The key facts
- The UN is an international non-profit organization for political and economic cooperation among states, with its own Charter
- Four goals: maintaining peace, friendly relations, joint efforts against poverty, hunger, disease and illiteracy, and helping countries
- The Secretary-General is António Guterres, re-elected for a second five-year term from 1 January 2022
Why the UN was created and what its Charter establishes
Portal Kun.uz published an explainer on what the United Nations Organization is. According to the outlet, the UN is an international non-profit organization created to develop political and economic cooperation among member states. The organization has its own Charter, which sets out the rights and obligations of member states: by joining the organization, a country commits itself to observing the goals and rules enshrined in the document.
Four main goals
The outlet lists four main goals of the organization: maintaining peace on the planet; developing friendly relations between countries; joint action in the fight against poverty, the eradication of hunger and disease, the elimination of illiteracy, and in ensuring respect for human rights and freedoms; and helping states achieve these goals. The UN's symbolism emphasizes the first of these: the emblem depicts a world map framed by olive branches.
Leadership, headquarters and languages
The UN Secretary-General is the former Prime Minister of Portugal, António Guterres, who was re-elected for a second five-year term on 1 January 2022. The organization's headquarters is located in the eastern part of Manhattan island in New York, between 42nd and 48th Streets, First Avenue and the East River strait. The area it occupies exceeds 70,000 square meters and is considered international territory, although it is subject to US laws. In addition to the New York buildings, UN regional headquarters operate in Geneva (Switzerland), Vienna (Austria) and Nairobi (Kenya). The organization has six official languages — English, Arabic, Spanish, Chinese, Russian and French; most documents are published in them, but only English and French are the working languages. The UN's activities are directed by six principal organs, among which the outlet names the General Assembly — the main deliberative, policy-making and representative organ.
