a sense of confidence and independence.

A group of three school girls.
SDG 4: Quality Education, UNHCR

Girls return to classrooms in Sudan

In Sudan’s White Nile State, the reopening of a rehabilitated secondary school is restoring hope and education to hundreds of displaced and local girls after years of conflict.

A baby in a neonatal care unit under ultraviolet treatment.
Health Interventions, UNFPA

Delivering babies in darkness

Amid freezing temperatures and repeated power outages, Kyiv doctors continue performing life-saving Caesarean sections, relying on backup systems and resilience to protect mothers and newborns.

A tradesman at a beach shoreline.
Economic Development, UNCTAD

Services growth fails to deliver

UNCTAD’s 2025 report warns that service growth in least developed countries is limited by low productivity, weak digital capacity, and insufficient job creation, restricting broad-based prosperity.

An aerial view of Aden's, Yemen infrastructure.
SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, UNOPS

New roads revive Aden’s lifeline

In Aden, UNOPS-rehabilitated roads funded by Japan are restoring critical access to services and humanitarian aid, cutting travel times and reconnecting nearly 200,000 people to opportunity and essential support.

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.

What do young people think of social media and AI?

Your online feed can entertain, educate, or expose children to content they should never see.

From Brazil, the USA, and Kenya, UNICEF Youth Advocates Juliana, Elmar, and Precious share their experiences growing up online and their vision for a safer internet.

How the UN Is using Artificial Intelligence

Across the United Nations system, Artificial Intelligence is helping anticipate food insecurity, strengthen humanitarian response, protect oceans and promote more equitable work opportunities in support of the Sustainable Development Goals.

From child labourer to skills trainer

As a child helping his family make shoes, Jestoni Go Padua later became a school instructor, now empowering young people with skills for decent work and a better future.

UN Podcasts

Bintou and several people are seen with UN aircrafts in the background

Why peace begins with people, not power - interview with Bintou Keita (AAN S12-E8)

Bintou Keita knows instinctively that some moments call for a more human response than words alone can offer. Once, at a ceremony to mark the end of the devastating Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone, she found herself hesitating to deliver her pre-prepared statement to a grief-stricken crowd.

“I have my statement, but I can't deliver [it] because there's something else I have to do before. And in that moment, what came to me was humming, so I did it. And at that moment, the tears - my own, the tears in the audience - came out. These people were grieving, were still mourning.”

Bintou has retired after 36 years with the UN, most recently the Secretary-General’s Special Representative in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) and head of the peacekeeping mission there. In this episode, she reflects on times when peacekeepers saved thousands of lives, on how women can lead the way out of devastating conflicts, and shares why she has learned to never say never.

Photo: ©UN Photo/Ilyas Ahmed

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.

2 women are chatting. One sits on the ground and the other kneels beside her.
Photo:UNFPA Myanmar

Humanitarian solidarity

A UNFPA staff member talks to one of the victims of the 28 March earthquake in Myanmar. As in other crisis ridden countries, Myanmar families caught up in the disaster can't be waiting for the world to catch up — they need help now. Acting UN Humanitarian Coordinator Gwyn Lewis is urging donors to fully fund the response and invest in local mechanisms, so support can reach people faster and more directly. It’s a reminder that behind every appeal is a simple truth: for millions, aid isn’t abstract — it’s survival.

This UNOCHA-feature showcases several stories of aid disrupted, but not defeated.

women dressed in colorful cloth are gathered together inside an outdoor doorway for a photograph
Photo:IOM Sudan

What is happening in Sudan?

Over 3 million Sudanese have returned, most are going back to their exact home areas or nearby locations. Nearly three years into the conflict, families are returning to destruction and many return areas have extensive damage to housing, basic services, and critical infrastructure. Teams from the UN migration organization - the IOM - are responding by providing shelter and water among other vital basic services.

10 things you should know about Sudan: an IOM feature visual-storyteller.

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