About Us
One place where the world's nations can
gather together, discuss common problems
and find shared solutions.
Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ is an international organization founded in 1945. Currently made up of 193 Member States, the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ and its work are guided by the purposes and principles contained in its founding Charter.
The Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ 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 Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Secretary-General?
Member
States
The Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ¡¯s Membership has grown from the original 51 Member States in 1945 to the current 193 Member States.
All Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Member States are members of the General Assembly. States are admitted to membership by a decision of the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council.
Secretary-General
In the end, it comes down to values [...] We want the world our children inherit to be defined by the values enshrined in the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Charter: peace, justice, respect, human rights, tolerance and solidarity.
Ant¨®nio Guterres
United Nations Secretary-General
The Secretary-General is Chief Administrative Officer of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ ¨C and is also a symbol of the Organization's ideals and an advocate for all the world's peoples, especially the poor and vulnerable.
The Secretary-General is appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council for a 5-year, renewable term.
The current Secretary-General, and the 9th occupant of the post, is Ant¨®nio Guterres of Portugal, who took office on 1 January 2017.
On the 18th of June, 2021, , pledging as his priority to continue helping the world chart a course out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Main Bodies
?Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Photo/Cia Pak
The main bodies of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ are the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Trusteeship Council, the , and the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Secretariat.
All were established in 1945 when the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ was founded.
Secretariat
?Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Photo/Manuel El¨ªas
The Secretariat carries out the day-to-day work of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ as mandated by the General Assembly and the Organization's other main bodies.
The Secretary-General is the head of the Secretariat, which has tens of thousands of international Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ staff members working at duty stations all over the world.
Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ System
?WFP/Ali Habib
Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ is part of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ system, which, in addition to the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ itself, comprises many programmes, funds and specialized agencies, each of which have their own area of work, leadership and budget.
The Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ coordinates its work with these separate Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ system entities, all of which cooperate with the Organization to help it achieve its goals.
Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Emblem and Flag
The Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ¡¯s symbol ¡ª who designed it? what does it mean?
Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ History
- Overview
- Milestones in Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ History
Timeline from 1941 to the present
- The San Francisco Conference
51 countries sign the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Charter creating a new organization
- Preparatory Years: Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Charter History
Events which led to the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ¡¯s creation
- Predecessor: The League of Nations
The League of Nations and the first international organizations
Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Charter
The Charter that our founding 51 Member States signed 75 years ago to create the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ
Full text
Individual chapters and more
UDHR
Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) ¡ª widely recognized as having inspired the adoption of more than 70 human rights treaties
Full text
History of, drafters, and more
The ICJ Statute
Statute of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ¡ª How is the Court constituted? How does it function?
Nobel Peace Prize
The Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ system entities, and staff have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize more than ten times.