tired young doctor taking off medical face mask
Health, WHO

Stop epidemics in their tracks

Resilient communities are fundamental to preventing, and responding to, epidemics and pandemics. Our best defense lies not only in science, but also in strong local health systems, well-supported frontline health workers, and local leaders who are prepared to guide their communities through crisis. This International Day of Epidemic Preparedness (27 December) let’s help all communities build a strong foundation for both prevention and recovery. Let’s stop epidemics in their tracks.

There is an urgent need to have resilient and robust health systems, reaching those who are vulnerable or in vulnerable situations.
Photo:Adobe Stock/RomanR
A pagoda at dawn in downtown Yangon, the commercial hub of Myanmar.

Myanmar elections marked by fear as UN warns civilians are coerced from all sides

23 December 2025 — As Myanmar approaches elections scheduled for 28 December, the UN’s top human rights official has said that civilians are being coerced from all sides – forced by the military...

Newly displaced people line up for WFP asssitance in South Kivu Province, DR Congo.

DR Congo: Displaced people in South Kivu close to ‘utter desperation’, WFP says

23 December 2025 — An estimated 500,000 people have been forced from their homes since fighting erupted in South Kivu province, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), at the beginning of December. ...

Children walk at a camp for displaced persons in Port Sudan, which is hosting families who fled violence across the country, including Darfur and Kordofan regions.

UN warns Sudan war entering deadlier phase as fighting spreads in Kordofan

22 December 2025 — The war in Sudan is entering a deadlier phase, the United Nations has warned, as intensified fighting in the Kordofan region, mounting civilian casualties from drone strikes and...

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.

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

Goal of the month

 

Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities

Reduce inequality within and among countries

 

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.

An empty classroom SDG 4: Quality Education, UNOPS

Safe learning restored in Bezruky

In Bezruky, Kharkiv region, the war forced the local gymnasium to close after sustaining damage, leaving students without a safe learning space. Through the EU-funded ‘School Repairs in Ukraine’ project, UNOPS renovated the school, converting its basement into a secure shelter and fully-equipped classrooms with ventilation, alarms, and restrooms. Corridors were transformed into an art gallery, making the space welcoming and inclusive. Students like Kamila, Mykhailo, and Kateryna now attend extracurricular activities safely, enjoying drawing, gymnastics, and learning. The initiative is part of a wider effort helping over 15,000 children across four regions return to in-person education.

Clara playing a flute. Migration, Music, Culture, IOM

Music bridges continents and cultures

Clara’s journey from Patagonia, Argentina, to Ireland shows how music can shape migration and create belonging. Drawn to Irish traditional music during her youth, she followed her passion across continents, finding community and purpose in Ireland’s vibrant trad scene. While integrating into Irish culture, Clara maintains her Argentinian roots, blending Latin American styles into her performances and teaching guitar to local children. Her story illustrates how migration allows culture to travel, evolve, and connect people. By sharing her heritage and embracing new traditions, Clara exemplifies how music can bridge worlds, build community, and make a new place feel like home.

A group of workers at a factory. Migrants, SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, UNHCR

Inclusion at work transforms refugee lives

Karla’s journey from repeated rejection to leadership at Coca-Cola FEMSA shows how inclusion unlocks talent and opportunity. After Mexico’s pledges at the 2019 Global Refugee Forum, UNHCR’s Programa de Integración Local helped connect refugees with jobs, documentation, and relocation support. Since 2016, more than 50,000 refugees have found employment, supported by over 600 companies. For refugees like Haitian technician Angelet François, work restores dignity, stability, and hope. These experiences prove that hiring refugees is not charity but smart economics, strengthening businesses, communities, and local economies.

A group of women workers in a greenhouse.
SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, ILO

Empowering migrant women

The WAFIRA project supports Moroccan rural women migrants through entrepreneurship training and financial literacy, strengthening independence and sustainable livelihoods at home.

Communication and Mass Media, UNESCO

Global erosion of free expression

The 2022-2025 UNESCO report reveals a 10% global decline in freedom of expression since 2012, driven by self-censorship, journalist attacks, economic pressures, and threats to democracy.

Two women smiling at each other.
Migrants, Women and Gender Equality, UN Women

Beyond numbers: Migrant women

Nearly half of global migrants are women whose vital care work sustains economies, yet harmful stereotypes continue to fuel discrimination, exclusion, and violence.

A picture of power generating farm.
SDG 13: Climate Action, UNCTAD

Global climate cooperation

COP30 advanced climate action through new finance work programmes, trade dialogues, and international cooperation mechanisms supporting just, equitable transitions for developing countries.

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.

Family Farming: At the heart of climate resilience

This video features submissions to the “Global Call for Stories: Family farmers at the heart of climate-resilient and sustainable agrifood systems,” organized by FAO’s Family Farming Knowledge Platform and Engagement Units, in collaboration with allies including Access Agriculture, Access Agriculture, Agricultural Extension in South Asia (AESA), Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA), Asian Farmers' Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA), CIRAD, EncontrAR, Latin American Council of Social Sciences (CLACSO), Platform of Latin America and the Caribbean for Climate Action on Agriculture (PLACA), Schola Campesina, and the World Rural Forum.

Does the future of the internet matter?

Actor and filmmaker Joseph Gordon-Levitt tells UN News that as technology reshapes societies, digital cooperation, creativity, and inclusion are essential for a responsible and human-centered future.

Childbirth shouldn’t be a death sentence

Angela Bassett, award winning actress, highlights that for mothers and newborns in crises, a $5 UNFPA Emergency Birth Kit can mean the difference between life and death.

UN Podcasts

Grandi speaking to mother and child in a hut

Filippo Grandi | A lifetime championing refugees

Filippo Grandi has devoted more than three decades to easing the suffering of refugees: “My pride after all these years is that the center of this effort of my lifetime has been on people, and especially on the people that suffer most in the world, including refugees.” 

Now, shortly before his term comes to an end, and as more than 117 million people worldwide remain forcibly displaced, the long-serving UN High Commissioner for Refugees is welcoming a rare moment of hope for one of the world’s largest refugee populations. “Home means your house, your family, your friends, your work, your school, and it is fantastic when, like in Syria […] people can go back to their homes. This is what most refugees want.”

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, not only helps those who flee war and persecution, but also those who choose to go home when peace returns. Appearing on Awake at Night for a second time, Filippo Grandi reflects on the dangers of divisive politics, the human cost of painful budget and staff cuts, and shares his hopes and dreams for life after the UN.

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.

woman showing plastic braiding with little girl
Photo:UNDP/Clara Wetzel

UNDP's year in pictures

In 2025, the global community notched important achievements for human well-being. But conflict, disasters and other crises clouded the skies over the development landscape. Against strong headwinds, countries took determined steps towards realizing their visions for a sustainable development. And the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) was at their side. Marking its 60th anniversary, UNDP continued to evolve to meet the complex challenges of the present while laying the foundations for a more resilient future. Here are some snapshots from its work with partners, in 2025.

Man in African garb interacting with young fashion student.
Photo:© FAO/Giulio Napolitano

Fashion pays tribute to African cotton and designs

Fashion paid tribute to African cotton and designs on World Cotton Day by bringing together Nigerien fashion designer and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, Alphadi and students at Rome’s Accademia di Costume e Moda. Young designers worked with colourful African cotton to create fashion pieces, guided by Alphadi’s expertise, blending African and Italian design traditions in a two-day masterclass organized by FAO. The event highlighted cotton’s sustainability, its role from field to fashion, and celebrated Africa’s textile heritage and global potential.

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