United Nations
<p >The <b>United Nations</b> (abbreviated <b>UN</b> in English, and <i>ONU</i> in its other official languages), is an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_organization" title="International organization" >international organization</a> whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_law" title="International law" >international law</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_security" title="International security" >international security</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_development" title="Economic development" >economic development</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_change" title="Social change" >social progress</a>, human rights, and achievement of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_peace" title="World peace" >world peace</a>. The UN was founded in 1945 after World War II to replace the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/League_of_Nations" title="League of Nations" >League of Nations</a>, to stop wars between countries, and to provide a platform for dialogue. It contains multiple subsidiary organizations to carry out its missions.
There are <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Member_states_of_the_United_Nations" title="Member states of the United Nations" >193 member states</a>, including every <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diplomatic_recognition" title="Diplomatic recognition" >internationally recognised</a> sovereign state in the world but <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vatican_City" title="Vatican City" >Vatican City</a>. From its offices around the world, the UN and its specialized agencies decide on substantive and administrative issues in regular meetings held throughout the year. The organization has six principal organs: the<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_General_Assembly" title="United Nations General Assembly" >General Assembly</a> (the main <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deliberative_assembly" title="Deliberative assembly" >deliberative assembly</a>); the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Security_Council" title="United Nations Security Council" >Security Council</a> (for deciding certain resolutions for peace and security); the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Economic_and_Social_Council" title="United Nations Economic and Social Council" >Economic and Social Council</a> (for assisting in promoting international economic and social cooperation and development); the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Secretariat" title="United Nations Secretariat" >Secretariat</a> (for providing studies, information, and facilities needed by the UN); the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Court_of_Justice" title="International Court of Justice" >International Court of Justice</a> (the primary judicial organ); and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Trusteeship_Council" title="United Nations Trusteeship Council" >United Nations Trusteeship Council</a> (which is currently inactive). Other prominent <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_System" title="United Nations System" >UN System</a>agencies include the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Health_Organization" title="World Health Organization" >World Health Organization</a> (WHO), the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Food_Programme" title="World Food Programme" >World Food Programme</a>(WFP) and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Children%27s_Fund" title="United Nations Children's Fund" class="mw-redirect" >United Nations Children's Fund</a> (UNICEF). The UN's most prominent position is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretary-General_of_the_United_Nations" title="Secretary-General of the United Nations" >Secretary-General</a> which has been held by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ban_Ki-moon" title="Ban Ki-moon" >Ban Ki-moon</a> of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Korea" title="South Korea" >South Korea</a>since 2007.
The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Headquarters" title="United Nations Headquarters" >United Nations Headquarters</a> resides in international territory in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City" title="New York City" >New York City</a>, with further main offices at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Office_at_Geneva" title="United Nations Office at Geneva" >Geneva</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Office_at_Nairobi" title="United Nations Office at Nairobi" >Nairobi</a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Office_at_Vienna" title="United Nations Office at Vienna" >Vienna</a>. The organization is financed from assessed and voluntary contributions from its member states, and has <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Official_languages_of_the_United_Nations" title="Official languages of the United Nations" >six official languages</a>: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabic_language" title="Arabic language" >Arabic</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_language" title="Chinese language" >Chinese</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_language" title="English language" >English</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_language" title="French language" >French</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_language" title="Russian language" >Russian</a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_language" title="Spanish language" >Spanish</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-langs_1-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_nations#cite_note-langs-1" >[2]</a></sup></p>