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A man in uniform plants a seedling.
Natural Resources and the Environment, Peace and Security

International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict

Natural resources and the environment hold tremendous peacebuilding potential. From economic recovery and government revenues to sustainable livelihoods and the restoration of basic services, the way natural resources are managed and governed can either fundamentally support or undermine peacebuilding objectives. The United Nations strives to ensure that action on the environment is part of conflict prevention, peacekeeping and peacebuilding strategies. There can be no durable peace if the natural resources that sustain livelihoods and ecosystems are destroyed.

A Nepalese peacekeeper plants a tree outside UNAMID Headquarters in El Fasher, Sudan.
Photo:UN Photo / Albert Gonzalez Farran
Secretary-General António Guterres briefs reporters at United Nations Headquarters in New York.

Ukraine grain deal, Ethiopia agreement, show ‘power of multilateralism in action’: Guterres

3 November 2022 — Russia’s decision to rejoin the Black Sea Grain Initiative and the Ethiopian agreement to end the war in Tigray demonstrate the power of multilateralism in action, said the UN...

A young girl holds a child as she makes her way to a mobile health clinic after their village was devasted by the floods in Pakistan.

More funding needed for climate adaptation, as risks mount

3 November 2022 — Countries must urgently ramp up action to adapt to the current and future impacts of climate change, as efforts now are too little and too slow, the UN Environment Programme (...

Journalists work on a rooftop in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Intimidated, jailed, abused: Threats against journalists harm us all, warns UN chief

2 November 2022 — Governments and the international community must take action to protect the people who bring us the news, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in his message on the...

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.

the General Assembly in session

UN High-level Summits and Conferences in 2022

2022 is a critical year for accelerating efforts on the SDGs. UN Summits seek to deliver solutions to today’s development challenges, and will lead up to the SDG Summit in 2023. Coming up next is COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh (6 to 18 November).

Act Now

ActNow Campaign

ActNow is the United Nations campaign for individual action on climate change. Every one of us can help take care of our planet. Learn what you can do to be part of the solution and influence change. To log your actions, download the app.

water in a dam

UN 2023 Water Conference

The General Assembly will hold the UN 2023 Water Conference from 22 to 24 March 2023 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.  Water is everyone’s business.  See how you can engage and also follow the preparatory meeting on 25 October 2022.

SDG Goal 13: Climate Action

Goal of the Month

 
Climate Action

Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.

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 man inspects solar panels SDG 13: Climate Action, UNDP

COP27: A chance to act

The last seven years have been the hottest ever recorded. And they’re just a taste of what to expect if we continue to fail to act on global heating. COP27, taking place in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, is an opportunity to stop talking and start acting. Change is happening around us, and the Paris Agreement points the way. In country after country, UNDP has witnessed, alongside our key partners, the transformation that takes place when leadership, political will and investment come together. There is no future without meaningful climate action.

Three men plant trees in a swampy area SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, FAO

Changing the urban landscape

For most of human history, people around the world lived in small communities. However, over the past few centuries – and particularly in recent decades – there has been a mass migration of populations from rural to urban areas. In fact, in 2007, the number of people in urban areas around the globe overtook the number in rural settings. The need to drastically improve city living is clear. From curbing food waste to expanding green spaces, FAO’s Green Cities Initiative is transforming urban and peri-urban areas in Africa and worldwide.

A woman in a traditional outfit stands with her feet in the ocean Climate Change, Migration, IOM

COP27: Addressing climate migrants

Climate action is urgent. Without early and concerted climate and development action, over 216 million people could become internal climate migrants by 2050. The human mobility implications of the climate crisis are profound. We must act urgently, involving the whole society. We must strengthen people’s resilience and move from negotiation to implementation. At COP27, we must deliver for humanity, for its dignity and for future generations. At COP27, we must leave no one behind. Find out more about IOM’s work to help climate migrants.

A man sits outdoors
Gender Equality, UNFPA

Ending child marriage to help girls finish school

In Malawi, village head Patete, attended a training session by UNFPA focused on ending all forms of violence against women and girls and increasing awareness of human rights and gender equality.

