United Nations

United Nations Arabic: منظمة الأمم المتحدة Chinese: 联合国 French: Organisation des Nations unies Russian: Организация Объединённых Наций Spanish: Organización de las Naciones Unidas
Flag Emblem
Members of the United Nations
Headquarters	760 United Nations Plaza, Manhattan, New York City (international zone)
Official languages	Arabic Chinese English French Russian Spanish[1]
Official script	Arabic Cyrillic Latin Simplified Chinese
Type	Intergovernmental organization
Membership	193 member states 2 observer states
Leaders
• Secretary‑General	António Guterres
• Deputy Secretary-General	Amina J. Mohammed
• General Assembly President	Philemon Yang
• Economic and Social Council President	Bob Rae
Establishment
• UN Charter signed	26 June 1945 (79 years ago) (1945-06-26)
• Charter entered into force	24 October 1945 (79 years ago) (1945-10-24)
Website un.org
Preceded by League of Nations

The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and security, to develop friendly relations among states, to promote international cooperation, and to serve as a centre for harmonizing the actions of states in achieving those goals.

The United Nations headquarters is located in New York City, with several other offices located 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 which, together with several specialized agencies and related agencies, make up the United Nations System.

The UN has primarily focused on economic and social development, particularly in the wave of decolonization in the mid-20th century. The UN has been praised as a leader of peace and human development, with many officers and agencies having been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, but has also been criticized for perceived ineffectiveness, bias, and corruption.