United Nations

United Nations
*(in other official languages)*
Arabic منظمة الأمم المتحدة
*Munazzamat al-Umam al-Muttaḥida*
Spanish *Organización de las Naciones Unidas*
French *Organisation des Nations unies*
Russian Организация Объединённых Наций
*Organizatsiya Obyedinyonnykh Natsiy*
Chinese 联合国
*Liánhéguó*
	(in other official languages)
Arabic	منظمة الأمم المتحدة; Munazzamat al-Umam al-Muttaḥida
Spanish	Organización de las Naciones Unidas
French	Organisation des Nations unies
Russian	Организация Объединённых Наций; Organizatsiya Obyedinyonnykh Natsiy
Chinese	联合国; Liánhéguó
	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;
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	Khalilur Rahman
• Economic and Social Council President	Amar Bendjama
Establishment
• UN Charter signed	26 June 1945
• Charter entered into force	24 October 1945
	Website; un.org
Preceded by
	League of Nations

The United Nations (UN) is an international intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations on 26 June 1945 with the articulated mission 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: General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council, International Court of Justice, Secretariat and Trusteeship Council which, together with several specialized agencies and related agencies, make up the UN System. There is a total of 193 member states, representing nearly all of the world's sovereign states, as well as two observer states, the Holy See and the State of Palestine.

The United Nations has primarily focused on economic and social development, particularly during the wave of decolonization in the mid-twentieth century. The UN currently operates 11 peacekeeping missions, by order of inception, in the Middle East, Kashmir, Cyprus, the Golan Heights, Lebanon, the Western Sahara, Kosovo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, South Sudan and the Central African Republic. The UN has been recognized as a global leader of peace and human development, with many officials and agencies having been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize but has also been criticized for perceived ineffectiveness, bias, and corruption.