SPORTS

Chess for sustainable development

Chess is one of the most ancient, intellectual and cultural games, with a combination of sport, scientific thinking and elements of art. Chess also offers important opportunities for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals, including strengthening education, realizing gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls and fostering inclusion, tolerance, mutual understanding and respect. On World Chess Day (20 July), let’s celebrate chess for sustainable development!

Chess is a global game, which promotes fairness, inclusion and mutual respect – it can contribute to an atmosphere of tolerance and understanding among peoples and nations.

Children forcibly separated from mothers at Syria’s Al Hol, warns top rights expert

21 July 2023 — A UN-appointed independent expert expressed deep concern on Friday over the distressing treatment of children being held apparently indefinitely in prison-like conditions in…

Russian strikes on Ukraine ports ‘further blow to global food security’

21 July 2023 — Russia’s bombardment of Ukrainian ports along the Black Sea could have far-reaching impacts on global food security, UN political affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo said on Friday in a…

Ukraine: Guterres ‘strongly condemns’ Russian attacks on Odesa and other ports

20 July 2023 — Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday strongly condemned Russian attacks on Odesa and other Ukrainian ports in recent days, following Moscow’s decision to withdraw from 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.

ActNow Campaign

ActNow is the United Nations campaign for individual action on climate change. Every one of us can help take care of our planet. Learn what you can do to be part of the solution and influence change. To log your actions, download the app.

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.

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.

GOAL OF THE MONTH

Goal 8: Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all

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.

FINANCE, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, UNCTAD

A world of debt

UNCTAD reports global public debt has reached colossal levels, standing at $92 trillion in 2022. This five-fold surge in public debt levels since 2000 demands immediate action to tackle the escalating crisis affecting developing countries. On average, African countries pay four times more for borrowing than the United States and eight times more than the wealthiest European economies. A total of 52 countries – almost 40 percent of the developing world – are in serious debt trouble with half of all developing nations spend a minimum of 7.4% of their export revenues on servicing external public debt.

WOMEN AND GENDER EQUALITY, UNDP, UN WOMEN

Women’s full potential remains unrealized

According to a new global report launched by UN Women and UNDP, no country has achieved full gender parity and fewer than 1 percent of women and girls live in a country with high women’s empowerment and a small gender gap. Analysis of 114 countries has found that women’s power and freedom to make choices and seize opportunities remain largely restricted. Globally, women achieve, on average, 72 percent of what men achieve across key human development dimensions, as measured by the Global Gender Parity Index (GGPI), reflecting a 28 percent of gender gap.

SDG 2: ZERO HUNGER, IFAD

What is causing hunger today?

One in nine people globally experienced hunger in 2022. Rural people and vulnerable groups, including women, suffer greater food insecurity—and even those who can access food may not be able to access nutritious food, IFAD‘s data confirms. We must strengthen climate resilience across food systems and invest in small-scale farmers so they can continue to feed themselves, nearby urban centres and beyond if we are to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. IFAD supports small-scale producers and partners with farmers’ organizations to promote collective action and economies of scale.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, IAEA

2023 IAEA Fellowship Programme

The IAEA Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme (MSCFP) seeks to inspire young women to pursue a career in the nuclear field through scholarships for students studying nuclear related subjects as well as internship opportunities.

CULTURE, UNOPS

Preserving the past

UNOPS and the European Union (EU) have joined forces for the EU4Culture project in Albania, which restores and revitalizes 24 culturally significant heritage sites that suffered damage during a devastating earthquake.

SPORTS, WOMEN AND GENDER EQUALITY, UN WOMEN

Football unites the world

UN Women is partnering with FIFA on two calls to action: the first to “Unite for Gender Equality” and the second to “Unite for Ending Violence against Women, critical for a peaceful and sustainable world.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, UNESCO

Ethical AI Policy

UNESCO published its AI Readiness Assessment Methodology, a diagnostic tool to support governments in ensuring Artificial Intelligence is developed and deployed ethically, in line with its Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence.   

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:

• Maintain international peace and security
• Protect human rights
• Deliver humanitarian aid
• Promote sustainable development
• Uphold international law

Deliver Humanitarian Aid

Promote Sustainable Development

Uphold International Law

Maintain International Peace and Security

Promote Sustainable Development

Deliver Humanitarian Aid

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.

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

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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.

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.

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.

Our Common Agenda

Following up on a pledge made by UN Member States at the UN’s 75^th 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.

Did you know?

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.

More than 89 million people were forced from their homes by the end of 2021.

Find out more in

GLOBAL ISSUES:
REFUGEES

Over a third of young people in 30 countries report being cyberbullied.

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GLOBAL ISSUES:
CHILD AND YOUTH SAFETY ONLINE

By 2030, the number of persons 15-24 years of age is projected to grow to nearly 1.3 billion.

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GLOBAL ISSUES:
YOUTH

Up to 3.6 billion people live in places that are highly vulnerable to climate change.

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GLOBAL ISSUES:
CLIMATE CHANGE

How a champion boxer knocks out hate

Yokasta Valle is a five-time World Boxing Champion, but she is most passionate about using the power of her punch to knock out hate. Born in Nicaragua before migrating to Costa Rica, Yokasta has suffered of discrimination both as a migrant and as a woman in a sport dominated by men. “There were always people who told me, ‘You’re never going to make it.’ But those words just served as fuel for me to say, ‘Okay, I’m going to show you otherwise.’” Yokasta recently signed on to be a United Nations Costa Rica champion and met with the UN’s Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide.

How to protect children during heat waves

Compared to adults, infants and children are uniquely affected by heat stress, leaving them more vulnerable to its short- and long-term effects. Pregnant women and fetuses are also vulnerable to the effects of extreme heat. UNICEF brings us some heat wave safety tips.

Pandemic accord explained with Steven Solomon

Steven Solomon, WHO Principal Legal Officer, unpacks the pandemic accord. The accord, being developed by countries, can be a game-changer in pandemic prevention and preparedness. Steven also clarifies the misinformation around the accord.

UN Podcasts

Heat stress – how are we going to live with it?

The summer of 2023 is recording some of the highest temperatures on record, for our entire planet. These new records have significant consequents, not just for the environment but also for human life, including the world of work. Heat stress is a growing issue. It affects not just individual workers – particularly those who work outside – but also businesses and the overall economy, because higher temperatures affect productivity. Working hours, routines, equipment, and regulation may all have to change. ILO explores the consequences of these higher temperatures for the world of work. How will governments, businesses and individual workers adapt?

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.

PHOTO:IOM

Chadian returnees from Sudan face difficult choices

The 40-year-old father of four sits under a canopy in his freshly built compound in Eastern Chad, where the population has spiked in recent months due to the arrival of people displaced by violence in Sudan. That night, Daoud fled with his wife and children with nothing but few personal belongings. Like thousands other Chadians living in Western Sudan, he had become a casualty of the deadly violence that engulfed the country since mid-April 2023.  “Chadian returnees are returning to communities that are already fragile,” says IOM’s Anne Schaefer. 

PHOTO:WFP/Ali Jadallah

Conflict and climate change reduce access to food and increase hunger

There are 734 million people going hungry around the world, 122 million more than in 2019, according to ‘The State of Food and Nutrition in the World 2023’ (SOFI). Launched by UN agencies including the FAO and WFP,  the report estimates 29.6 percent of the world’s population, around 2.4 billion people, had restricted access to food last year. This includes around 900 million people facing severe food insecurity amid worsening and intersecting crises.  WFP needs US$25.1 billion to reach 171.5 million people around the world this year. 

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