Digital artwork featuring a golden justice scale above a world map, portraying global law and order.
Global Issues, International Law and Justice

How international law helps keep peace in a turbulent world

In a very complex geopolitical situation marked by multiple global crises, one of the United Nations’ most important achievements is building a shared set of international rules. These laws help countries work together, support economic and social progress, and reduce the risk of conflict. They are written into treaties and agreements and affect people’s daily lives, even if most of us don’t notice them. The UN was created to help countries resolve disputes peacefully and to develop and improve these international rules over time.

The Charter of the United Nations specifically calls on the Organization to help in the settlement of international disputes by peaceful means.
Photo:Adobe Stock/Hao
A Beirut neighbourhood lies in ruins following overnight strikes on Wednesday into Thursday.

MIDDLE EAST LIVE 16 April: UN meets over China-Russia Hormuz crisis veto as humanitarian crisis continues in Lebanon

16 April 2026 — War in Lebanon continues amid the fragile US-Iran ceasefire amid hopes for direct talks between Israel and Beirut. Meanwhile, the UN General Assembly is debating the China-Russia...

A humanitarian aid worker talks to a woman in front of a damaged apartment building in Kryvyi Rih, in south-central Ukraine.

Deadly Russian strikes on Ukrainians ‘simply trying to live their lives’ must stop, says senior UN official

16 April 2026 — The latest wave of Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilians in Dnipro, Kyiv and Odesa, which killed and injured scores of civilians, was roundly condemned by Matthias Schmale, the UN...

High food prices and hyperinflation are contributing to a spike in hunger in South Sudan.

Strength in numbers: Developing countries band together as Iran war batters global economy

15 April 2026 — Developing countries are banking on having a stronger voice in debt negotiations, following the launch of a new country-led borrowing initiative on Wednesday on the margins of the...

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. 

ECOSOC Youth Forum (14-16 April)

As a global platform for dialogue, the ECOSOC Youth Forum brings together young people, Member States, the UN system, and other partners to exchange ideas, showcase innovative solutions, and strengthen youth engagement in accelerating progress on the SDGs. Find the ECOSOC Youth Forum programme here.

Partnerships for the Goals

Goal of the month

 

Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals

Revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development

 

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 child walking along a dry, rocky path. Human Rights

Environmental degradation leaves billions without water and sanitation

Environmental degradation is driving a global human rights crisis by denying billions their rights to safe drinking water and sanitation. A UN Human Rights policy brief warns that climate change, pollution and ecosystem destruction are undermining States’ obligations to ensure water that is available, accessible, affordable, safe and acceptable for all. The impacts fall disproportionately on marginalized groups, including women and girls, children and Indigenous Peoples and people living in poverty. The crisis is compounded by underinvestment, structural discrimination and, increasingly, the deliberate targeting of water infrastructure in conflicts—threatening health, dignity, equality and even survival.

A woman and a man baking sweets in a kitchen. World Bank, Economic Development

To turn demographic growth into jobs, get the rules right

The world is seeing a huge rise in the number of young people ready to work, especially in developing countries, but far too few jobs are being created. Governments don’t need to create all the jobs themselves. Instead, they should make it easier for businesses to start, grow, and hire by setting clear, fair, and predictable rules. When companies feel confident to invest, more jobs follow. If countries succeed, growth and stability will spread globally. If they fail, job shortages could lead to deeper poverty, migration, and unrest.

A wide, open rangeland landscape dominated by shallow streams, low grass and three llamas. FAO, Agriculture and Food

Everything you ever wanted to know about rangelands and pastoralists

Rangelands and pastoralists may seem like distant silhouettes on the world’s margins, but together they form one of humanity’s quiet anchors, shaping landscapes, livelihoods and climate resilience across nearly half the planet. FAO is spotlighting their importance during the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists 2026. Stretching from grasslands and savannahs to deserts, wetlands and mountain regions, rangelands cover almost half of Earth’s land surface. When healthy, they regulate water, protect soils, store significant carbon and sustain biodiversity. Found on every continent, they underpin meat, dairy and fibre production and support cross‑border trade.

