9/8/2026
The United Nations does many different types of work, from maintaining international peace and security to protecting human rights, delivering humanitarian aid, supporting sustainable development and upholding international law. Because the UN system covers such a wide range of issues, it also employs professionals from many different academic and professional backgrounds.
The phrase “what jobs does the United Nations do?” can therefore have two meanings: what work does the UN perform, and what jobs are available at the UN. Both are important for people researching United Nations careers.
According to the UN, its work can broadly be divided into five areas:
These areas involve thousands of different professional activities.
The UN works to prevent conflicts, support peace processes and operate peacekeeping missions.
Professionals working in this area can include political affairs officers, peace and security specialists, military personnel, civilian experts, mediation specialists, security professionals and programme managers.
The UN works to promote and protect human rights around the world.
Careers can include human rights officers, legal specialists, researchers, policy officers, programme managers, communications professionals and experts working on specific human rights issues.
The UN system provides assistance to people affected by conflict, disasters, displacement, food insecurity and other emergencies.
Humanitarian professionals can work in logistics, emergency coordination, food assistance, refugee protection, health, shelter, water and sanitation, communications and programme management.
The UN supports countries in areas such as poverty reduction, education, health, gender equality, economic development, governance and environmental sustainability.
This creates opportunities for economists, development specialists, public policy professionals, data analysts, engineers, environmental experts and programme officers.
Climate change has become a major area of UN work.
Professionals can work on climate policy, environmental protection, adaptation, mitigation, climate finance, sustainable development and environmental data.
The UN employs professionals across many job families.
Some examples include:
The exact jobs available vary depending on the UN entity, country, programme and current vacancies.
No. This is a common misconception.
The United Nations employs people from many professional backgrounds. A person does not necessarily need to be a diplomat or international relations specialist to work for the UN.
For example, the UN system needs software developers, cybersecurity professionals, financial specialists, procurement experts, lawyers, doctors, engineers, communications professionals and administrative staff.
Professional positions in the UN Secretariat are advertised through the official UN Careers Portal. The UN also recruits people through examinations and other recruitment programmes. General Service and certain support positions are generally recruited locally.
It is also important to remember that the UN system is larger than the UN Secretariat. Specialized agencies, funds and programmes have their own mandates, leadership, budgets and recruitment systems.
Someone searching for “UN jobs” should therefore consider organizations such as WHO, UNICEF, UNDP, UNHCR, FAO, UNESCO and other UN system entities in addition to the UN Secretariat.
Unchannel - 9/8/2026