# United Nations

United Nations

intergovernmental organization, international organization, nonprofit organization| Part of | United Nations System  |
| Year dem found am | 24 October 1945  |
| Facet give | liberal international order  |
| Personal library at | United Nations Digital Library  |
| Has works in the collection | National Museum of World Cultures  |
| Position held by head of the organization | United Nations Secretary-General  |
| General secretary | António Guterres  |
| Anthem | Hymn to the United Nations  |
| Country | United States  |
| Diplomatic relation | European Union  |
| Political ideology | internationalism  |
| Legal form | intergovernmental organization  |
| Partnership with | Association for Progressive Communications, Asian–African Legal Consultative Organization  |
| Demma headquarters location | New York City  |
| Foundational text | Q122828042  |
| Dey replace | League of Nations  |
| Creator | Allies of World War II  |
| Broadcast by | UN Web TV  |
| Award e receive | Nobel Peace Prize, Peabody Awards, Sakharov Prize, Four Freedoms Award – Freedom Medal  |
| Has goal | peace, membership fees, donation  |
| Phone number | +1-212-963-4475  |
| Dema official website |   |
| Web feed URL |   |
| Official shop URL |   |
| Hashtag | onu  |
| Main regulatory text | Charter of the United Nations  |
| Flag | flag of the United Nations  |
| Coat of arms | emblem of the United Nations  |
| History of topic | history of the United Nations  |
| Operating area | worldwide  |
| Official color | UN blue  |
| Open data portal | UNdata  |
| Official observer status in organization | World Intellectual Property Organization, International Organization for Migration, Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia  |
| Unicode character | 🇺🇳  |

De **United Nations** (**UN**) be an intergovernmental organization dem establish by de signing of de UN Charter on 26 June 1945 plus de stated purpose of make e dey maintain international peace drn security, make e develop friendly relations among states, make e promote international cooperation, dem make e serve as a centre for harmonizing de actions of states insyd achieving those goals.

De United Nations headquarters dey locate insyd New York City, plus chaw oda offices wey locate insyd Geneva, Nairobi, Vienna, den The Hague. De UN dey comprise six principal organizations: de General Assembly, de Security Council, de Economic and Social Council, de International Court of Justice, de Secretariat, den de Trusteeship Council wich, togeda plus chaw specialized agencies den related agencies, make up de United Nations System.

Na de UN primarily focus on economic den social development, particularly insyd de wave of decolonization insyd de mid-20th century. Na dem praise de UN as a leader of peace den human development, plus na dem award chaw officers den agencies de Nobel Peace Prize, buh na dem sanso criticize am for perceived ineffectiveness, bias, den corruption.

## History

### Background (pre-1941)

Haile Selassie I at de League of Nations wey he dey appeal Italy ein invasion insyd 1936 wich na de League fail to intervene
Insyd de century prior to de UN ein creation, na dem form chaw international organizations such as de International Committee of the Red Cross make e ensure protection den assistance for victims of armed conflict den strife.

During World War I, na chaw major leaders, especially U.S. presido Woodrow Wilson, advocate for a world body make e guarantee peace. Na de winners of de war, de Allies, meet make dem decide on formal peace terms at de Paris Peace Conference. Na dem approve de League of Nations wey e start operations, buh na de United States never join. On 10 January 1920, na de League of Nations formally cam into being wen na de Covenant of the League of Nations, ratify by 42 nations insyd 1919, take effect. Na de League Council act as an executive body wey dey direct de Assembly ein business. Na e begin plus four permanent members—de United Kingdom, France, Italy, den Japan.

### Declarations by de Allies of World War II (1941–1944)

1943 sketch by Franklin Roosevelt of de UN original three branches: De Four Policemen, an executive branch, den an international assembly of forty UN member states
Na de first step towards de establishment of de United Nations be de Inter-Allied Conference insyd London wey lead to de Declaration of St James's Palace on 12 June 1941. By August 1941, na American Presido Franklin Roosevelt den British Prime Minister Winston Churchill draft de Atlantic Charter; wich define goals for de post-war world. At de subsequent meeting of de Inter-Allied Council insyd London on 24 September 1941, na de eight governments in exile of countries under Axis occupation, togeda plus de Soviet Union den representatives of de Free French Forces, unanimously adopt adherence to de common principles of policy set forth by Britain den de United States.

### Founding (1945)

De UN insyd 1945: founding members insyd light blue, protectorates den territories of de founding members insyd dark blue
By 1 March 1945, na 21 additional states sign de Declaration by de United Nations. After months of planning, na de UN Conference on International Organization open insyd San Francisco on 25 April 1945. Na e be attended by 50 nations dema governments den a number of non-governmental organizations. Na de delegations of de Big Four chair de plenary meetings. Previously, na Churchill urge Roosevelt make he restore France to ein status of a major power after de liberation of Paris insyd August 1944. Na dem plete de drafting of de Charter of the United Nations over de following two months, wey na dem sign am on 26 June 1945 by de representatives of de 50 countries. Na de UN officially cam into existence on 24 October 1945, upon ratification of de Charter by de five permanent members of de Security Council: de United States, de United Kingdom, France, de Soviet Union den China — den by a majority of de oda 46 nations.

