Natural Resources and the Environment

Protecting forests for a sustainable future

As the UN Forum on Forests convenes at UN Headquarters , we highlight the vital role forests play in sustaining our planet’s health, climate balance, and human well-being. Covering 31% of Earth’s land, forests nurture biodiversity, regulate water cycles, and support over 1.6 billion people. Since its creation in 2000, this ECOSOC forum has championed key milestones—including the UN Forest Instrument and the Strategic Plan for Forests 2030. This year’s forum unites global leaders to strengthen forest governance and secure a greener, more resilient future for all.

Tree planting activity for youth in Haiti (2011)
Photo:UN Photo/Logan Abassi
A girl stands amidst the rubble of her destroyed home in Rafah, Gaza.

Guterres alarmed by Israeli plans to expand Gaza ground offensive

5 May 2025 — The UN Secretary-General is alarmed by reports of Israeli plans to expand ground operations and prolong its military presence in Gaza, a spokesperson for António Guterres said on...

A view of Pahalgam. (file photo)

‘Step back from the brink’, Guterres urges India and Pakistan

5 May 2025 — UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday called for “maximum restraint” from India and Pakistan, warning that escalating tensions over a recent deadly terror attack in Kashmir...

UN staff administer polio vaccines at a health clinic in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, in September 2024.

UN warns of growing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza

4 May 2025 — The UN and partners on Sunday issued a stark warning over the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, as Israeli authorities maintain a near-total blockade on the delivery of aid for a...

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.

SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Goal of the month

 

Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies.

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 minibus is driving refugees back to their homes in eastern Syria. Displaced Persons and Refugees, UNHCR

UNHCR organizes first voluntary return convoy from northeastern Syrian camps

On April 15, 84 residents from the Areesha camp for internally displaced people (IDPs) in northeast Syria began their journey home after more than seven years, assisted by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. Among them was Shahrzad and her two daughters, aged 7 and 8, who were excited to reunite with their father in Al Mayadin, after he spent two months in Damascus for medical treatment. Shahrzad expressed her long-awaited joy, having fled a military offensive in 2017. Her youngest daughter was born in the camp, and both children have no memories of their parents' hometown. While UNHCR plans to support the return of about 3.5 million Syrian refugees and IDPs by 2025, their efforts face significant obstacles due to drastic cuts to global humanitarian funding, resulting in job reductions and the closure of community centers in Syria.

In Honduras, a man wearing a hat is facing away from the camera and looking towards a river. Human Rights, OHCHR

Dignity and struggle: The right to land in Honduras

In the 1970s, the Bajo Aguán region of Honduras became the focus of agrarian reform, with hundreds of families relocated to its fertile lands. However, this area has since become plagued by violence and corruption, leading to land dispossession and murders, as noted by Bardia Jebeli from the UN Human Rights office in Honduras. Legislative changes in the 1990s facilitated land purchases by agro-industrial entrepreneurs, further exacerbating these issues. Rural poverty is significant, with many affected individuals being small-scale farmers facing systemic discrimination and human rights challenges. Despite this, communities in Bajo Aguán, led by women and youth, resist these adversities, viewing their land as a vital life project. International support, especially from UN Human Rights, has provided hope and solidarity, emphasizing the importance of their role as allies in the fight for justice and equity in land rights.

A close-up of a silkworm sitting on a hand. Agriculture and Food, FAO

Out of its cocoon

A new silk farming industry is emerging in Mukono, Uganda, managed by Waiswa Aggrey Mubeerwa for the Seres Textile Company Limited. Established in 2019, the facility awaits the arrival of an extracting machine to begin exporting silk. This initiative is part of a South-South Cooperation (SSC) project implemented by FAO, working with the Ugandan government and China's Ministry of Agriculture. Uganda's climate is ideal for mulberry trees, the sole food for silkworms. With proper training and resources, farmers can significantly increase their income, as a kilogram of silk can earn around USD 50 in China. By the end of 2024, the project had distributed 200,000 mulberry cuttings and trained 44 farmers. The SSC project aims to enhance agricultural productivity across Uganda, benefiting 70,000 farmers in various sectors, transitioning from subsistence farming to commercial operations essential for poverty alleviation.

