Big cats are elusive, but the snow leopard, especially so. Locals living alongside the leopards often refer to them as the ‘ghosts of the mountains’ as they are hardly ever seen. The greatest risks to the survival of this threatened species are habitat loss and fragmentation, prey depletion and illicit trafficking, illegal hunting, including poaching, and climate change. The International Day of the Snow Leopard (23 October) aims to enhance international and regional cooperation in support of efforts to conserve the snow leopard, given its role in the overall ecosystem.
22 October 2025 — The people of Haiti have not given up and "their fortitude gives us hope," the UN Special Representative to the country told the Security Council on Wednesday.
...22 October 2025 — The International Court of Justice (ICJ) says that Israel must uphold its responsibilities as the "occupying power" by ensuring aid can flow freely and by respecting the rights...
22 October 2025 — A new UN-backed forum launched on Wednesday to help developing nations escape the weight of unsustainable debt – which has left more than three billion people worldwide living in...
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 Goals can improve life for all of us. Cleaner air. Safer cities. Equality. Better jobs. These issues matter to everyone. But progress is too slow. We have to act, urgently, to accelerate changes that add up to better lives on a healthier planet. Find new inspiring actions on the app and at un.org/actnow.
Today, half the world is under 30, and this generation is a powerful force for peace. The UN "Hear Us. Act Now for a Peaceful World" campaign, launched on the International Day of Peace, aims to include, invest in, and partner with young people to build lasting peace.
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.
End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.
Featured stories from across the United Nations and our world-wide family of agencies, funds, and programmes.
In a world where the shadows of inequality loom large, the Multidimensional Poverty Index illuminates the complex tapestry of acute poverty affecting over 100 developing nations. The latest report examines climate hazards impacting 1.1 billion multidimensionally poor people, with 43.6% living in severe poverty, meaning they are deprived of 50 percent or more of the necessities of a dignified life. Children are disproportionately affected, with 27.8% facing multidimensional poverty, representing over half of the total. Most of the poor reside in countries with low or medium human development, with significant numbers in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Notably, poverty also persists in middle-income countries, affecting millions.
Food waste isn’t just what’s scraped off plates, it’s a quiet crisis echoing through our climate, economies, and the lives of millions who go hungry. The 2024 Food Waste Index reveals that 19% of consumer-available food is wasted, causing emissions five times higher than aviation, while a third of humanity faces food insecurity. Yet, individuals and communities can act creatively. Chef Massimo Bottura, UNEP Goodwill Ambassador, leads the Food for Soul initiative, turning surplus food into meals at "Refettorios" in nine countries—showing that fighting waste is both responsible and beautiful.
Juliana walks through her thriving garden, now nourished by a solar-powered irrigation system that combats drought. Once struggling after her husband’s death, she faced challenges like failed rains and poor harvests in Baixa da Missão, Angola. To improve her situation, she joined the Chitaka Farmer Field School (FFS), part of the European Union-funded FRESAN programme. This community learning initiative, in partnership with the Agrarian Development Institute and the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), has trained over 7,425 smallholder farmers in the region, empowering them to grow food consistently despite climate uncertainties.
Investing in care isn’t just compassion, it’s powerful economics that creates jobs, empowers women, and builds healthier, fairer societies for generations.
After fleeing panic during an earthquake, Nicaraguan migrant Tamara Baltodano found new purpose in Peru, training to save lives and proving that courage knows no borders.
Amid hunger, fear, and ruin, Gaza’s pregnant women fight for life, safety, and the fragile hope of a peaceful birth.
Set for November 2026, the UN Global Supply Chain Forum will unite world leaders in Saudi Arabia to boost trade resilience and build sustainable, inclusive logistics systems. Stay tuned for updates..
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:
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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).
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.
The United Nations is the only place on Earth where all the world's nations come together to discuss common problems and find shared solutions that benefit all of humanity. Learn about the main areas of the UN’s activities; how it makes a difference to the world’s people; and how every citizen can get involved and make a contribution.
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 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.
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 US1ドル.90 a day — the internationally agreed poverty line, and millions of others live on slightly more than this daily amount.
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.
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Video and audio from across the United Nations and our world-wide family of agencies, funds, and programmes.
As the UN marks its 80th anniversary, this video reflects on how the Organization has shaped international peace, security, development, and human rights - and what it means for the future.
UNESCO and Super Sema have launched "Digital Hero," a fun, music-driven campaign for Global Media and Information Literacy Week that empowers children to stay safe, think critically, and make smart choices.
A journey from fleeing conflict to playing at the highest levels of basketball shows what’s possible when refugees are given the opportunity to thrive.
In this episode of the Future of Work podcast, ILO Research and Publications Director Caroline Fredrickson explains what the ILO’s new report on social justice reveals about global progress, the challenges that remain, and how leaders can build fairer and more resilient societies.
Images from across the United Nations and our world-wide family of agencies, funds, and programmes.
As ceasefire takes hold, Gaza’s bakeries fire up to fight hunger
Deliveries of fresh flatbread in Gaza reach the population, offering a sense of normality as the ceasefire takes hold. The bakeries offer a tangible sign that a precarious normality is returning. The loaves rolling out of their fiery ovens are part of a massive and rapid scale-up of WFP food assistance for people facing severe and even catastrophic hunger - with the aim of feeding up to 1.6 million in the first three months. Trucks of WFP food assistance now entering the Strip are supporting bakeries, nutrition programmes and general food distributions. Those distributions will expand as conditions allow more food to enter the Strip and bakeries to reopen. Tens of thousands of metric tonnes of our food are ready for dispatch or heading to the Strip. "The smell of bread gives people hope that things are going to get back to normal," says Samer Abdeljaber, WFP Regional Director for the Middle East, North Africa & Eastern Europe. As more food reaches hungry people, he adds, "anxiety levels go down, so they can trust that more food is going to come in the next days."
Mulki is a student in Kenya, who benefited from digital literacy classes thanks to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Whether you live in a mountain village in Afghanistan or in New York, on a small Pacific island or in Africa, in Estonia or in Brazil, the United Nations is part of your life in ways you might not expect. No matter who we are, we share one world. Our lives are connected, our challenges are mutual, and our future is intertwined. Only by valuing our common humanity and working for our shared destiny as one species on one planet, can we build a healthier, safer and more prosperous world — for ourselves and for generations to come. This exhibition, marking the United Nations’ 80th Anniversary, showcases more than 200 stories from 193 countries, highlighting the many ways in which the world’s most crucial international organization impacts all our daily lives: supporting peace and security, overseeing regulatory frameworks, providing humanitarian assistance and fostering development, facilitating international conventions on trade, or advancing human rights.
