About Us | United Nations Skip to main content Toggle navigation Welcome to the United Nations العربية 中文 Nederlands English Français Deutsch Kreyòl हिन्दी Bahasa Indonesia Italiano Polski Português Русский Español Kiswahili Türkçe Українська on a healthy planet">Peace, dignity and equality on a healthy planet Search the United Nations Submit Search A-Z Site Index Toggle navigation About Us » About Us Member States Main Bodies Secretary-General Secretariat UN System History Emblem and Flag UN Charter UDHR ICJ Statute Nobel Peace Prize Our Work » Our Work Peace and Security Human Rights Humanitarian Aid Sustainable Development and Climate International Law Global Issues Documents Official Languages Observances Events and News Get Involved The UN Pulse About Us One place where the world's nations can gather together, discuss common problems and find shared solutions. The United Nations is an international organization founded in 1945. Currently made up of 193 Member States, the UN and its work are guided by the purposes and principles contained in its founding Charter. The UN 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 UN Secretary-General? Member States The UN’s Membership has grown from the original 51 Member States in 1945 to the current 193 Member States. All UN 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 UN Charter: peace, justice, respect, human rights, tolerance and solidarity. António Guterres United Nations Secretary-General The Secretary-General is Chief Administrative Officer of the UN – 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 António Guterres of Portugal, who took office on 1 January 2017. On the 18th of June, 2021, Guterres was re-appointed to a second term, pledging as his priority to continue helping the world chart a course out of the COVID-19 pandemic. Secretary-General's website Main Bodies ©UN Photo/Cia Pak The main bodies of the UN are the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Trusteeship Council, the International Court of Justice, and the UN Secretariat. All were established in 1945 when the UN was founded. UN Main Bodies Secretariat ©UN Photo/Manuel Elías The Secretariat carries out the day-to-day work of the UN 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 UN staff members working at duty stations all over the world. UN Secretariat UN System ©WFP/Ali Habib The United Nations is part of the UN system, which, in addition to the UN itself, comprises many programmes, funds and specialized agencies, each of which have their own area of work, leadership and budget. The UN coordinates its work with these separate UN system entities, all of which cooperate with the Organization to help it achieve its goals. UN System UN Emblem and Flag The UN’s symbol — who designed it? what does it mean? More on the UN emblem and flag UN History Overview Milestones in UN History Timeline from 1941 to the present The San Francisco Conference 51 countries sign the UN Charter creating a new organization Preparatory Years: UN Charter History Events which led to the UN’s creation Predecessor: The League of Nations The League of Nations and the first international organizations UN Charter The Charter that our founding 51 Member States signed 75 years ago to create the UN Full text Individual chapters and more UDHR Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) — 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) — How is the Court constituted? How does it function? Full text The ICJ is the main judicial organ of the UN Nobel Peace Prize The UN, UN system entities, and staff have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize more than ten times. 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