Four individuals, each of whom symbolizes a different aspect of sustainable development, such as innovation, industry, agriculture and cooperation.
Economic Development

New opportunities and innovation through South-South and Triangular Cooperation

At the midpoint of the 2030 Agenda, the world faces major challenges: climate change, debt burdens, food insecurity, digital divides, and 650 million people in extreme poverty. South-South and Triangular Cooperation offer practical, locally grounded solutions that complement traditional aid. The 2025 theme for the International Day for South-South cooperation (12 September), “New Opportunities and Innovation,” emphasizes sustainable financing, resilient partnerships, SDG progress, and the Global South’s leadership. Platforms like South-South Galaxy and the Solutions Lab help scale what works.

South-South and Triangular partnerships offer practical, flexible solutions to today's crises.
Photo:AI-Assissted Illustration by Sadek Ahmed
School children visiting Pyongyang, the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

DPR Korea: UN report finds human rights situation still dire, a decade on

12 September 2025 — The death penalty in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) is “more widely allowed by law and implemented in practice” than a decade ago, said a senior UN human...

The UN General Assembly votes on whether to back the “New York Declaration,” a resolution that seeks to breathe new life into the two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians.

General Assembly endorses New York Declaration on two-State solution between Israel and Palestine

12 September 2025 — Applause rang out in the UN General Assembly Hall on Friday as countries endorsed a declaration on the peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine and implementation of...

A staff member with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) speaks with displaced women in the eastern province of Nangahar in Afghanistan. (file)

Afghanistan: New restrictions on women nationals working for UN, put aid efforts at risk

11 September 2025 — The United Nations in Afghanistan called on Thursday for the de facto Taliban authorities to lift restrictions barring women national staff from entering its premises. 

...

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.

17 SDG goals

GOAL OF THE MONTH

Special Edition

The 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly marks a critical milestone in the global effort to accelerate progress towards the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. A decade after the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, millions of lives have improved through gains in health, education, energy, and digital connectivity.

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 scene inside a greenhouse with two people carrying a blue tray filled with small potted plants. Economic Development, UNDP

How overconsumption is stealing our future

Being in debt can be burdensome, and similarly, our obligations to Earth are growing. We are depleting the planet's resources through deforestation, food waste, overfishing, and fossil fuel extraction at an alarming rate. This year, Earth Overshoot Day, which indicates when we surpass the Earth's annual resource replenishment ability, fell on July 24. At our current consumption rate, we require 1.75 planets to support our lifestyles. Since 1971, when we were within planetary limits, our consumption patterns have increasingly disregarded the needs of future generations.

A group of children are seated around a wooden table, eating thanks to the school meal programmes. Food Aid, WFP

80 million more children are now supported by school meals worldwide

It's encouraging to see that nearly 80 million more children are now receiving school meals compared to 2020, bringing the total to about 466 million. A new World Food Programme (WFP) report shows that the increase is especially impactful in low-income countries, where participation in school meal programs has surged by 60%. In Africa, about 20 million more children are being nurtured through these efforts, with significant strides in countries like Kenya, Madagascar, Ethiopia, and Rwanda. This rare success in the development space is being led by governments around the world.

A woman stands in a Cambodian rice paddy. Agriculture and Food, FAO

Sowing seeds, reaping resilience

After her mother passed, Seuy Phok managed her fields alone while raising her child. For over four decades, she harvested rice using traditional methods in northwestern Cambodia. However, unpredictable rains in recent years have made farming challenging, leading to crop damage. Four years ago, heavy rainfall devastated her rice fields. Seuy then joined the "Promoting Climate-Resilient Livelihoods in Rice-based Communities" project by the FAO, which provided her with high-quality seeds and sustainable farming training. As a result, her yields doubled, allowing her to sell both rice and seeds.

A young lady gleefully washing her hair.
Displaced Persons and Refugees, IOM

Becoming someone, somewhere

In war-scarred Tigray, displaced families at Maidimu navigate profound loss with dignity, turning survival into renewal through water, art, play, and quiet acts of resilience.

A church in Mosul
Philosophy and Religion, UNESCO

Faith and future

In Mosul, restored mosques and churches reopen together, symbolizing unity, renewal, and the power of culture to bring hope and healing after destruction.

An illustration of different weather conditions.
Climate Change, WMO

Air, Climate, Action

A new World Meteorological Organization report reveals how air quality and climate are deeply connected, urging integrated policies, better monitoring, and global cooperation to protect health and ecosystems

A man and woman sitting on top sacks of food in a warehouse, tabulating data.
Data and Statistics, ILO

JobAgri strengthens Ghana's workforce

Kalian Sampoa Gumah collects vital data from agricultural workers in Ghana, supporting JobAgri’s mission to improve agri-food jobs, productivity, and food security through policy.

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.

Pau Gasol is chef for a day!

NBA All-Star and two-time NBA champion Pau Gasol, UNICEF’s Global Champion for Nutrition and Zero Childhood Obesity, is helping lead the fight against the global childhood obesity pandemic by whipping up a healthy recipe for change. 

In 2025, obesity surpassed underweight among children for the first time, driven by toxic food environments, while UNICEF’s “Fix My Food” movement empowers youth worldwide to advocate for healthier, more equitable food policies.

Money for peace, not war

Military spending reached a record $2.7 trillion last year, undermining diplomacy and draining resources from critical areas like hunger and poverty, warns a new UN report.

Maggots transforming waste

In Benin, black soldier fly larvae decompose organic waste in 12 days, producing natural fertilizer that boosts soil and crop yields.

UN Podcasts

looking at a monitor and pointing at the screen while the IAEA Director General looks on

A ray of hope for cancer patients - May Abdel-Wahab (AAN S11-E7)

“Every person that walks through the door is a new person, a new friend … if they leave the exam room with a smile and feeling hope, then you've done a good job.”

Whenever a new cancer patient entered her office in the U.S., Dr. May Abdel-Wahab knew she could probably save their life. Now, as Director of the Division of Human Health at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), she delivers hope to patients in places where treatment has until now been unavailable.

“So much can be done to treat cancer, but too many people in the developing world have no access to care. It's unthinkable. It's unfair.”

With global cancer cases expected to mount in the next two decades, the IAEA is equipping low- and middle income countries with training and radiotherapy to help more people survive the disease. In this episode, Dr. May Abdel-Wahab reflects on the outlook for cancer outcomes around the world, the challenges of anchoring new treatment centres, and shares how her upbringing taught her to see the world as one human family.

Photo: ©IAEA/Dean Calma

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 rustic kitchen scene featuring a woman standing at a wooden counter and facing away from the camera towards a lush green forest.
Photo:©FAO/Laura Rodríguez

Empowering rural communities in South America to reverse deforestation

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), with the Green Climate Fund (GCF) funding, are implementing native forest conservation projects which include generating livelihoods and preserving ancestral traditions of rural communities in Argentina, Colombia, and Chile. Don't miss the opportunity to see the impact of these efforts, check out the photo story!

A black and white photograph of a large group of musicians performing on stage.
Photo:© UNICEF

Greatest hits for humanity: A history of music and giving

What do music legends George Harrison, Ravi Shankar and ABBA have in common? Over the years, they, along with Jon Batiste, Fleetwood Mac and countless other musicians, have helped change the lives of millions of children. From rock and pop stars to jazz, cabaret and funk prodigies – these musicians, in partnership with UNICEF, have proven that music-led advocacy can drum up compassion for causes once tuned out. And the appeals resonate.

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