A displacement camp in Tawila, Sudan.
Peace and Security, Humanitarian Aid, WFP

Sudan crisis deepens

War, hunger, and displacement continue devastating millions in Sudan, as aid struggles to keep pace with worsening humanitarian needs and funding gaps.

Young people repairing musical instruments.
Music, Employment, UNDP

Beyond music

In Salvador, Neojiba helps young people build careers through luthiery, turning music education into jobs, skills, and social inclusion.

Finance, Economic Development, UNCTAD

Borrowers’ platform overview

A global forum where developing countries collaborate, share debt management strategies, and strengthen collective capacity to address rising financial challenges.

An advertising digital board on Times Square showing APR's cosmetic line.
Intellectual and Cultural Property, WIPO

Global brand strategy

Advance People’s Real (APR) beauty tech company leverages WIPO’s Madrid System to streamline global trademark protection, ensuring consistent branding, operational efficiency, and scalable international growth in cosmetics markets.

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.

Talking to teens about social media bans and building healthy digital habits

The guidance offers advice for parents on how to talk with their teens about potential social media bans. It emphasizes choosing a calm moment, listening without judgment, and recognizing that teens may have mixed feelings ranging from frustration to relief.

It also encourages parents to validate their child’s perspective and involve them in the conversation by asking open-ended questions. Finally, it highlights the importance of maintaining strong offline connections and building healthy, balanced digital habits together as a family.

Breaking workplace silence

In Benin, a new generation is learning about workplace rights and boundaries through sex education, helping to change workplace culture.

How safe Is radioactive transport?

Millions of shipments of radioactive materials move safely worldwide each year by sea, rail, road, and air, with strict protections due to their use in medicine, research, and clean energy.

UN Podcasts

A night-time picture of a large, illuminated building.

Global agrifood implications of the 2026 conflict in the Middle East

In a new episode of the FAO’s The Work we Do podcast, experts warn that the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz since 28 February is beginning to expose deep vulnerabilities in global food systems. The strait previously carried up to 35 percent of global crude oil, 20 percent of natural gas and nearly 30 percent of traded fertilizers. Prices have not yet spiked because existing stocks are absorbing the shock, but prolonged disruption could drive higher input, commodity and retail food prices into late 2026 and 2027. With planting seasons approaching, farmers face hard choices, making targeted, time‑bound support critical to prevent a wider food crisis.

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.

Two young girls carrying firewood on their way to a displacement camp in Sudan.
Photo:OCHA/Giles Clarke

Darfur's survivors

Do you want to understand the human toll of three years of war in Sudan through the voices of five people displaced by extreme violence? Produced by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) with photographer Giles Clarke, the story follows civilians who endured siege, hunger, attacks and abuse after conflict erupted in April 2023. Survivors describe fleeing besieged cities such as El Fasher, walking long distances to reach safety, and rebuilding life in overcrowded displacement camps like Tawila. With health systems shattered, many rely on humanitarian clinics for medical care and trauma support. The project highlights resilience amid loss, while warning that millions remain at risk as violence, displacement and protection needs continue to grow across Darfur.

A man working indoors in a dimly lit agricultural or storage setting, handling a large bundle of thick, raw wool.
Photo:© IFAD/Irina Unruh

Stopping the next pandemic at its source: Why rural investments matter

From a remote farm or village, the spark of the next pandemic can travel faster than the world expects. The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) argues that prevention starts in these rural “first miles,” where most infectious diseases emerge from animals and degraded ecosystems. Its investments strengthen livestock health, restore land and support small-scale farmers whose livelihoods anchor global food systems. By improving animal husbandry, ecosystem management and local incomes, IFAD reduces health risks at their source while stabilizing supply chains. Guided by a One Health approach linking human, animal and environmental wellbeing, and boosted by its new role in the global Pandemic Fund, IFAD is scaling up rural investments that protect communities locally while reinforcing health security and economic resilience worldwide.

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