A family sits at a WFP distribution point in Gaza.
Global Issues, Crisis and emergency response

A world on fire

In 2025, 305 million people require urgent humanitarian aid due to crises driven by conflict and climate change. Wars in Sudan, Gaza, and Ukraine have led to significant displacement and civilian casualties. Food insecurity is on the rise, affecting 280 million people, and famine conditions are deteriorating in countries like Sudan or Haiti. The world is approaching 1.5°C warming, resulting in severe natural disasters, with 90 million displaced in high-risk climate areas. Global solidarity is essential for humanitarian action, and individuals can help by donating to emergency relief funds.

The UN has a long-standing mandate to coordinate humanitarian assistance to communities affected by conflict and disaster.
Photo:© WFP/Photolibrary
A view of Tripoli, Libya.

Libya’s fragile transition plagued by deepening economic and political divides

17 April 2025 — Libya’s prolonged political transition is facing renewed strain, with mounting economic pressures and tensions between rival governments threatening the calm that has held since...

The UNRWA water well serves around 20,000 displaced people in Jabalia, Gaza.

Gaza: Alongside conflict, an information war is still happening, warns UNRWA chief

17 April 2025 — Amid reported Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip into Thursday that killed at least 23 people, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, issued an urgent call...

Displaced people in northern South Sudan. (file)

South Sudan on the brink as peace deal falters, UN warns

16 April 2025 — South Sudan stands at a dangerous crossroads as rising political tensions threaten to derail a fragile peace deal, amid growing fears of renewed conflict in the world’s youngest...

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.

SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Goal of the month

 

Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies.

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 Sudanese woman before boarding a truck for a risky 500 km journey home. Humanitarian Aid, WFP

Amid surging hunger and hopes for peace, Sudanese mark grim war milestone

As Sudan enters its third year of war, hunger has reached catastrophic levels. Famine has been confirmed in 10 areas, and 17 others are at risk. Millions of people like Abu Sufian and his family are on the move, crowded into temporary shelters before fighting uproots them once again. In a nation where nearly half the population is hungry, the World Food Programme (WFP) assistance is sometimes the only barrier against starvation. Over 13 million people across Sudan have received WFP assistance over the two years since fighting erupted. But even as the WFP aims to scale up its support to reach seven million people a month by mid-year, it faces severe funding and access constraints. “Without immediate assistance, especially in famine or famine-risk areas, thousands of lives are at risk," says Makena Walker, WFP's Acting Country Director in Sudan.

A banner on the street showing a portrait of a woman and calling for solidarity with Iranian women. Women and Gender Equality, OHCHR

Justice and accountability: woman, life, freedom protests

Maryam was forced to record a message for her parents while in detention, facing a mock execution for protesting against systemic discrimination against women and girls in Iran. Despite her fear, she expressed determination, saying she would die with purpose. Two and a half years after the protests began, women and girls in Iran still face severe persecution. A recent UN Human Rights report confirms that Iranian authorities are implementing new restrictions on their rights and intensifying crackdowns on supporters of the "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement. The report was recently presented to the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

A small-scale wine producer in Georgia pouring wine into his cup. Agriculture and Food, FAO

Endemic grape varieties attract agri-tourists

Givi Chubinidze, a winemaker from Georgia's Imereti region, carries on his family's winemaking tradition, which has been passed down for generations. His ancestors cultivated indigenous grape varieties like tsitska, krakhuna, and adanasuri, and Givi named his wines Nanua after an ancestor who served as a royal wine-cellar keeper. Currently, he cultivates around 120 endemic grapevine varieties on his land to adapt to climate change, believing these grapes embody Georgia's cultural heritage. In 2024, Givi received a matching grant from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) through the European Neighbourhood Program for Agriculture and Rural Development (ENPARD) to enhance his wine production by integrating modern food safety standards with traditional methods, aiding rural development and food safety in the region.

Peace and Security, UNHCR

Hope through crisis

After surviving a devastating missile strike, 70-year-old Nadiia found safety, shelter, and healing thanks to UNHCR’s rapid response and flexible donor support.

SDGs, World Bank

Five to thrive

With just five years remaining to achieve the 2030 global goals, the Outcomes Department has sparked a bold transformation, strengthening impact, accountability, and purpose across the World Bank Group.

Economic Development, UNCTAD

Rising trade tensions threaten growth

As global growth slows to 2.3% in 2025 amid rising trade tensions, UNCTAD urges stronger policy coordination and regional integration to support developing economies.

Humanitarian Aid, UNOPS

From conflict to community resilience

United Nations Office for Project Services, Ethiopia’s government, and the World Bank are rebuilding Tigray’s schools, healthcare, and food systems to support post-conflict recovery.

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.

Measles outbreaks are on the rise

Measles is a deadly but preventable disease that still kills over 100,000 children each year, mostly in low-income countries. While vaccines have nearly eliminated it in wealthy nations, poor access and weak health systems keep it a major global threat.

Camels: Climate-resilient assets

In Mauritania, camels are driving sustainable development as improved milk production and training empower communities and create new economic opportunities.

Every voice in science

On the 2025 International Day of Women and Girls in Science, UNESCO encouraged global participation, inspiring girls to pursue STEM for a brighter future.

UN Podcasts

A mother and her newborn baby

Healthy births, saving mothers

What does a mother need to know to ensure that she has a safe pregnancy and delivery? What are some warning signs to watch for? And what are a woman’s rights while going through a pregnancy and delivery? Join maternal health expert Dr Femi Oladapo in a new episode of WHO's Science in 5 podcast.

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 woman lying in bed with her newborn twins.
Photo:UNFPA Sudan

No hospitals, no hope

Sudan is facing a devastating civil war that has lasted two years, leading to widespread violence, displacement, and a severe healthcare crisis. Up to 80% of health facilities in the hardest-hit areas are either barely operational or completely closed. The conflict has displaced millions and resulted in horrific atrocities, including systematic rape. With an estimated 91,000 women expected to give birth in the next three months, many lack safe access to healthcare. Over half of Sudan’s population, approximately 30.4 million people, will need assistance in 2025 due to ongoing attacks on facilities and significant funding shortages. The United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency (UNFPA) is working to support the few operational health facilities, providing essential services to women and girls amidst these challenging conditions.

A sarus crane, the world’s tallest flying bird, spreading its wings.
Photo:Pexels/Tucky Piyapong

A vision for a Viet Nam park unites people and cranes

In 1988, Tram Chim National Park in the Dong Thap province of Viet Nam was home to a stunning sunset view featuring over 1,000 sarus cranes, the world’s tallest flying bird and a symbol of Dong Thap's natural and cultural heritage. However, due to the loss of key plant species, these cranes have not been seen in nearly 40 years, with none returning by 2022. The Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Network (BES-Net), a UNDP flagship initiative supported by the German Government, is working with the Vietnamese Government to address this issue. They are implementing a strategy to restore wetland habitats and support local communities in Tram Chim, aiming to reduce ecosystem pressures and encourage the return of the cranes.

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