A woman weaving a basket with a toddler sitting next to her in the marketplace.
Displaced Persons and Refugees, WFP

Sudanese refugees find hope

With support, Sudanese refugees in Birao, Central African Republic, are finding stability through food aid, farming, and education after fleeing conflict.

A man kicking a football in the air.
Sports, Refugees, IOM

Kicking hope into motion

In the heart of Ma’rib’s displacement camps, a football tournament organized by International Organization for Migration offers youth like Basheer a rare sense of connection, purpose, and hope amid hardship.

A graphical representation of the globe with a decline arrow.
Economic Development, UNCTAD

Global growth under threat

UNCTAD forecasts global growth will slow to 2.3% in 2025, below the 2.5% global recession indicator, as escalating trade tensions and record-high policy uncertainty trigger financial volatility and erode business confidence worldwide.

A baby receiving a vaccine orally.
SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being, UNICEF

Vaccines save lives

From measles to polio, immunization has saved 154 million lives in 50 years—and holds the key to a future where no child dies from preventable diseases.

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

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.

A young girl holds a smiling infant at the Zaatari Refugee Camp

Our Common Agenda

Following up on a pledge made by UN Member States at the UN’s 75th anniversary, the report Our Common Agenda looks ahead to the next 25 years and represents the Secretary-General’s vision on the future of global cooperation. It calls for inclusive, networked, and effective multilateralism to better respond to humanity’s most pressing challenges.

Watch and Listen

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

Ms. Sara Olsvig, Indigenous Activist from Greenland

Ms. Sara Olsvig, International Chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Council, addresses critical issues facing Inuit communities in the Arctic, including her home country of Greenland. She served on the UN Secretary-General’s Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals in 2024 and is a speaker at the 24th Session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (21 April – 2 May 2025), focusing on financing Indigenous participation in critical minerals.

World Intellectual Property Day 2025

This year, World Intellectual Property Day (April 26), was all about the creators, innovators, and entrepreneurs who bring music to life.

World Hand Hygiene Day 2025

Held every May 5, let's remember, it might be gloves but it's always hand hygiene.

UN Podcasts

‘If you want to make your country great again, don’t retreat from the world’: UN relief chief

UN Humanitarian Affairs chief Tom Fletcher has been forced to make “brutal cuts” to his organization, as major donors in the rich world slash their aid and international development spending.

UN News’s Conor Lennon spoke to him on Thursday via video-link from the UN offices in the Afghan capital Kabul, at the end of a three week visit to some of the most vulnerable communities in the country, where he has witnessed first-hand the deadly consequences of the dramatic aid slowdown.

Mr. Fletcher has publicly challenged policymakers who signed off on cuts to come to Afghanistan to see the effect they're having on the population, saying that “the effect of aid cuts, is that millions die”.

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.

Three people are sitting on the floor, working with bamboo leaves.
Photo:©Kaushik Agarwala

A bio-cultural treasure

India is recognized as a mega-diverse country, with the Northeast region—comprising eight states—being a significant biodiversity hotspot that holds over 30% of the nation’s biodiversity. This area is home to unique species and a rich cultural tapestry of around 220 ethnic communities that maintain a harmonious relationship with nature. Local governance has preserved tribal identities and traditional practices, which contribute to biodiversity conservation. However, extreme weather events linked to climate change are threatening the livelihoods of these communities, leading to increased urbanization, abandonment of agricultural practices, and loss of traditional knowledge. To combat these challenges, the UNDP has launched the North-East India Biocultural Initiative (NEBI) under the ICCA-GSI, aiming to empower Indigenous and ethnic communities by revitalizing traditional knowledge and promoting ecosystem-based solutions that align with their cultural and ecological systems.

A woman conducting a study of the soil in El Salvador.
Photo:©FAO/Mario Araujo

Cultivating solutions against climate change in Central America

In the countries of the Central American Integration System (SICA) lies the Dry Corridor, considered one of the most vulnerable ecoregions to climate variability and change. It is characterized by long periods of drought with rising temperatures or intense rainfall. People dependent on agriculture are the most affected socially, economically, and environmentally, with serious consequences for their food security and nutrition. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) works with Central American governments to promote innovative solutions that support the work, leadership, and knowledge of women and men in preparing, alongside their rural communities, to face climate change, the degradation of natural resources, and limited access to technology and innovation — all key to achieving inclusive rural development, thus strengthening resilience and improving livelihoods.

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