What are the United Nations, and what is it that they do?

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You probably hear journalists talk about the United Nations in the news a fair bit – you certainly do if you’re a regular First News reader – but do you know what it is?

The United Nations – or UN for short – is an international organisation that was founded in 1945.

It was formed after World War Two, to try and avoid a similar conflict from ever happening again.

The UN originally had just 51 member states, but it is now made up of 193. These include the UK, the USA, France and Spain to name just a few

Every member state has to sign the UN charter. This is a set of guidelines that explain the rights and responsibilities of each member.

The United Nations work together to tackle important world issues, such as climate change, human rights, poverty and terrorism

Peace and security

One of their main aims is to create international peace and security.

The Secretary-General helps to lead the United Nations and acts as a spokesman for the world’s people. The current Secretary-General is Mr António Guterres of Portugal.

There are different bodies in the United Nations, that all do different things. The most well known are the General Assembly and the Security Council.

All of the UN’s 193 member states meet in the General Assembly, while the Security Council is responsible for trying to settle conflicts.

On 24 October, it is United Nations Day. This marks the birthday of the United Nations back in 1945 and reminds people of what the organisation is trying to do to help our world.

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