A man holds a basket in front of a vertical garden and solar panels.
Trade and Commerce, UNCTAD

Urban entrepreneurs can help build sustainable cities

A new report by UNCTAD explores how urban entrepreneurs, or urbanpreneurs, use innovative solutions to tackle challenges triggered by rapid urbanization and drive the expansion of smart cities.

A trophy with the WHO emblem behind it
Health, Art, WHO

Health for All Film Festival

WHO calls for short films for the 4th edition of the Health for All Film Festival, recruiting year after year a new generation of film and video innovators to champion and promote health issues.

Flying United Nations flag
Climate Change

Climate plans remain insufficient

A new report from UNFCCC shows greenhouse gas emissions decreasing but underlines that these efforts remain insufficient to limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius by the end of the century.

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

The Middelgrunden Off Shore Windturbines located in the Øresund Straight separating Denmark and Sweden. UN Photo

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.

COP27: We need to come together to ramp up climate action

People’s livelihoods are threatened by climate change. The world needs to come together to ramp up climate action and ensure no one is left behind. COP27 seeks to accelerate global climate action through emissions reduction, scaled-up adaptation efforts and enhanced flows of appropriate finance. Faced with a growing energy crisis, record greenhouse gas concentrations, and increasing extreme weather events, COP27 seeks renewed solidarity between countries, to deliver on the landmark Paris Agreement, for people and the planet.

Flight for Life: A Climate Migrant Story

Where would you go if you were running out of water and drought had destroyed your crops? This is the kind of choice faced by millions of climate migrants each year. Yonas, his wife Aisha, and their son Addisu have seen their crops wither, their cattle die, and their water sources dry up. Their story is brought to life in 'Flight for Life', a new short animation produced by UN Video in collaboration with the renowned Iranian animator Majid Adin. Find out more about the climate crisis and solutions here.

A chance at a fresh start: Kanoukpè’s story

In Guinea, many young people struggle to find regular employment. For some, this can mean a life of poverty, crime and irregular migration. Kanoukpè Mammy struggled to find work after dropping out of school. Faced with limited economic opportunities, she became involved in petty crime. To give Kanoukpè and others like her the chance to break the cycle of poverty, UNOPS helped provide vocational training, small business grants and psychosocial support. Watch to learn more about Kanoukpè’s story.

UN Podcasts

Scars on a person’s both wrists

Can we end torture?

Nearly four decades on from the adoption of the UN Convention against Torture, there is evidence that it is still taking place in all regions of the world, even though it’s a recognized international crime.

On this week’s episode of The Lid Is On, Conor Lennon met Claude Heller and Suzanne Jabour – the chairpersons of the UN Committee against Torture, and the Sub-committee on the Prevention of Torture – two independent human rights experts who attempt to convince countries to end the practice.

They explain that, in some countries and regions, torture is still seen thought to be a useful or acceptable part of interrogations, even though it has been shown to be ineffective.

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.

Leopard crouching in snow on mountain top
Photo:UNDP Uzbekistan

Farmers. Fences. Snow leopards.

In the mountains of Uzbekistan, snow leopards, who are skillful hunters, can kill prey up to three times their weight. This has significance for farmers and shepherds as losses to snow leopards in livestock corrals can reach up to 10-20 animals in a single night. Locals occasionally retaliate by killing these threatened big cats. According to the international NGO TRAFFIC, 450 snow leopards have been killed annually since 2008 due to retaliatory killings and poaching. Through a UNDP-supported project in Uzbekistan, rural fences help protect against natural disasters, livestock raids by predators, uncontrolled grazing, livestock escape, and are a vital tool in preventing human-wildlife conflict.

Woman standing in flood water in front of house destroyed by flood
Photo:WFP/Arete/Khalid Abdulsalam Hamza

Three ways to stop the climate crisis whipping up a hunger storm

Heatwaves, droughts, floods, and storms are increasing in intensity and frequency and impacting people’s ability to feed their families. As world leaders prepare to meet in Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt for the UN Climate Change Conference (COP27), WFP is calling on world leaders to act swiftly to help millions of people facing rising hunger and famine. The UN agency is urging global leaders to invest in systems that predict climate hazards and provide physical and financial protection to the most vulnerable. It is calling on world leaders to invest in climate action in communities in fragile contexts and to transform food systems. Find out more about the coordinated action needed to tackle the climate crisis.

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