The United Nations (New York City, New York)

This is the headquarters of the United Nations (UN), located in Manhattan, New York. It is considered international territory, and therefore, not part of New York or the United States.

The UN is an international organization that describes itself as a "global association of governments facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, and social equity." It was founded in 1945 at the signing of the United Nations Charter by 51 countries, replacing The League of Nations which was founded in 1919.

As of 2006 there exist 192 United Nations member states, including virtually all internationally recognised independent nations. From its headquarters in New York City, the UN's member countries and specialized agencies give guidance and decide on substantive and administrative issues in regular meetings held throughout each year. The organization is divided into administrative bodies, including the UN General Assembly, UN Security Council, UN Economic and Social Council, UN Trusteeship Council, UN Secretariat, and the International Court of Justice, as well as counterpart bodies dealing with the governance of all other UN system agencies, such as the WHO and UNICEF. The UN's most visible public figure is the Secretary-General.

The UN was founded after the end of World War II by the victorious world powers with the hope that it would act to prevent conflicts between nations and make future wars impossible, by fostering an ideal of collective security. The organization's structure still reflects in some ways the circumstances of its founding. For example, the five main victors of World War II are the Security Council permanent members with veto power: The United States of America, the Soviet Union (which was replaced by Russia), the United Kingdom, France, and the Republic of China (later replaced by the People's Republic of China).

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