### Cold War (1947–1991)

Na Dag Hammarskjöld be particularly active secretary-general from 1953 til he die insyd 1961.
Though na de UN ein primary mandate be peacekeeping, de division between de United States den de Soviet Union often paralyse de organization; generally wey dey allow am make e intervene insyd conflicts per distant from de Cold War. Na two notable exceptions be a Security Council resolution on 7 July 1950 wey dey authorize a US-led coalition make e repel de North Korean invasion of South Korea, dem pass insyd de absence of de Soviet Union, den de signing of de Korean Armistice Agreement on 27 July 1953.

### Post-Cold War (1991–present)

Kofi Annan, secretary-general from 1997 to 2006
Flags of member nations at de United Nations Headquarters, dem see insyd 2007
Marking of de UN ein 70th anniversary – Budapest, 2015
After de Cold War, na de UN see a radical expansion insyd ein peacekeeping duties, dey take on more missions insyd five years dan na get insyd de previous four decades. Between 1988 den 2000, na de number of adopted Security Council resolutions more dan doubled, wey na de peacekeeping budget increased more dan tenfold. Na de UN negotiate an end to de Salvadoran Civil War, wey dem launch a successful peacekeeping mission insyd Namibia, wey dem oversee democratic elections insyd post-apartheid South Africa den post-Khmer Rouge Cambodia. Insyd 1991, na de UN authorize a US-led coalition wey repulsed Iraq ein invasion of Kuwait. Brian Urquhart, de under-secretary-general of de UN from 1971 to 1985, later describe de hopes raised by dese successes as a "false renaissance" for de organization, given de more troubled missions wey dem follow.

Dey begin insyd de last decades of de Cold War, na critics of de UN condemn de organization for perceived mismanagement den corruption. Insyd 1984, na American Presido Ronald Reagan withdraw de United States ein funding from de United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (anaa UNESCO) over allegations of mismanagement, follow by de United Kingdom den Singapore. Na Boutros Boutros-Ghali, de secretary-general from 1992 to 1996, initiate a reform of de Secretariat, somewat dey reduce de size of de organization. Na ein successor, Kofi Annan, initiate further management reforms insyd de face of threats from de US make e withhold ein UN dues.

## Structure

### General Assembly

Draft resolutions fi be forwarded to de General Assembly by ein six main committees:

* First Committee (Disarmament den International Security)
* Second Committee (Economic den Financial)
* Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian, den Cultural)
* Fourth Committee (Special Political den Decolonization)
* Fifth Committee (Administrative den Budgetary)
* Sixth Committee (Legal)

As well as by de two committees wey dey follow:

* General Committee – a supervisory committee wey dey consist of de assembly ein presido, vice-pees, den committee heads
* Credentials Committee – responsible for determining de credentials of each member nation ein UN representatives

### UN Secretariat

António Guterres, de current secretary-general

Secretaries-general of de United Nations| No. | Name | Country of origin | Take office | Lef office | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| – | Gladwyn Jebb | United Kingdom | 24 October 1945 | 2 February 1946 | He serve as acting secretary-general til Lie ein election |
| 1 | Trygve Lie | Norway | 2 February 1946 | 10 November 1952 | He resign |
| 2 | Dag Hammarskjöld | Sweden | 10 April 1953 | 18 September 1961 | He die insyd office |
| 3 | U Thant | Burma | 30 November 1961 | 31 December 1971 | First non-European to hold office |
| 4 | Kurt Waldheim | Austria | 1 January 1972 | 31 December 1981 |  |
| 5 | Javier Pérez de Cuéllar | Peru | 1 January 1982 | 31 December 1991 |  |
| 6 | Boutros Boutros-Ghali | Egypt | 1 January 1992 | 31 December 1996 | He serve for de shortest time |
| 7 | Kofi Annan | Ghana | 1 January 1997 | 31 December 2006 |  |
| 8 | Ban Ki-moon | South Korea | 1 January 2007 | 31 December 2016 |  |
| 9 | António Guterres | Portugal | 1 January 2017 | *Incumbent* |  |

