A girl writes a note with markers.
Peace and Security

The work of the United Nations is only possible through solidarity

The creation of the United Nations drew the peoples and nations of the world together to promote peace, human rights and social and economic development. The Organization was founded on the premise of unity and harmony, expressed in the concept of collective security that relies on the solidarity of its members to unite “to maintain international peace and security.” To celebrate the spirit of solidarity necessary for “cooperation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural or humanitarian character”, 20 December marks the International Human Solidarity Day.

Children from a school in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, write notes of solidarity to Japanese children affected by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
Photo:© UNICEF / UNI109657 / Steinlechner
A mother carries water which UNICEF has been trucking daily to reach families in makeshift camps in the Syrian Arab Republic.

Syria: Millions displaced, impoverished and traumatized, Security Council hears

16 December 2020 — As the end of another year of war looms, “families in Syria remain without respite after almost a decade of conflict”, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator told the Security...

Locusts swarm in the Nugal region of Somalia. (file photo)

Desert Locust ‘re-invasion’ threatens millions across Horn of Africa

16 December 2020 — New Desert Locust swarms are forming in the Horn of Africa, threatening agricultural livelihoods and the food security of millions of people, the UN Food and Agriculture...

Trials have demonstrated that the coronavirus vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca is safe and effective at stopping people developing COVID-19.

To end the pandemic, WHO says $28 billion ACT project is ‘the best deal in town’

15 December 2020 — An international coalition aiming to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic needs $28 billion, a bargain price for stopping the damage done by a virus that has run rampant for the past...

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.

Act Now

ActNow Campaign

The ActNow campaign aims to trigger individual action on the defining issue of our time. People around the world have joined to make a difference in all facets of their lives, from the food they eat to the clothes they wear.

Decade of Action

Decade of Action

With just 10 years to go, an ambitious global effort is underway to deliver the 2030 promise—by mobilizing more governments, civil society, businesses and calling on all people to make the Global Goals their own.

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.

SDG Goal 13: Climate Action

Goal of the Month

 
Climate Action

Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.

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 man riding a bicycle in full protective gear including a facemask. UNDP, Economic Development, Social Development

The story of how humans are changing Planet Earth

The UNDP 2020 Human Development Report (HDR) doubles down on the belief that people’s agency and empowerment can bring about the action we need if we are to live in balance with the planet in a fairer world. It shows that we are at an unprecedented moment in history, in which human activity has become a dominant force shaping the planet. These impacts interact with existing inequalities, threatening significant development reversals. Nothing short of a great transformation is needed to change the path we are on. The Report explores how to jumpstart that transformation.

A black and white photo portraying a family with children of all ages. UNHCR, Displaced Persons and Refugees

The UN Refugee Agency at 70

This month, the UN Refugee Agency turned 70 years old. For an organization that should have ceased to exist after three years, it is an uncomfortable birthday that it is not in the mood to celebrate. After WWII, UNHCR had the task of finding homes for Europe’s refugees. Brought into being on 1950, its mandate was time-limited and explicitly non-political, as if its existence was a reminder of miseries that were best swept away along with the rubble. Since, UNHCR has been called upon time and again to do whatever it can to protect vulnerable people uprooted from their homes.

A group of people carry big sacks on their backs. WFP, Humanitarian Aid

‘The Nobel Peace Prize to WFP is a wake-up call’

Having taken up his current position as WFP Country Director in Chad after experiences in war-torn countries — most recently, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) — Claude Jibidar has witnessed first-hand how conflict and hunger feed each other. “While conflict is widely acknowledged as one of the main drivers of hunger, there are also many examples where hunger is at the roots of conflict… We must come together to seek pathways to peace and stability and avert the loss of a generation of children to hunger and malnutrition induced by conflict,” says Jibidar.

A top-down view of a woman on a rustic rowboat serving food.
UNWTO, Tourism

#RestartTourism

After partnering back in May for a campaign asking the world to be patient, responsible and “travel tomorrow”, UNWTO and CNN team up again as the restart of tourism gets underway.

Image of a busy street with the letters over the image that read: 2020 The Year in Review.
World Bank, Poverty, Health

2020 Year in Review

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact our lives, the World Bank provides an overview in 12 charts and graphics, of its research in the face of a truly unprecedented crisis.

Illustration of interconnected environments.
UNEP, Natural Resources and the Environment

Greening the Blue

The UNEP 2020 Greening the Blue report provides a snapshot of the UN System’s environmental impacts throughout 2019 and the activities underway to reduce them.

Screens showing heart rates lines.
WHO, Health

Leading causes of death and disability

During the 2000 to 2019 period, noncommunicable diseases made up 7 of the world’s top 10 causes of death, according to WHO’s 2019 Global Health Estimates.

Woman fills transportation bins with tomatoes. FAO, Agriculture and Food

Fruits and vegetables make healthy diets

The newly launched International Year of Fruits and Vegetables 2021 (IYFV) appeals to improve healthy and sustainable food production through innovation and technology and to reduce food loss and waste. Proclaimed at the 74th session the UN General Assembly, IYFV 2021 is dedicated to raising awareness about the important role of fruits and vegetables in human nutrition, food security and health. FAO, the lead agency for celebrating the year in collaboration with other organizations, launched the year with a campaign that includes a promo video and background paper.

