A close-up of two hands sustaining soil with a sprout and a blurred view of a city in the background.
Land, Plants, and Soil

Healthy Soils for Healthy Cities

Soil sustains life—over 95% of our food depends on it—yet climate change and human activity are degrading this vital resource. While we often picture soil in fields and forests, it underpins our cities too. This World Soil Day (5 December) highlights “Healthy Soils for Healthy Cities,” reminding us that urban soil, when kept permeable and green, cools cities, absorbs water, stores carbon, and improves air quality. Let's rethink urban spaces and build greener, more resilient communities from the ground up.

Agricultural production will have to increase by 60% to meet the global food demand in 2050.
Photo:M/Adobe Stock (AI generated)
Women and girls seek support at a UNFPA-supported safe space in Gaza.

UN support helps Gaza mothers give birth amid collapsing health system

4 December 2025 — Every week in Gaza, at least 15 women give birth outside any health facility, often without a trained midwife, pain relief or basic medical supplies. 

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A UNICEF-supported mobile clinic provides healthcare to people displaced by violence in Darfur, Sudan.

Sudan: Kordofan cannot become ‘another El Fasher,’ Türk warns

4 December 2025 — UN human rights chief Volker Türk on Thursday warned that Sudan risks “another El Fasher” as fierce fighting spreads across the Kordofan region, raising fears of a fresh wave of...

Result of the General Assembly vote on a draft resolution on return of Ukrainian children.

General Assembly demands return of Ukrainian children by Russia

3 December 2025 — The UN General Assembly on Wednesday demanded by a wide margin that Russia immediately and unconditionally return all Ukrainian children who have been forcibly transferred or...

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

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.

Act Now for a Peaceful World

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. 

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 10: Reduced Inequalities

Goal of the month

 

Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities

Reduce inequality within and among countries

 

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 tropical island with a sandy beach, dense palm trees and two boats. Human Rights, UNDP

Rights in your pocket

A key symbolizes the security of a home, while a phone with internet access opens the door to information. Financial tools like credit cards and cash enable access to food and services. For many living in poverty, violence, or disaster, these rights are hard-won achievements. Promoting and protecting human rights is vital for sustainable development. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) collaborates in over 60 countries and territories to strengthen national human rights systems and help states fulfill their obligations. By securing essentials like clean water and advocating for justice, UNDP demonstrates that human rights are essential for safety, equality, and respect in everyday life.

An illustration composed of numerous abstract and figurative line drawings in various colors, featuring a collage of interconnected scenes and symbols. Human Rights, OHCHR

Human Rights Day 2025: Our Everyday Essentials

Human rights are our compass in turbulent times, guiding us through uncertainty. UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk launched the 2025 Human Rights Day campaign, warning that rising inequalities, conflicts, and climate crises threaten fundamental rights. Marking the UN Charter’s 80th anniversary, Türk urged solidarity and advocacy. The “Our Everyday Essentials” campaign seeks to reaffirm the enduring relevance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, showing how rights like food, education, and freedom shape daily life. Share your essentials through our online form or on social media using the hashtag #OurEverydayRights.

An aerial view of terraced rice fields. Agriculture and Food, FAO

Land, soil, and water under strain: Urgent action needed

Land, soil, and water are essential for agriculture and food security, but they face severe pressure due to human activities. Over 60% of human-induced land degradation occurs on agricultural lands, while agriculture utilizes over 70% of global freshwater withdrawal. The new edition of The State of the World’s Land and Water Resources highlights the urgent issues of land degradation, water scarcity, and climate change, and their effects on agricultural productivity and ecosystems. It explores sustainable solutions and integrated approaches for sustainable land, soil and water use and management emphasizing the importance of our current choices to ensure resource protection and meet future demands.

People with disabilities engaging with a social worker.
Displaced Persons and Refugees, IOM

Displaced but not forgotten

In Nigeria’s Gbajimba camp, Shiminenge overcomes disability and displacement, leading advocacy that helped transform the site with accessible shelters, sanitation, and mobility support, restoring dignity for many.

