A young boy, held by a woman high above her head, is smiling and pointing at the camera.
United Nations Organization

Hope amid hardship: UN renews global commitment

Despite a challenging year that has tested humanity in every way, the latest Secretary-General's Report on the Work of the Organization released today highlights that progress is still achievable. Available in various formats, the report looks back on a year of headwinds and hope for humanity and demonstrates that despite enormously trying times – indeed, precisely because of them – we can and must keep pushing for the better world that we know is within reach. We will renew our efforts to achieve peace, foster sustainable development and defend and uphold human rights, for all of humanity. Read more about the report on UN News.

A little boy in Yemen has recovered from acute malnutrition thanks to a United Nations programme.
Photo:© UNICEF/Alaa Noman
Young boys fill water containers in Gaza.

Gaza City lifelines collapsing, UN aid agency warns

18 September 2025 — The last remaining lifelines for civilians in Gaza City are collapsing as Israel ramps up military operations, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA...

A woman and child wads through floodwater in Kurigram, Bangladesh .

‘No end’ expected to floods and storms as global heating continues

18 September 2025 — The world’s water resources face growing pressure from climate change while emergencies involving the life-giving resource are increasingly impacting lives and livelihoods, the...

A little boy in Yemen enjoys a happy and active life after making a full recovery from acute malnutrition, thanks to a UN therapeutic feeding programme.

UN presses ahead with mission for a better world despite global headwinds

18 September 2025 — During a year of escalating global turmoil – from widening wars and economic hardship to the relentless advance of the climate crisis – the United Nations has held its ground,...

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.

SDG Media Zone 22-26 September

SDG Media Zone

Join the United Nations Department of Global Communications during the high-level week of the General Assembly's 80th session from 22-26 September and hear about the transformation and solutions needed to accelerate action on the SDGs. See the details on the SDG Media Zone UN80 programme.

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.

A primary school teacher in Algiers with her students.

Equal pay for gender equality

International Equal Pay Day (18 September) represents the ongoing efforts to achieve equal pay for work of equal value. Globally, women are paid around 20% less than men, and recognizing the importance of equal pay is crucial for human rights and empowerment. The Sustainable Development Goals emphasize the need to achieve gender equality and promote decent work for all.

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 group of women standing outdoors holding up a 5$ bill. Women and Gender Equality, UN Women

Gender equality in 2025: Gains, gaps and the $342 trillion choice

2025 is a pivotal year for global equality, with just five years left to meet the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Gender Snapshot 2025 highlights the potential consequences of inaction versus the benefits of progress. While there are hopeful signs, such as girls surpassing boys in education and increased female representation in government, persistent issues like poverty, climate disasters, and anti-feminism threaten these gains. The choice is clear: the world must invest now to ensure that equality becomes a reality for girls born today.

A collage combining diverse visual elements that represent themes of environment, energy, and culture. Climate Change, UNDP

What are carbon markets and how do they work?

Carbon markets allow the trading of carbon credits, which represent a reduction or removal of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. Buyers, including governments, companies, and individuals, purchase these credits to offset their emissions. Carbon credits are generated through activities like forest protection, wetland restoration, renewable energy adoption, methane capture from landfills, and improving energy efficiency. Once verified, the credits can be exchanged to help meet emission reduction targets cost-effectively. After purchase, the credits are retired, preventing reuse.

A cityscape filled with tall buildings and skyscrapers, enveloped in a layer of fog or smog, creating a hazy atmosphere. Pollution and Waste, UNEP

10 things you should know about air pollution

Car exhaust. Factory smoke. Wildfire haze. Chances are, no matter where on Earth you live, you’re exposed to some form of air pollution almost every day.  Air pollution remains a widespread and critical public health concern, responsible for an estimated 8.1 million premature deaths in 2021. The recent International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies emphasized solutions, focusing on the theme "Racing for Air," which highlights the urgent need to combat this global emergency. Sports associations are increasingly supporting clean air initiatives. Steven Stone, Deputy Director of UNEP, stated that just as athletes need clean air to thrive, so does everyone else, as it supports healthy individuals, resilient communities, and a healthier planet.

An industry emitting gas in the air.
Climate Change, World Bank

Rebooting climate growth

Amid rising climate shocks, African leaders are redefining development by linking ecological stability with inclusive, resilient economic progress and job creation.

A river with trees and grass
SDG 13: Climate Action, UNESCO

Resilient river communities

In South Africa’s Vhembe Biosphere, local farmers blend traditional knowledge with science to monitor climate impacts and adapt to droughts and floods for a sustainable future.

A couple of fish traders at a dock.
SDG 12: Sustainable Consumption and Production, UNCTAD

Sustainable fisheries pact

The World Trade Organization Fisheries Subsidies Agreement marks a pivotal step toward ocean sustainability, curbing harmful subsidies while supporting developing nations and global food security.

A group of workers with children in a playground.
Social Development, ILO

Empowering care economies

Colombia’s SSE-based care model, supported by the ILO and Sweden, advances gender equality, decent work, and community-led services under national and global frameworks.

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.

5 Facts on the UN General Assembly High-Level Week

UNGA80 marks the 80th session of the General Assembly and the 80th anniversary of the United Nations, where world leaders gather at the high-level week in New York to discuss global issues. 

A Story of Human Progress

For 60 years, United Nations Development Programme has partnered with governments and communities to reduce inequalities, create jobs, support crisis recovery, and promote inclusive, sustainable development worldwide.

Childhood shattered by war

Rawan, displaced by war, narrates her story of healing through UNRWA’s psychosocial support, which has aided over half a million children.

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 help by palliating their pain and working towards a cure. 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.

Two Venezuelan teens wearing traditional costumes and taking part in a Brazilian folk dance celebration.
Photo:IOM/Abreu Mubarac

Two venezuelan teens find home on the dance floor in Brazil

Giselle and José, from Venezuela, met in Mucajaí, a small town in northern Brazil, where they bonded over high school and quadrilha rehearsals. José shares that dancing the quadrilha eased his loneliness and helped him feel at home in Brazil. The quadrilha junina, a lively folk dance filled with colorful costumes and joy, plays a central role in Brazil’s mid-year festivities, attracting thousands in Roraima, where they now live. Amid a wave of over 700,000 Venezuelan migrants in Brazil, many have benefited from Operation Welcome, a government initiative launched in 2018 with IOM’s support, which offers humanitarian support and relocation opportunities for rebuilding lives.

A Japanese boy standing against a black background, wearing a black shirt with a "DRT" logo, a volunteer network that helps clean up after disasters, orange gloves, and a helmet.
Photo:OCHA/Vincent Tremeau

Dreams from Japan

When a powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake hit Japan’s Noto Peninsula on New Year’s Day 2024, more than 590 people lost their lives and tens of thousands of homes were destroyed. Eighteen months later, people in this rural part of central Japan are still recovering, and many still live in temporary shelters. But they are helping each other to rebuild their lives. French photographer Vincent Tremeau spent a decade documenting the dreams and hopes of children affected by crises, often travelling with OCHA staff members. In February 2025 he visited schools on the Noto Peninsula and met some of the children. Here are their stories.

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