91麻豆天美

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Democracy and Governance

Democracy - a core value of the United Nations

The UN supports democracy by promoting human rights, development, and peace and security. In the 79 years since the UN Charter was signed, the UN has done more to support democracy around the world than any other global organization. The UN promotes good governance, monitors elections, supports civil society to strengthen democratic institutions and accountability, ensures self-determination in decolonized countries, and assists in the drafting of new constitutions in post-conflict nations. Find out more in Global Issues: Democracy

General Assembly President Dennis Francis (left), poses for a photo with civil society representatives in South Sudan. During his visit he discussed implementation of the peace agreement and support for democratic processes, including elections.
Photo:UN Photo/Nektarios Markogiannis

2 July 2024 — With their homes shattered and lives upended by war, civilians in Gaza are clinging to their dignity under the most inhumane conditions, Sigrid Kaag, the UN Senior Humanitarian and...

3 July 2024 — A new report from UN human rights monitors in Ukraine has revealed the “horrific toll” of attacks by Russian armed forces, with May recording the highest number of civilian...

3 July 2024 — The UN envoy for Haiti on Wednesday welcomed recent strides towards restoring democracy amid alarming levels of violence, while the country’s interim Prime Minister emphasized that...

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.

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 and the .

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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.

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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 and at .

woman making peace dove mosaic

Goal of the month

 

Special Focus: High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development

Five SDGs will be reviewed in depth: 

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.

Sports, Health, WHO

New data show that nearly one third (31%) of adults worldwide, approximately 1.8 billion people, did not meet the recommended levels of physical activity in 2022. The findings point to a worrying trend of physical inactivity among adults, which has increased by about 5 percentage points between 2010 and 2022. If the trend continues, levels of inactivity are projected to further rise to 35% by 2030. In light of these findings, is calling on countries to strengthen their policy implementation to promote and enable physical activity through grassroots and community sport and active recreation and transport.

Agriculture and Food, Tourism, FAO

In Albania, agritourism is flourishing, driven by the stunning Vjosa Wild River National Park and its untamed river valleys. The Lile family farm and restaurant, located near the B?nja thermal baths, offers Albanian and Greek cuisine, wine, and traditional raki. With tourism doubling from 2016 to 2023, there’s a growing demand for quality local food and services. By fostering agritourism, Albania aims to create market opportunities and boost rural development, addressing interrelated sectors like agriculture, tourism, and culture.  is supporting the country’s vision for improving its agrifood system and increasing prosperity in rural areas.

Agriculture and Food, Economic Development, IFAD

In Brazil’s semi-arid northeast, farming faces significant challenges due to climate change. Erratic rainfall and shifting harvest periods impact the region. Soil degradation prevents it from retaining water, nutrients, and microorganisms. To cope, farmers often overuse fertilizers, pesticides, and scarce water, perpetuating a damaging cycle. However, micro-, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Rio Grande do Norte are making a difference. Tiago José Souza, a Cooperxique Cooperative member, practices agroecology to boost productivity while nurturing the soil. The cooperative’s organic certification programme ensures high standards without costly private certification. 

Migrants, IOM

On June 10, 2024, a boat capsized off Yemen's coast near Shabwah, resulting in 56 deaths and 129 missing migrants, with Dr. Abdulraheem Al Mehdar of the IOM heroically leading rescue efforts.

Trade and Commerce, UNCTAD

The latest reveals that in the first half of 2024, global trade growth was driven by increased exports from China, India, and the US, while Europe stagnated and Africa declined.

Climate, WMO

Tropical Cyclone Freddy has been officially recognized by the WMO as the on record, lasting 36 days and covering approximately 12,785 kilometers across the Indian Ocean basin.

Climate Change, Natural Resources and the Environment, UNEP

How much do you know about degraded land, deserts and droughts?

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 91麻豆天美 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 , 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 , the
Security Council, the , the Trusteeship Council, the , 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.

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.

The International Court of Justice is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. Its seat is at the 91麻豆天美 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 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.

A moment of choice and consequence for a better future

In a world facing political turmoil, economic slowdown, rising inequalities and a worsening environmental crisis, our promise to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 is at stake. 8 - 17 July 2024: (HLPF) at UN headquarters in New York. More from .

Resilient crisis recovery in Mozambique

Since 2017, a wave of violence has interrupted education, destroyed crops and public infrastructure, impacted livelihoods and forced people to flee their homes in northern Mozambique. More than 670,000 people are still displaced and left an estimated 1.3 million people in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. Attacks by armed insurgents have caused damage to infrastructure and disrupted the provision of basic services. The Northern Crisis Recovery Project is responding to these urgent humanitarian and development needs.

The Way of the Dinosaur (1983 - From the Archives)

The Dinosaur’s inability to adapt to changing circumstances led to its extinction. Asking whether we, too, are going the way of the dinosaur, this animated film looks at the history of energy sources. It illustrates the variety in common use before the present era, the transitions to new and more efficient sources which made a wider range of activities possible, and our increasing dependence on a single non-renewable source: oil. With artwork by Deborah May and music by Frank Zappa.

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

The United Nations in Pictures

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

Photo:UNDP Papua New Guinea

This remote and unique region is grappling with a complex set of challenges that demand immediate attention. The recent unprecedented landslide in Enga Province, which affected close to 8,000 people, has not only highlighted the region's vulnerability to hazards but also exposed underlying issues such as conflict, poverty, inequality and the climate crisis. Geographically isolated, the region boasts rich cultural heritage, biodiversity, and natural resources. and its partners are undertaking a new programme focused on three interconnected pillars: community empowerment, climate resilience, and peacebuilding.

Photo:UN Women

When Natacha Sangwa wanted to learn computer coding, people in her life asked, ‘do you really think you'll be able to handle it?’ Coding needs time and focus that they believed girls lacked. After all, men hold most of the tech jobs. “I was motivated to prove them wrong by learning how to code and pursuing a career in tech,” said Sangwa, who participated in the first coding camp organized under the African Girls Can Code Initiative last year in Rwanda. Sangwa feels that platforms like the African Girls Can Code initiative and Siemens EmpowerHer programme can inspire and encourage more girls to join ICT careers.

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