Three women working on a computer.
Science and Technology, UNFPA

Technology fuels rising gender violence

A new UN report shows gender-based violence remains rampant and increasingly technology-driven, with adolescent girls disproportionately harmed as laws, policies and protections lag behind rapidly evolving online threats.

A ship yard of containers.
Trade and Commerce, UNCTAD

Globalization rewired by geopolitics

Geopolitical shifts and financial instability are reshaping globalization, straining trade and development, heightening risks for developing economies, and underscoring the need for coordinated trade, finance, debt, and climate reforms.

A man leading a community workshop on disabilities.
Disabled persons, ILO

Disability-Inclusive rural transformation

From 2021–2024, the SPARK initiative strengthened disability inclusion in rural India, Malawi, Burkina Faso and Mozambique, training facilitators and expanding access to services ahead of International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

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

General Assembly hall with the Secretary-General at the podium

The Essential UN

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

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.

Watch and Listen

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

5 Facts - Modern Slavery

An estimated 50 million people worldwide live in modern slavery, including 28 million in forced labour and 22 million in forced marriage, with children disproportionately affected. Despite 181 of 187 ILO members ratifying the 1930 Forced Labour Convention and adopting a strengthening Protocol in 2014, global efforts to eliminate forced labour continue.

Bamboo entrepreneurs boost nature and income

Bamboo-based restoration restores degraded land, supports biodiversity, boosts rural livelihoods, mitigates climate impacts, and promotes sustainable development across nine countries globally.

Cooking with cacao

In Peru, the Awajun community, supported by the Avanzar Rural project, adapts cacao farming to climate change, improving yields, incomes, and market access for smallholders.

UN Podcasts

Matthias Schmale in OCHA protective vest in front of destroyed building

Ukraine: 'Heaven and Hell'

A life-long humanitarian, Matthias Schmale has borne witness to a number of seismic moments in world history. Currently United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, he is overseeing efforts to help Ukrainians prepare for a fourth winter at war.

“The longer this lasts, the more the resilience will go down, the more the psychological damage will take hold [...] There are nights where I lie in bed thinking, why can't this nightmare for civilians end?”

Ukrainians have endured four years of hellish conflict that continues to devastate civilian lives and infrastructure, leaving 36 percent of the population in need of aid. In this episode of Awake at Night, Matthias Schmale looks back on a long career of humanitarian service, reflects on the deep scars of war and explains why daily life in Kiev can be both heaven and hell.

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.

submerged farmland
Photo:UN Cuba/Claudio Peláez

Six things to know about Hurricane Melissa's impact on Cuba

Hurricane Melissa struck Cuba as a Category 3 storm on 29 October, tearing across the island in six hours with powerful winds and torrential rain. It battered five eastern provinces, forced more than 735,000 people to evacuate and affected millions of others. Floodwaters swept through towns, winds damaged infrastructure, and power outages rippled across entire districts, disrupting essential services across eastern Cuba when communities most needed them. Extensive flooding in Santiago de Cuba has submerged farmland and surrounding homes, leaving stagnant water that heightens the risk of mosquito-borne and waterborne diseases in already hard-hit communities. OCHA is helping national authorities and the UN Resident Coordinator steer and organize the emergency response under the UN Plan of Action for Hurricane Melissa, which guides multi-agency support across shelter and housing, food security, health, logistics, education, and water, sanitation and hygiene. 

smiling man holding gourds
Photo:UNDP/R2R Project

Limited land, limitless potential

For the Seychelles, a small island developing state in the middle of the ocean, land is limited, and 200 years of human settlement has already seen significant impacts on both terrestrial and marine ecosystems. On the main island of Mahé, where 86% of the population live, land is being actively developed for tourism, agriculture, housing, and other human needs. The impacts of these demands can be seen and felt where today less than 5% of the original native forest remains intact. To reverse this damage and restore degraded land, the project ‘Ridge to Reef’, is working to improve tree cover and restore soil. Funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented by the Seychelles Government in partnership with UNDP, the 'Ridge to Reef' approach focuses on the connection between land and sea to address environmental degradation. Nelson Renaud, chairman of the Local Food Producers Association, says "By taking care of the land, we can grow food that will take care of our community."

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