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 child queues for water in Gaza.

Hunger and a heatwave plague the Gaza Strip

14 August 2025 — As hunger and malnutrition deepen in the Gaza Strip, humanitarian missions continue to face delays and impediments, while scorching temperatures are adding to the suffering of the...

Conflict-related sexual violence continues to be used as a weapon of war.

UN warns of steep rise in sexual violence during conflict

14 August 2025 — Sexual violence in conflict zones rose sharply in 2024, increasing by a quarter compared to the previous year, the UN reported on Thursday. More than 4,600 survivors endured...

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,...

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.

Two individuals standing outside a building wearing white T-shirts that say, "WE ARE Voting". Youth, OHCHR

Grassroots partnership empowers South Africa’s youth

Kabelo Motlhophe never thought he would move from a cleaning job to a leadership role in local government. After witnessing a civic education workshop while cleaning, he became intrigued and decided to join the training sessions by Activate! Change Drivers, a youth empowerment network. This led him to run for election as a ward councillor in Mamelodi, where he won in 2021. Motlhophe credits the training, especially on public participation rights, as key to his success. Activate! partners with UN Human Rights Regional Office for Southern Africa to promote youth engagement in civic life and participation in public affairs.

Dr. Jürgen Adam Sánchez, Youth changemaker with OIM Mexico, and another persona seated at a table, actively engaged in an activity. Youth, IOM

The physician committed to creating a fairer world for migrants

When he began practicing medicine several years ago, Dr. Jürgen Adam Sánchez believed his role was to treat diseases. However, working closely with migrant children and adolescents, he quickly realized that the deepest pain is often not physical but rooted in the stories these young migrants carry with them along their journeys. Sánchez is a Mexican physician specializing in public health based in Hermosillo, Sonora. At 29, he has served as a shelter coordinator, university professor, and activist. Sánchez advocates for compassionate healthcare and believes in the potential of migrant youth to break cycles of violence, emphasizing the importance of strong peer support networks alongside access to services. He is committed to creating a fairer world for migrants.  

A close-up of a pile of madd fruit in different stages of ripeness. Agriculture and Food, FAO

“Madd de Casamance” helps Senegalese communities profit from a native fruit

For generations, communities in Senegal’s Casamance region have harvested wild madd fruit, prized for its richness in vitamins and antioxidants. Traditionally collected by youth and often found in the "Sacred Woods," madd is deeply tied to local customs. Despite its cultural significance, producers have faced challenges ranging from limited control over pricing to unsustainable harvesting, over-exploitation, and forest fires. However, on June 25, 2024, madd became the first Senegalese product registered as a Geographical Indication (GI), ensuring protection of its name and quality. This initiative promotes sustainable practices and strengthens local economies by keeping production and income within the community.

An Afghan woman rests with her son inside a tent erected to give returnees some shade from the burning sun at Takhta Pul, near the Pakistan border.
UN Women, Gender Equality

What it’s like to be a woman in Afghanistan in 2025

What is life like for women and girls in Afghanistan today? UN Women’s 2024 Afghanistan Gender Index explores the data and helps you understand what the world must do to stand with Afghan women.

A woman shows a group of people how the Cybertracker application works
Indigenous Peoples

UNESCO's tracker training preserves indigenous knowledge

UNESCO brought together two of Africa’s remaining hunter-gatherer communities to test the CyberTracker application that allows users to record animal tracks, signs, and ecological data.

A truck carrying bananas from Kampala, Uganda, a landlocked nation.
UNCTAD

Geography as an opportunity: New landlocked economic priorities

UN Trade and Development outlines a clear vision for landlocked developing countries to enhance trade opportunities through regional cooperation, digital readiness, and targeted reforms.

A group of African workers is working on a construction site outdoors.
Africa, ILO

Training and on-the-job learning is key for empowering Africa's youth

Africa has one of the world's largest youth populations, with 426 million young people. Expanding access to technical and vocational education is crucial for building a more resilient workforce among Africa's youngest workers.

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.

What do young people really think about having kids?

We hit the streets of #NewYork to ask young people a simple question: Do you want to have kids? Hear what they have to say and join @UNFPA—the @UnitedNations sexual and reproductive health agency—to support their freedom to choose their own lives.

ILO's flagship programme has transformed the lives of over 200 million workers

As we approach the end of the second phase of the Safety + Health for All flagship programme, the ILO highlights some of the main achievements made so far, which have touched the lives of over 200 million workers!

The GTM - Driving Women's Empowerment and Climate Resilience

The Gender Transformative Mechanism (GTM) is an initiative by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) aimed at enhancing the impact of government-funded projects by promoting gender equality and women's empowerment alongside climate resilience. It provides financial support and technical assistance to help governments harness the potential of rural women. By 2030, it aims to empower over 20 million rural people across 20 countries.

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 young man from Pakistan, Shabib Asghar, kayaking near a coastal area.
Photo:UNDP

Shabib’s Ocean Promise

The ocean, covering over 70% of our planet, is vital for human existence but faces crises from pollution, overfishing, and climate change. Grassroots actions are essential, exemplified by Shabib Asghar, a PADI Dive Master and UNDP Youth4Climate awardee from Pakistan. After his first dive in 2015, he became Director of Marine conservation Pakistan and launched the Reef Revival Initiative in 2025, focusing on organic coral propagation without artificial structures. Leading a dedicated team, Shabib empowers youth through hands-on projects, promoting sustainable practices like eco-friendly fishing and habitat restoration to protect coastal ecosystems.

A group of Argentinian students inside the classroom looks at the camera.
Photo:UNOPS

Click, learn, grow

In a digital world, traditional education faces challenges in engaging students who are used to fast-paced content. The Argentinian Province of Córdoba recognizes the need to integrate technology into education to bridge the digital divide. Schools have been equipped to enhance learning experiences, but technological obsolescence remains a challenge. To address this, UNOPS partnered with Córdoba to renew and expand IT infrastructure in public schools, offering students new learning opportunities and fostering greater interest in their education.

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