### Specialized agencies

Specialized agencies of de United Nations| No. | Acronym | Agency | Headquarters | Head | Established |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | FAO | Food and Agriculture Organization |  Rome, Italy | Qu Dongyu | 1945 |
| 2 | ICAO | International Civil Aviation Organization | Montreal, Quebec, Canada | Juan Carlos Salazar | 1947 |
| 3 | IFAD | International Fund for Agricultural Development |  Rome, Italy | Alvaro Lario | 1977 |
| 4 | ILO | International Labour Organization | Geneva, Switzerland | Gilbert Houngbo | 1946 (1919) |
| 5 | IMO | International Maritime Organization | London, United Kingdom | Arsenio Dominguez | 1948 |
| 6 | IMF | International Monetary Fund |  Washington, D.C., United States | Kristalina Georgieva | 1945 (1944) |
| 7 | ITU | International Telecommunication Union | Geneva, Switzerland |  Doreen Bogdan-Martin | 1947 (1865) |
| 8 | UNESCO | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization | Paris, France | Audrey Azoulay | 1945 |
| 9 | UNIDO | United Nations Industrial Development Organization | Vienna, Austria | Gerd Müller | 1967 |
| 10 | UNWTO | World Tourism Organization | Madrid, Spain | Zurab Pololikashvili | 1974 |
| 11 | UPU | Universal Postal Union | Bern, Switzerland | Masahiko Metoki | 1947 (1874) |
| 12 | WBG | World Bank Group |  Washington, D.C., United States | Ajay Banga (president) | 1945 (1944) |
| 13 | WHO | World Health Organization | Geneva, Switzerland | Tedros Adhanom | 1948 |
| 14 | WIPO | World Intellectual Property Organization | Geneva, Switzerland | Daren Tang | 1974 |
| 15 | WMO | World Meteorological Organization | Geneva, Switzerland | Celeste Saulo (secretary-general) Abdulla Al Mandous (president) | 1950 (1873) |

### Funds, programmes, den oda bodies

Programmes den funds of de United Nations| Acronyms | Agency | Headquarters | Head | Dem establish |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| UNDP | United Nations Development Programme |  New York City, United States |  Achim Steiner | 1965 |
| UNICEF | United Nations Children's Fund |  New York City, United States |  Catherine M. Russell | 1946 |
| UNCDF | United Nations Capital Development Fund |  New York City, United States | Marc Bichler | 1966 |
| WFP | World Food Programme |  Rome, Italy |  Cindy McCain | 1963 |
| UNEP | United Nations Environment Programme | Nairobi, Kenya | Inger Andersen | 1972 |
| UNFPA | United Nations Population Fund |  New York City, United States |  Natalia Kanem | 1969 |
| UN-HABITAT | United Nations Human Settlements Programme | Nairobi, Kenya | Maimunah Mohd Sharif | 1978 |
| UNV | United Nations Volunteers | Bonn, Germany | Toily Kurbanov | 1978 |

## Membership

  193 UN member states
  2 UN Observer States (Palestine, Holy See)
  2 eligible Non-Member States (Niue, Cook Islands)
  17 non-self-governing territories
  Antarctica

All de world ein undisputed independent states be members of de United Nations. South Sudan, wich na join insyd 14 July 2011,be de most recent addition, wey dey bring a total of 193 UN member states. De UN Charter dey outline de membership rules:

>
> 1. Membership insyd de United Nations be open to all oda peace-loving states wey dey accept de obligations contained insyd de present Charter den, insyd de judgment of de Organization, be able den willing to carry out dese obligations.
> 2. De admission of any such state to membership insyd de United Nations go be effected by a decision of de General Assembly upon de recommendation of de Security Council. Chapter II, Article 4.
>

In addition, der be two non-member observer states: de Holy See den Palestine. De Cook Islands den Niue, both states insyd free association plus New Zealand, be full members of chaw UN specialized agencies wey na dem get dema "full treaty-making capacity" recognized by de Secretariat.

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* Mires, Charlene (2013). *Capital of the World: The Race to Host the United Nations*. New York University Press. ISBN 978-0-8147-0794-4.
* Osmańczyk, Edmund Jan (2004). Mango, Anthony (ed.). *Encyclopedia of the United Nations and International Agreements*. Vol. 4. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-0-415-93924-9.
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## Read further

* Lowe, Vaughan; Roberts, Adam; Welsh, Jennifer; Zaum, Dominik, eds. (2008). *The United Nations Security Council and War: The Evolution of Thought and Practice since 1945*. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-953343-5.
* Mazower, Mark (2009). *No Enchanted Palace: The End of Empire and the Ideological Origins of the United Nations*. Princeton University Press.
* Roberts, Adam; Kingsbury, Benedict, eds. (1994). *United Nations, Divided World: The UN's Roles in International Relations* (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-827926-6.

* Records of the UN Registry Archived 31 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine at the United Nations Archives

### Official websites

* Official website (insyd English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, den Russian)
* The United Nations Regional Information Centre (UNRIC)
* United Nations Volunteers
* United Nations Documentation Research Guide
* Official YouTube channel (English)
* Multilingualism at the United Nations

### Odas

* Searchable archive of UN discussions and votes
* United Nations Association of the UK – independent policy authority on the UN
* Website of the Global Policy Forum – independent think tank on the UN
* UN Watch – NGO monitoring UN activities

* Works by or about United Nations at the Internet Archive
* Works by United Nations at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)
* United Nations on Nobelprize.org