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woman breastfeeding child, with man by her side
Health, WHO

Breastfeeding support for all

World Breastfeeding Week is held in the first week of August every year, supported by WHO, UNICEF, institutions and civil society partners. The theme for 2024 is “Closing the gap: Breastfeeding support for all”. The campaign celebrates breastfeeding mothers in all their diversity, while showcasing the ways families, societies, communities and health workers can support breastfeeding activities. Women everywhere have the right to respectful breastfeeding counselling from trained health care providers, as well as laws and policies like maternity leave and provisions like paid time off when they go back to work.

Women need support to breastfeed anytime, anywhere, so that it is normalized and not censured in public life.
Photo:UNICEF/Phelps
A young mother in Madagascar breastfeeds her newborn at a hospital in the south of the country.

More access to breastfeeding support could save 820,000 young lives annually, UN agencies say

31 July 2024 — The heads of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have called for greater access to breastfeeding support to both reduce health inequity and...

A wide view of the UN Security Council meets on the situation in the Middle East.

Security Council debates ‘serious and dangerous escalation’ in the Middle East

31 July 2024 — The UN’s top political affairs official reiterated the urgent need for de-escalation in the Middle East, appealing in the Security Council on Wednesday for “swift and effective...

UN Secretary-General António Guterres (file photo).

Middle East: Beirut and Tehran attacks ‘represent a dangerous escalation’, Guterres warns

31 July 2024 — UN Secretary-General António Guterres has urged the international community to prevent escalation in the Middle East, following an Israeli strike on Lebanon’s capital and 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.

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.

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.

The United Nations and Olympic flags are raised in front of the United Nations Headquarters. Sports, Refugees, Disabled persons

Challenging social stereotypes and promoting diversity through sport

The Olympic and Paralympic Games unite people and celebrate the human spirit, but there's still work to do to ensure inclusiveness in sports. Many people continue to face challenges in exercising their right to participate in sports, including athletes living in poverty, athletes who speak out, athletes with disabilities, refugees, the LGBTIQ+ community, women and indigenous peoples. A young paralympic Iraqi table tennis champion and a member of the Refugee Team, both participating in the Paralympic and Olympic Games in Paris this Summer, share their thoughts about inclusion and belonging in sports.

A group of young children attending a math class. Slavery and Human Trafficking, Children, Human Rights

Niger: Discover the haven for children liberated from traffickers' grasp

Amid the arid landscapes of Zinder, a migration-prone area in central-eastern Niger, 11-year-old Zara's journey back home sheds light on the battle against child trafficking. Zara was sent to Algeria by her mother to find work but was intercepted during the journey. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than half of the child victims reported the involvement of friends and family in their recruitment into trafficking, especially where extreme poverty is common. The Centre for Victims of Trafficking, managed by the National Agency for the Fight against Trafficking in Persons and Illicit Migration with support from IOM, has become a sanctuary for survivors like Zara.

Two scientists in rural Cambodia collect DNA samples using a drone and an air sampler inside a cave. Health

How a disease surveillance team prevents zoonotic outbreaks

In rural Cambodia, two scientists navigate to the bottom of a cliff face. Above them is a canopy of teak trees. Filip Claes and Erik Karlsson, the scientists leading this expedition, walk for 20 minutes before they enter a barely noticeable cave entrance perhaps a meter and a half in diameter. It is shrouded in shrubs and vines. This venture into one of Cambodia’s lost caves is part of an innovative mission for disease surveillance conducted as part of a joint project between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Institut Pasteur du Cambodge (IPC).

Pollution and Waste, Health, UNDP

Sustainable healthcare waste management

The interconnectedness of healthcare waste management, climate change, and environmental degradation highlights the need for sustainable practices and technologies to protect both human health and the environment.

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, UNESCO

Community built eco-classrooms

BENAA Foundation empowers youth and communities in Egypt through sustainable projects like the eco-classroom built with plastic bottles and clay, fostering environmental awareness and education.

Human Rights, ILO

Survivor advocates for migrant workers’ rights

Win Faidah, a survivor of abuse, now raises awareness and empowers Indonesian women to protect themselves from exploitation and violence as migrant workers.

Displaced Persons and Refugees

Renk faces severe refugee overcrowding crisis

In Renk, South Sudan, nearly 52,000 refugees face dire conditions in overcrowded transit centres as they escape the ongoing war in Sudan, with limited resources and harsh living conditions.

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.

Why the next two years are crucial for climate action

Climate change impacts are becoming more severe, with increasing droughts, floods, and extreme heat. We have a crucial two-year window to influence countries' third generation of Nationally Determined Contributions and keep global warming below 1.5°C.

Haitian mother recovers from gang assault

Hear Esther* tell her terrifying story and see how UNFPA—the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency—is supporting the care she's receiving.

Tunisia: the beauty secret helping olive trees grow

Farmer Tawfik's olive trees thrive thanks to a 100% natural compost created from Aleppo pine cones, supported by IFAD and the Tunisian government.

UN Podcasts

Juliette Murekeyisoni with group of women around briquette tool

Keeping hope alive

Growing up as a refugee in Burundi, Juliette Murekeyisoni dedicated herself to helping others from an early age. In her recent role as UNHCR’s deputy representative in South Sudan, she continued to keep hope alive by encouraging refugees to focus on their education and long-term perspectives.

“For me, every time I meet them, I tell them: “Don't lose hope, you are not going to be a refugee forever. One day you'll go home, and you can use the skills you have learned here. So, any opportunity you have, learn.” 

South Sudan hosts around 330,000 refugees as well as 2 million others internally displaced due to conflict, insecurity and the impact of climate change. In this episode of Awake at Night, recorded on 20 June 2024, Juliette Murekeyisoni reflects on improving prospects of those forced to flee, on her own traumatic experiences during the Rwandan genocide, and on a life touched by the kindness of strangers.

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 holds her baby with a UNICEF box of supplies in the background.
Photo:©UNICEF/2024/Eyad al Baba

Mothers' resilience in Gaza

The ongoing war in the Gaza Strip is making health care especially difficult for pregnant women and children. The high cost of living makes essentials like baby clothes unaffordable. At 20$ for one piece of baby clothes, these are usually not affordable for the most vulnerable families, who were often displaced 4 or 5 times, carrying only what they had on their backs. UNICEF, with partners, is making a significant difference in these communities by distributing 1,000 baby clothing kits and essential supplies, providing a lifeline of crucial assistance.

: A WFP officer using a drone to access data to protect a Guatemalan community from extreme weather.
Photo:WFP/Nelson Pacheco

How much do you know about Indigenous Peoples?

Indigenous peoples make up just over 6 percent of the world's population but are three times more likely to live in extreme poverty than non-indigenous people, and account for nearly one-fifth of the world's poor. The World Food Programme (WFP) works with indigenous peoples in Africa, Asia and Latin America to improve their food security and resilience in the face of inequality, discrimination and climate change. Ahead of the International Day of the World's Indigenous People on August 9, WFP shines a light on some little-known facts about indigenous communities - and how the organization supports them.

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