The United Nations officially came into existence on 24 October 1945, when the UN Charter had been ratified by a majority of the original 51 Member States. The day is now celebrated each year around the world as United Nations Day.
The purpose of the United Nations is to bring all nations of the world together to work for peace and development, based on the principles of justice, human dignity and the well-being of all people. It affords the opportunity for countries to balance global interdependence and national interests when addressing international problems.
There are currently
191 Members of the United Nations. They meet in the General Assembly,
which is the closest thing to a world parliament. Each country, large
or small, rich or poor, has a single vote, however, none of the decisions
taken by the Assembly are binding. Nevertheless, the Assembly's decisions
become resolutions that carry the weight of world governmental opinion.
The United Nations Headquarters is in New York City but the land and buildings
are international territory. The United Nations has its own flag, its
own post office and its own postage stamps. Six official languages are
used at the United Nations - Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian
and Spanish. The UN European Headquarters is in the Palais des Nations,
Geneva, Switzerland. It has offices in Vienna, Austria and Economic Commissions
in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, Amman in Jordan, Bangkok in Thailand and Santiago
in Chile. The senior officer of the United Nations Secretariat is the
Secretary-General.
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