麻豆传媒

International Law and Justice, ICC

The Day of International Criminal Justice marks the anniversary of the adoption of the on 17 July 1998, the founding treaty of the (ICC). The ICC has jurisdiction to prosecute individuals who commit genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression. This year, the commemoration is devoted to protecting the memory of the victims of mass atrocities and supporting the quest for justice of survivors of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, by ensuring their meaningful involvement and participation within the system of the ICC.

Lia founded a makeshift museum in her basement, consisting of photographs, artefacts and other paraphernalia relating to the 2008 conflict in Georgia.
Photo:? ICC/Pete Muller

17 July 2025 — As years of war in Ukraine have left millions without unreliable heating and limited means to pay rising utility costs, the UN and humanitarian partners launched this Thursday a $...

16 July 2025 — Conditions in Gaza have reached an unspeakable level of devastation with children paying the highest price, top UN officials told the Security Council on Wednesday, warning of...

16 July 2025 — Clashes between Bedouin tribal fighters, caretaker government forces and Druze militias stretched into their fourth day in Sweida on Wednesday while Israeli forces struck the Syrian...

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

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 .

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.

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.

Partnerships for the Goals

Goal of the month

 

Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals

Revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development

 

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.

Economic Development, UNDP

People everywhere wish to live in peace and dignity, free from fear and from want. Yet today we face multiple overlapping crises that impact billions of lives and undermine our collective well-being. Identifying threats to human security is our first step towards a future of peace and prosperity. and see if you can spot the development challenges hidden in the scene.

Agriculture and Food, FAO

The and Mozambique's fisheries ministry piloted eight anchored fish?aggregating devices (aFADs) in Cabo Delgado to help small-scale fishers access offshore tuna. Made from sustainable materials like coconut fronds, these buoyed devices attract microorganisms, small fish, and larger species, offering predictable fishing spots. Training and gear provision helped fishers like Mário Sadique boost catches from 1–5?kg to ~20?kg per trip, increasing earnings and reducing time at sea.

Human Rights, Migration, OHCHR

The comic strip from ,&苍产蝉辫;‘,’ tells the story of Elizabeth and her struggle due to her insecure migration status and the power of solidarity. Illustrated by Magda Castría – Argentinian artist, feminist and activist – the comic is a reminder of how everyone can be part of demanding fairer systems and rules around migration. Elizabeth's community wanted to help her and others like her and demanded a fair migration system where everyone has a chance to live safely and securely.

Food, Health, WFP

At the , leaders are spotlighting school meals as vital for improving nutrition, boosting local economies, and advancing education across Latin America and the Caribbean.

Culture, UNESCO

The called for African-led, community-driven heritage initiatives to ensure that World Heritage truly benefits the continent and its people.

Health Interventions, UNICEF

In 2024, modest progress in infant vaccination left nearly 20 million children unvaccinated due to conflict, misinformation, and funding shortages undercutting .

Peace and Security, UNFPA

Amid Gaza’s escalating conflict, repeated displacement, blockades, and resource shortages severely limit safe spaces and support services for women survivors of violence and abuse.

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

麻豆传媒 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 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

麻豆传媒 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.

Midwives are saving lives in Somalia

See how midwives like Nadiifo step up to provide life-saving support where over 3 million people in Somalia are displaced and many pregnant women have limited or no access to healthcare.

Nelson Mandela International Day concert

On 18 July 2025, the will present a virtual concert featuring Grammy-winning South African flautist Wouter Kellerman in celebration of Nelson Mandela International Day.

The ocean is our lifeline

The ocean, vital for food, clean air, and livelihoods, is increasingly threatened by climate change, pollution, and overfishing.

UN Podcasts

Nelson Mandela at the UN General Assembly

From our archives: Nelson Mandela and the Struggle Against Apartheid (2010)

As we mark the 2025 Nelson Mandela International Day, we re-wind and re-play an archive by Ben Malor looking back at the struggle against apartheid and the campaign for Mandela's release in which the United Nations played an important role — archive special programme for the first commemorative Mandela Day in 2010.

Photo:? UN Photo/Greg Kinch

麻豆传媒 in Pictures

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

Photo:?UN-Habitat

For years, Khawar lived in constant fear of the roof collapsing on her sleeping grandchildren. Widowed in 2015, the 66-year-old grandmother now supports a family of 12 – including her daughter, who struggles with mental illness, and her unemployed son. In Kabul’s crowded Dasht-e Barchi settlement, their shelter, like thousands of others in the settlement, had never been built to withstand the elements. Khawar and her family struggled through many a winters' leaks, sickness, and the haunting possibility of collapse. But she clung to a single wish: a safe home. Today, thanks to with support from the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund, that wish has finally come true marking not just the rebuilding of a fragile shelter, but the restoration of dignity and hope for a .

Photo: ?UN-Habitat - Khawar (right) and Alina (left) sit inside their rehabilitated shelter in Dasht-e Barchi, Kabul, Afghanistan.

Photo:?Danh S?n

In the dense forests of the Dong Nai Biosphere Reserve (DNBR), the deep imprint of an elephant's foot is inscribed in the soft earth. These giant wanderers, part of Viet Nam's wild heritage, move with the memory of lands that once stretched unbroken. But their forests have changed, as fences and roads cut through the land like ribbons of steel. As these great animals wander their shrinking world, their struggle reflects a pressing question: can conservation evolve to match the vast, borderless world these giants evolved to inhabit?

how, thanks to and partners, the DNBR is becoming a model for “conservation without borders” where both people and wildlife can thrive.

Photo: ?Danh S?n - A lone Asian elephant roaming the vast expanses of the Dong Nai Biosphere Reserve.

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