Aerial view of the Amazon Rainforest, South America
Natural Resources and the Environment

The future belongs to the Tropics

The Tropics host extraordinary biological and cultural diversity, with a complex history and challenges. Most people suffering from extreme poverty live in the Tropics, and the exploitation of resources by colonial powers has shaped economies with serious disadvantages. Despite that, there is a promising future with a growing, more educated, and young population that can maintain its economic growth. This International Day of the Tropics, 29 June, let's celebrate their extraordinary diversity, while highlighting not just the challenges, but also the opportunities.

The Tropics account for 40% of the world’s total surface area and are host to approximately 80% of the world’s biodiversity.
Photo:Gustavo Frazao/Adobe Stock
Children is Sudan are facing widespread food insecurity.

Famine risk is real for 14 areas of Sudan amid ongoing fighting

27 June 2024 — The risk of widespread famine in Sudan caused by war there was confirmed on Thursday by leading hunger experts who warned that the country faces “the worst levels of acute food...

Young boys released from armed groups in South Kivu province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, look out of a window.

UN hears testimony from former child soldier on brutal reality of war

26 June 2024 — The UN Security Council on Wednesday heard powerful and personal testimony from a former child soldier who recounted harrowing experiences of being abducted and forced to join an...

A child waits to fill water containers in Gaza.

We’ll never abandon Gaza, pledges top UN aid official

26 June 2024 — UN aid teams and partner organizations remain deeply committed to delivering lifesaving supplies to Gazans in need despite the increasing dangers of working there, the Organization’...

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.

We the Women

‘We the Women’ survey results

Amid a global backlash against women’s rights, women are committed to championing rights and representation. Survey results from 185 countries show that 86 per cent cite climate change, and more than 50 per cent identify conflict as primary concerns for the next decade. Mental health and family responsibilities are seen as barriers to reaching full potential. Access the full report and the We the Women campaign.

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.

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.

Secretary-General watering tree with people around clapping

Goal of the month

 

Special Focus: Environment

 

Goal 13: Climate Action
Goal 14: Life Below Water
Goal 15: Life on Land

 

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.

worker in front of solar panels Climate, UNDP

Keeping the promise on climate action

In the relentless march of climate change, the Earth is heating up faster than ever. The climate crisis unquestionably poses an existential threat to humankind. But it’s not too late to pull back from the precipice. We can still realize the promise of the Paris Agreement by taking urgent action, including reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by phasing out fossil fuels, protecting and restoring biodiversity and natural ecosystems and increasing resilience. Working hand in hand with nations around the globe, UNDP is spearheading efforts to translate intentions into actions. 

children sitting on floor in class Éducation, UNESCO

Economic and societal cost of educational gaps

There are 250 million girls and boys currently excluded from access to education. A new UNESCO report reveals that the costs to society add up to $10 billion a year globally. The report estimates that reducing the proportion of school dropouts or those without basic skills by just 10% would increase annual GDP growth by 1 to 2 percentage points. Education therefore appears to be one of the best investments a country can make. To achieve the goal of quality education for all, the UNESCO report provides 10 recommendations, including providing free, publicly-funded primary and secondary education, smaller class sizes, and qualified, motivated teachers.

two women holding photo of teenaged boy Torture and Other Cruel Treatment

Surviving torture: “I choose life every day”

Emma Molina Theissen, a 64-year-old Guatemalan human rights activist, survived torture during the country’s internal armed conflict. Before fleeing to Costa Rica, she faced violent interrogations, rape, and the abduction of her brother. Despite that, she continued her fight for truth and justice in Guatemala and a court sentenced the perpetrators of her torture and her brother’s disappearance. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, commemorated on the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, 26 June.

Health Interventions, WHO

Mortality from alcohol and substance abuse

The WHO report underscores the staggering impact of alcohol and drug use, with 2.6 million deaths annually from alcohol, emphasizing urgent global action to address substance use disorders and their devastating health and social consequences.

Displaced Persons and Refugees, UNHCR

Global displacement crisis

UNHCR issues stark warning as forced displacement reaches alarming levels, urging global action to prevent apathy and inaction.

Women and Gender Equality, ILO

From seafarer to future officer

Nayomi Amarasinghe's journey from overcoming gender barriers to becoming a seafarer with global experience highlights resilience and ambition in the maritime industry.

Refugees, WFP

Neighbours struggle with Sudan's refugees

As Sudan's crisis continues, Chad and South Sudan are increasingly affected, hosting over half of Sudan's more than two million war-displaced refugees who face heightened hunger worsened by the rainy season.

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.

Did you know?

As the world’s only truly universal global organization, the United Nations has become the foremost forum to address issues that transcend national boundaries and cannot be resolved by any one country acting alone.

Watch and Listen

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

Madagascar: This is what climate change looks like

Small-scale farmers in Southern Madagascar find themselves on the front lines of climate change, facing increasingly unpredictable weather patterns and environmental degradation. Erratic rainfall and prolonged droughts have become common, severely affecting agricultural productivity and food security.

The price of inaction: the global costs of children and youth not learning

UNESCO, OECD, and the Commonwealth Secretariat's inaugural global report aims to quantify the economic ramifications of widespread educational exclusion among children and youth globally.

Striving for trans pride and indigenous women’s rights in Peru

When Gaby, a 27-year-old indigenous Awajún transgender woman, returned to Mamayaque, she confronted the pervasive violence against women and discrimination faced by LGBTQIA+ individuals.

UN Podcasts

Achim looks at food packages with men and women standing next to him. The women wear veils.

Breaking Barriers to Progress

“How, in our age, do we overcome this competition between ecology and economy, which is leading us to so many destructive and ultimately, increasingly catastrophic realities around the world?”

Born in Brazil to German parents, Achim Steiner knows first hand the power of cultural exchange to drive international cooperation. Now head of UNDP, he leads global efforts to secure a better future for our planet and its people.

“The clearest lesson from 50 years of modern development thinking is don't try and just pick one aspect and put all your eggs in that basket. Society is complex, development is about choices. And you will either get them right and succeed or you will fall apart.”

In this episode, Achim reflects on the thorniest challenges facing humanity, on his hopes for a fairer, cleaner future, and on the vital lessons he learned in rural Pakistan.

Photo:©UNDP Afghanistan/Oriane Zerah

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.

children jumping in sea
Photo:©UNICEF/UNI560974/Bak Mejlvang

Youth from 57 island states call for urgent climate action

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are susceptible to extreme weather events, rising seas and temperatures, coastal erosion and biodiversity loss – all caused or exacerbated by climate change. Children and young people living in the SIDS are especially vulnerable: a degraded environment affects them physically and psychologically. This is why youth action to protect SIDS is so important. On the eve of the 4th International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS4) in Antigua and Barbuda, children and young people representing 35 of the 57 Small Island Developing States gathered at the Children and Youth Action Summit – to ensure that their voices are heard at this once-in-a-decade global event. Pictured: Children play by the sea on reclaimed land in Tuvalu.

man and woman planting tree
Photo:©UNEP/Frank Machiya

As trees rise, parched African landscapes spring back to life

Desertification affects around 45 per cent of Africa’s land, with 55 per cent of this area considered at “high” or “very high” risk of further degradation. That is a huge threat to food security and sustainable development on a continent whose population is expected to grow by nearly 1 billion by 2050. Through Regreening Africa, an award-winning initiative, Ethiopian villagers have replanted trees and shrubs, which are helping to counter desertification. The initiative has restored more than 350,000 hectares across Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal and Somalia. It has done so by reaching more than 600,000 households through its training and tree-growing efforts. 

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