Without water there would be no life – it’s a necessity for all living things, from the smallest of plants to the largest of animals. For some people, getting enough water to survive is still a daily struggle.

Poaching, bush fires and illegal logging have long threatened large parts of Guinea’s forests, but an unlikely group of men and women have stepped up to protect the country’s rich natural resources.

To mark World Habitat Day, we’re highlighting how UNOPS helps support human settlements, and build better lives for people and communities.

Over the years, the people of Japan have supported stability in fragile states around the world.

A day in the life of Mary Lau Makur, a local nurse in South Sudan.

Explosive hazards prevent children from going to school, inhibit farmers from working the land and block the safe delivery of humanitarian assistance. Each year they kill or injure thousands of people around the world.

South Sudan is dying while waiting for peace

‘West African dwarf goat’, ‘Djallonké sheep’ and ‘N’dama cattle’ are not words that spring to mind when one thinks of food security, but these three species of livestock are vital to many local livelihoods.

Throughout 2015, we will be exploring some of our past achievements. This includes our five-year monitoring mission of Mount Nyiragongo, one of Africa’s most active volcanoes, which holds the world’s largest lava lake.

UNOPS helps partners to design, construct, rehabilitate and maintain infrastructure in very challenging environments. Whether building a road or designing a bridge, our highly skilled engineers are central to the success of UNOPS infrastructure projects.

The Darfur Urban Water Supply Project has helped improve the availability of clean water for over 240,000 people in four state capitals in western Sudan.

In a remote area of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), 1,200 kilometres from the capital Kinshasa, 12 bridges have helped open access to local markets, benefitting some 340,000 people.