NEWS
One place where the world's nations can
gather together, discuss common problems
and find shared solutions.
The United Nations is an international organization founded in 1945. Currently made up of 193 Member States, the UN and its work are guided by the purposes and principles contained in its founding Charter.
The UN has evolved over the years to keep pace with a rapidly changing world.
But one thing has stayed the same: it remains the one place on Earth where all the world’s nations can gather together, discuss common problems, and find shared solutions that benefit all of humanity.
The most impossible job on Earth. So far only 9 people have held the top leadership position in the world’s largest multilateral organization. What does it mean to be UN Secretary-General?
Monitoring migrants in motion in the Darien Gap
MIGRANTS, OHCHR
Improving Lives Around The World
The Darien jungle, located on the border between Panama and Colombia, is a dangerous and humid passage for migrants and asylum seekers heading towards North America. While the natural environment poses challenges, the greatest threats come from traffickers and criminals exploiting vulnerable individuals. Thousands, including children and those with disabilities, undertake the perilous journey, with significant increases in migrant crossings reported in recent years – from 8,594 in 2020 to a record 520,085 in 2023. However, this number dramatically decreased to only 2,831 between January and March 2025. To address the human rights violations migrants face, the UN Human Rights, alongside Panama and Costa Rica's Ombudsman's Offices, developed a technical tool to gather data and respond effectively to these issues.
The UN is indispensable to world peace, justice and equality
PEACE AND SECURITY
The UN currently deploys tens of thousands of peacekeepers across 11 operations to help countries navigate the difficult path from conflict to peace. It has facilitated the adoption of nearly 30 disarmament treaties and ensured the destruction of over 55 million landmines.
The UN remains the essential, one-of-a-kind meeting ground to advance peace, sustainable development and human rights.
It works to help countries end the horrors of conflict to forge sustainable peace.
The UN stands up for justice and respect for human rights. It documents human rights violations worldwide, advocates for robust human rights protections, promotes compliance with international laws and standards, and supports governments in their reform efforts through work in over 90 countries.
The UN contributes to global prosperity and sustainability
The UN assists and protects more than 100 million people every year through humanitarian programmes. The UN has the legitimacy, knowledge, skills and logistical capacity to deliver in ways no other organization can.
Together with its specialized agencies it tackles poverty, hunger and disease and provides humanitarian relief in emergencies and crises.
Over the last eight decades, UN health agencies have vastly improved child and maternal mortality, saved millions of lives with immunization, and prevented and controlled the spread of deadly diseases like malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.
It supports countries in developing their economic and social resources, while setting standards for sustainability.
The United Nations coordinates its work with the funds, programmes, specialized agencies and other organizations of the UN System.
The United Nations itself is one part of the UN System. Cooperation between the UN and the other entities of the UN system is essential in order to achieve the purposes of the Organization laid out in the UN Charter.
Since its Charter was written, the United Nations has been mandated to do new work which was not envisioned at the time of its creation. The Organization has set goals to build a more sustainable world, and it has agreed to collective action to slow down climate change.
As the problems facing humanity have grown, the work of the United Nations has also grown.
Discover what the United Nations is doing to address the key issues facing the international community.
The United Nations provides summaries of its meetings and events, in addition to press releases, news and features. In addition to UNifeed packages and live-feeds for broadcasters, we offer live-coverage on our streaming channel, YouTube channel, and on various social media outlets.
Our feature programmes, including interviews, special videos, and documentaries, can be viewed online.
Find the latest stories and radio programmes in the 6-official languages plus Hindi, Kiswahili, and Portuguese. If you are interested in the history of the UN, the Audiovisual Library has archived content from the 1920s to the present. UN Photo also has archival, as well as current pictures. If you are on the go, our News app and our Audio app are available for free download on iOS and Android devices.
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Meeting Coverage
Read same-day summaries of official meetings, conferences, and events at UN Headquarters and overseas. Press releases are available from various bodies and departments.
Meeting Summaries and Press Releases
Secretary-General's Statements
Office of the Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General
Security Council Press Statements
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Broadcast Feeds
Live broadcast quality feeds are available for broadcasters; fiber connection to New York video hubs (Encompass and The Switch) with embedded audio in 8 channels. Usage fees apply.
The United Nations in Pictures
Peace with nature, Peace with each other
On October 24, 2024, history was made in the serene hills of Kurumugl village, nestled in the Gembogl District of Simbu Province (Papua New Guinea). The Kulkane Tribe formalized their commitment to preserving the country's natural heritage by signing a Conservation Deed, pledging 9,000 hectares of pristine tropical and montane rainforest to conservation. This milestone event marked the culmination of the first phase of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) project pilot site at Mt. Wilhelm, a significant initiative aimed at reducing the funding gap for the country’s Protected Areas Network. The project is to protect biodiversity while ensuring sustainable livelihoods for local communities. The Kulkane Tribe’s commitment extends the boundaries of the Mt. Wilhelm Protected Area, safeguarding critical biodiversity hotspots.
Eyewitness: ‘We have plenty of food ready to go into Gaza – we just need the go-ahead’
People in Gaza are at risk of starvation, with all aid blocked from entering since 2 March. A report by 17 United Nations agencies and NGOs released last week says 470,000 people face catastrophic hunger– level 5 on the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, the global standard for measuring food insecurity. It also projects that 71,000 children and more than 17,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women will need urgent treatment for acute malnutrition. Three World Food Programme (WFP) staff members share their perspectives: two who visited Deir el-Balah, in the heart of Gaza, in May, and one from Gaza herself.
Jobs: The Path to Prosperity
With 1.2 billion young people in emerging economies reaching working age over the next decade—and only about 420 million jobs expected to be generated—the urgency of finding scalable and sustainable solutions has never been greater.
In this episode of The Development Podcast, we hear from one young person about their journey into the world of work and what the World Bank Group is doing to address one of the most urgent issues facing development: how to meet the stable employment aspirations of the developing world's fast-growing youth population.
News
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Biodiversity loss demands urgent global action, says UN chief
21 May 2025 | News
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Champions for Change: World football teams up with UN development goals
21 May 2025 | News
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Nations adopt history pledge to guard against future pandemics
20 May 2025 | News
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World Health Assembly opens amid high-stakes pandemic treaty vote, global funding crisis
19 May 2025 | News
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Countries set to adopt 'vital' pandemic preparedness accord
19 May 2025 | News
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Pandemic accord can be a 'gamechanger' for marginalised communities
17 May 2025 | News
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'On thin ice': UN chief sounds alarm over rapid Himalayan glacier melt
16 May 2025 | News
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Pandemic heroes stepped up in 2020 - no the're asking world leaders to do the same
16 May 2025 | News
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Gazans ' in terror' after another night of deadly strikes and siege
16 May 2025 | News
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'The world is failing its health checkup,' says WHO
15 May 2025 | News
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Read
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Watch
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Listen
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