The UN mural by Spanish artist Jose Vela Zanetti illustrates humanity's ongoing quest for lasting peace. It vividly captures this universal struggle, spanning more than 18 meters in length and nearly 4 meters in height.
Peace and Security

United in Diversity: Embracing Peace and Solidarity

Rooted in the UN's post-World War II mission to prevent conflict and uphold human rights, the UN General Assembly declared the International Day of Living Together in Peace (16 May) to emphasize the importance of accepting and respecting differences while striving for peace, tolerance, inclusion, and solidarity, and to promote reconciliation and sustainable development by encouraging forgiveness, compassion, and cooperation. Likewise, various UN initiatives emphasize that peace requires positive engagement and the elimination of discrimination and intolerance, not just the absence of conflict.

Humanity's struggle for lasting peace is the theme of Spanish artist Jose Vela Zanetti's mural at United Nations headquarters.
Photo:© UN /John Isaac
Children travel in the trunk of a car as they leave Rafah in southern Gaza.

Guterres repeats call to Israel to halt Rafah assault as aid stocks dwindle

16 May 2024 — UN chief António Guterres reiterated his warning on Thursday against a full-scale assault on Rafah, just as aid teams issued increasingly urgent appeals for safe passage throughout...

A girl sells ice cream in Kassala state in eastern Sudan.

‘Time is running out’ to address crisis in Sudan

15 May 2024 — The international community must give greater attention and resources to war-ravaged Sudan, where millions are “trapped in an inferno of brutal violence”, the top UN aid official in...

Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, Gaza, was hit during intense Israeli shelling in February. (file)

Gaza: 600,000 displaced from Rafah

15 May 2024 — Amid some of the fiercest reported fighting in Gaza yet, UN humanitarians on Wednesday repeated warnings that famine is still an imminent threat because of aid restrictions and a...

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.

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.

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.

SDG 15: Life on Land

Goal of the month

 

Goal 15: Life on Land

Sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, halt biodiversity loss

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 person waving an LGBTIQ+ flag. Human Rights

Equality, freedom and justice for LGBTIQ+ people

All persons have an equal right to live free from violence, persecution, discrimination, harassment and stigma, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ+) persons. Ensuring the full spectrum of human rights and freedoms for all individuals lies at the core of the United Nations mission. It's crucial for progress in development, peace, security, and humanitarian efforts, aligning with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and international agreements. For this reason, the UN System has launched a new website highlighting the organization's work on behalf of LGBTIQ+ people.

Seaweed farming is a process that includes the harvesting of algae, removal of foreign weeds and debris, bleaching, and sun-drying the harvested algae, followed by packaging the dried product for sale. FAO, Agriculture and Food

Seaweed boosts income for Dominica's aquaculture farmers

On the small Caribbean Island of Dominica, there is a species of wild sea moss, or red algae, called Gracilaria that locals have traditionally farmed and used to make drinks, gels and other products. But this slow-growing variety has caused production and supply challenges for its farmers, leading to a reliance on imports of other varieties from neighboring islands to meet local demand. A solution to the problem came in the form of Eucheuma cottonii, a commercial sea moss species offered up as part of a Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) project. Despite occasional difficulties, sea moss remains high on the country’s aquaculture agenda due to its high-income earning potential.

Currently, over half of all expenses related to wildfires are allocated to immediate response efforts. Meanwhile, less than one percent is invested in the planning and prevention of wildfires. UNDP, Natural Resources and the Environment

Volunteering to help save our forests

In 2023 alone, 400 million hectares were consumed by flames—an area twice the size of Mexico. Forest fires cause biodiversity loss, release large quantities of carbon dioxide, and degrade the soil and contaminate water resources. Today, more than half of forest fire-related costs go toward rapid response. But less than 1 percent is spent on planning for and preventing this environmental threat. Costa Rica's Volunteer Forest Fire Brigade has been supported by the Global Environment Facility’s Small Grants Programme (SGP), implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in fighting forest fires for the last 30 years.

Climate Change, UNESCO

Life amidst the ice

In the isolated expanse of the Arctic, amidst freezing sea ice and dwindling daylight, a sailor's reflections reveal the intricate dance of survival, adaptation, and changing landscapes in the face of climate shifts and cultural narratives.

