Established: October 24, 1945, celebrated annually as UN Day.
Headquarters: Located in New York City, USA.
Founded in the aftermath of World War II with the primary goal of preventing future global conflicts.
Started with 51 original member states; currently has 193 member states.
Purposes
To maintain international peace and security globally.
To foster friendly relations among nations worldwide.
To promote international cooperation in economic, social, cultural, and humanitarian issues.
To encourage and promote respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all.
Principal Organs
General Assembly (UNGA): Composed of all 193 member states, each having one vote.
Security Council (UNSC): Consists of 15 members; 5 are permanent (USA, UK, France, Russia, China) and possess veto power; the other 10 non-permanent members are elected for two-year terms.
Secretariat: The administrative arm of the UN, headed by the Secretary-General.
International Court of Justice (ICJ): The principal judicial organ of the UN, located in The Hague, Netherlands.
Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC): Coordinates the economic and social work of the UN and its specialized agencies.
Trusteeship Council: Established to oversee trust territories but is largely inactive today.
Current Secretary-General
António Guterres (Portugal) has served as Secretary-General since 2017 and was re-elected for a second term in 2022.