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United Nations

The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization that aims to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among states, promote international cooperation, and serve as a centre for coordinating global action. Widely recognized as the world's largest international organization, it has 193 member states, accounting for nearly all of the world's sovereign states.

Established after World War II to prevent future world wars, the United Nations succeeded the League of Nations, which was seen as ineffective. In April 1945, delegates of 50 nations met in San Francisco for a conference that led to the drafting of the Charter of the United Nations, which was adopted on 26 June 1945. The charter established the objectives of maintaining peace, protecting human rights, delivering humanitarian aid, promoting sustainable development, and upholding international law.

The United Nations headquarters is located in New York City; it has other offices in Geneva, Nairobi, Vienna, and The Hague. The UN comprises six principal organizations: the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the International Court of Justice, the Secretariat, and the Trusteeship Council. The United Nations System also includes specialized agencies such as the World Bank, the World Health Organization, the World Food Programme, UNESCO, and UNICEF.

The UN's chief administrative officer is the secretary-general. UN membership grew significantly after widespread decolonization. The UN has primarily focused on economic and social development, but also deploys some peacekeepers, the role of which has expanded since the end of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. The UN and its officers and agencies have won multiple Nobel Peace Prizes. It has been praised as a leader of peace and human development, but has also been criticized for perceived ineffectiveness, bias, and corruption. Provided by Wikipedia