Natural Resources and the Environment, UNEP

Carpathian climate resilience efforts

Adaptation policies, including forest restoration and nature-friendly management practices, play a crucial role in mitigating climate risks in the Carpathian Mountains, while promoting biodiversity and ecosystem resilience.

Peace and Security, Food Aid, WFP

Rafah humanitarian crisis deepens

The escalating military activity in Rafah, southern Gaza, has triggered mass displacement and threatens a humanitarian catastrophe, with the World Food Programme urgently needing access and supplies to rebuild aid distribution systems.

Health Interventions, UNFPA

Midwives aid Cameroonian refugees

Midwives in Chad's Kalambari refugee camp provide crucial care and support, helping Cameroonian refugees navigate the challenges of displacement and access essential sexual and reproductive health services.

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

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.

A young girl holds a smiling infant at the Zaatari Refugee Camp

Our Common Agenda

Following up on a pledge made by UN Member States at the UN’s 75th anniversary, the report Our Common Agenda looks ahead to the next 25 years and represents the Secretary-General’s vision on the future of global cooperation. It calls for inclusive, networked, and effective multilateralism to better respond to humanity’s most pressing challenges.

Watch and Listen

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

One of humanity's greatest achievements

Vaccines have saved six lives a minute. Every minute, for five decades. Speak up and tell leaders it’s time for immunization for all.

Mediterranean countries step up the fight for forests

Restoring Mediterranean forests has been recognized as a World Restoration Flagship under the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, offering hope and solutions to these pressing challenges.

Women driving resilient infrastructure

In the aftermath of Cyclone Idai, World Bank launches recovery project in Zimbabwe to rebuild communities and foster long-term resilience. 

UN Podcasts

Lazzarini talking with people in a courtyard of a school that has been turned into makeshift housing. The space is overcrowded with people and hanging laundry everywhere.

The Human Cost of War

“[...] yet we are here seeing unfolding under our watch, our eyes, one of the fastest evolving looming famines, which has been completely fabricated. It's man-made. And which can easily be reversed through political will and political decision. It is deeply frustrating, but it's outrageous and makes me very angry [...] ”

Philippe Lazzarini holds one of the most challenging positions in the whole of the United Nations. As head of UNRWA, he is leading the backbone of the humanitarian operation in Gaza. Following the devastating terror attacks by Hamas and others on 7 October, Israel’s military operations in Gaza have brought unspeakable death and destruction. 2.2 million Palestinians are in the midst of an epic humanitarian catastrophe. In this episode, Philippe Lazzarini reflects on the trauma of the past months and the human cost of war.

“Ceasefire, ceasefire, ceasefire. If we have a ceasefire and the opening of the crossing, and we can flood assistance to the Gaza Strip, we would be able to prevent this catastrophe.”

Photo credit: ©UNRWA/Hussein Owda

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 mother holding a baby.
Photo:©UNFPA Armenia/Aspram Manukyan

A wish for every mother: A safe birth and a promising future

In an ideal world, every mother-to-be would have access to a skilled midwife and could give birth in a safe and peaceful environment. Unfortunately, many women lack these assurances. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is striving to achieve this ideal scenario for every woman by investing in midwives and training, including in emergency humanitarian situations, and by equipping maternity wards and mobile health teams.

The increasing use of landmines in Myanmar presents an alarming threat to the safety and well-being of children
Photo:© UNICEF Myanmar/2024/Minzayar Oo

Dreams at Risk: Myanmar Children's Future Threatened by Landmines

In 2023, the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) provided mine risk prevention and response services, including survivor assistance, to nearly 140,000 individuals, among them children, throughout Myanmar. Efforts to scale up mine risk education sessions, supported by pamphlets and handbooks in local languages, are underway in conflict zones. The escalating deployment of landmines in Myanmar poses a grave danger to children's safety and well-being. Each detonation not only ends lives but also destroys aspirations and strips away the innocence of childhood. It is crucial for all involved parties to collaborate in safeguarding children from the severe consequences of landmines.

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