Glaciers against a mountain range IMF, Finance

Glaciers of global finance

The currencies held by central banks as foreign exchange reserves have remained largely steady over decades. Changes of these holdings can be described as glacial in pace. But geopolitical shifts and technological revolutions are reshaping the global economy and the international use of currencies. These forces, and the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, could further accelerate the transformations in the reserve holdings of central banks. A new IMF staff paper analyses the composition and drivers of central banks’ reserve currency holdings over recent decades.

young woman with shopping basket WHO, Youth

"Global Youth Mobilization for Generation Disrupted"

A new ground-breaking global youth mobilization was launched to invest in and scale up youth-led solutions and engagements in response to COVID-19. The initiative was launched by an alliance of the world’s largest youth movements and organizations, together with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Foundation. Funding for community programmes, engaging youth in solutions to address COVID-19, and convening Global Youth Summit are key features of the new initiative.

woman pouring out water UNOPS, Water

Water: the artery of life

Water in East Darfur is not in short supply, but is mostly available from water reserves deep underground, making the precious resource difficult and costly to extract. A multifaceted project focused on improving natural resource management and access to potable water in rural areas is helping to improve health, strengthen livelihoods and foster peace in an area prone to conflict. “Water is the artery of life. Without water we can't carry on our lives. For us, having water has solved many problems,” says Elnor Alsair Elnor, the head of the local natural resource committee in Kadeik.

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.

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.

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.

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

The Middelgrunden Off Shore Windturbines located in the Øresund Straight separating Denmark and Sweden. UN Photo

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.

young children smiling at camera

UN75: 2020 and Beyond

In 2020, the United Nations turns 75. UN75 aims to build a global vision for the year 2045, the UN's centenary; to increase understanding of the threats to that future; and to drive collective action to realize that vision.  #Join the Conversation #Be the Change

Watch and Listen

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

Kiribati: Battling for Survival (Rising Sea Levels)

Kiribati risks becoming the first country to lose its land territory to climate change, as sea levels rise. Supported by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, Kiribati's people are working to protect their islands, planting mangroves and preserving the shoreline.

I won’t let anything stop my sister from going to school!

While on their way to school, a terrible bicycle accident left Avni visually-impaired and eventually unable to return to school with her older sister Bina. That’s when Bina, who found this situation absolutely unacceptable, decided to fight for her sister’s right to education in a passionate struggle that ended up changing not only their lives, but also that of their community.

Strong Health Systems Are Key to Distribute COVID-19 Vaccines

The World Bank is providing US$12 billion to help low-and middle-income countries get ready to deploy vaccines, including expanding storage, building cold chains, developing data and tracking systems, training health workers, and building trust in immunizations through citizen and community engagement.

UN Podcasts

Evans Dims

Being born a refugee’s no joke, but worse things can happen: AK Dans

Irrepressible comedian AK Dans was born in the world’s largest refugee camp,  Kukuma, in Kenya, after his mother fled South Sudan in the 1990s. 

He’s now a successful stand-up artist – or was - until the COVID-19 crisis put a temporary halt to his live shows. 

But you can’t keep a good man down for long, and now AK’s latest challenge is taking part in an online show with the support of UN refugee agency, UNHCR. 

As the agency marks it’s 70th birthday this week, he’s been explaining to UN News’s Daniel Johnson how he got into comedy in the first place – and how he wants to help break stereotypes about what refugee life is like.

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.

migrant worker standing in doorway
Photo: IOM/Muse Mohammed

PHOTO STORY: Migrant workers 'destitute' in Beirut

Migrant workers in Beirut have been left “destitute and in dire need of assistance” as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the devastating explosion which destroyed large parts of the port area of the Lebanese capital city. That’s according to the International Organization for Migration. Agnes, from Sierra Leone, a domestic worker says she was “kicked out” of the house she was working in and “left without work”, after the pandemic struck.

woman carries bridal dress through shop
Photo:UNDP Eurasia/Ferdi Limani

Wedding season hits a hitch in Kosovo

The wedding industry is one area that saw a sharp decline this year, as many postponed their planned nuptials due to the pandemic’s restrictions. Indoor gatherings were banned, with banquet halls all dressed up and no one to celebrate in them. Wedding dress entrepreneur, Anna, has also felt the impact. As events were cancelled, so were the appointments to her shop.  Forced to close her business, she now concentrates on production in her workshop.

A boy eating from plate.
Photo:WFP/Arete/Joost Bastmeijer

WFP responds as refugees from Ethiopia seek sanctuary in Sudan

As conflict continues in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, thousands of people are at risk of hunger. Some 100,000 people have fled their homes in Tigray, including more than 48,000 who crossed the border into eastern Sudan, leaving their possessions behind. In Um Rakuba camp in Sudan’s Gedaref state, WFP has just completed a distribution of food at the camp to more than 11,500 refugees. In Sudan, WFP has a  shortfall of US$153 million over the next six months to meet the food needs of the most vulnerable across the country.

woman and girl at a kitchen table
Photo:UNAIDS

The COVID-19 pandemic and women living with HIV

COVID-19 is a particular concern for people living with HIV, for both people who are not on HIV treatment and are vulnerable, as well as those who are, in ensuring they have access to medicines and health facilities. The COVID-19 pandemic throws into sharp relief existing inequalities, including gender inequality and economic inequality. Caroline Damiani, a single mother of three, living in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, says her business was greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

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