UNICEF is mandated by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly to advocate for the protection of children's rights, to help meet their basic needs and help them reach their full potential. They are committed to ensuring special protection for the most disadvantaged children: victims of war, disasters, extreme poverty, all...

UNCITRAL's mandate is to further the progressive harmonization and unification of the law of international trade. The Commission works to reduce or remove disparities in national laws governing international trade which create obstacles to the flow of trade. The Commission has become the core legal body of the United Nations...

The international community has long recognized that desertification is a major economic, social and environmental problem of concern to many countries in all regions of the world. The permanent Secretariat of the UNCCD was established in 1997. The functions of the secretariat are to make arrangements for sessions of the...

UNDP is the UN's global development network. It advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP operates in 166 countries, working with them on their own solutions to global and national development challenges. Areas of focus include democratic...

UNESCAP is the regional development arm of the UN for the Asia-Pacific region - from Turkey in the west to the Pacific island nation of Kiribati in the east, and from the Russian Federation in the north to New Zealand in the south. ESCAP works in three main thematic areas:...

UN-ESCWA promotes economic and social development through regional and subregional cooperation and integration. It serves as the main general economic and social development forum within the United Nations system for the UN-ESCWA region. It formulates and promotes development assistance activities and projects and acts as an executing agency for relevant...

UNECE strives to foster sustainable economic growth among its 56 member countries. To that end UNECE provides a forum for communication among States; brokers international legal instruments addressing trade, transport and the environment; and supplies statistics and economic and environmental analysis.

UNESCO's mission of dialogue and cooperation covers four major fields: education, science, culture and communication. Its aim: to build peace in the world through knowledge, social progress, exchange and mutual understanding among peoples.

UNEP's mission is to provide leadership and encourage partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.

Over a decade ago, most countries joined an international treaty -- the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) -- to begin to consider what can be done to reduce global warming and to cope with whatever temperature increases are inevitable. The UNFCCC secretariat supports all institutions involved in...