Questions and answers about the United Nations
3 key UN system question sections.
Here are some common United Nations organization questions and answers prepared by former UN employees.
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What are the UN core values?
1. What does the UN do?
This section will cover the typical UN organization questions.
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What is it like working at the UN system?
2. What’s it like working for the United Nations?
This section will cover ways to work for the UN and what it is like working at a UN agency.
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How to start a UN system career?
3. How to increase your chances for a Job in the UN?
This section will answer typical application questions.
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“More than ever before in human history, we share a common destiny. We can master it only if we face it together. And that, my friends, is why we have the United Nations.”
- Kofi Annan
Section 1 - What does the UN do?
What does the UN actually do?
No doubt a question on everyone’s lips but perhaps one you feel you should already know given the UN is celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2020. More formally answered by the organisation than perhaps we could ever put into words is the guiding summary by the UN itself which puts it simply as the UN is a recognised global organisation which was founded in 1945 with a focus on commitment towards maintaining international peace and security, more detail to answer this question can be found on the UN website.
The organisation pays particular attention to developing friendly relations among nations; promoting social progress, better living standards and human rights.
How many UN member states are there?
The United Nations has 193 Member States who participate in the following forums; General Assembly, Security Council, the Economic and Social Council and numerous other bodies and committees setup by the various United Nations Organizations.
The UN works in every corner of the globe with a focus on a vast range of issues such as sustainable development, environmental protection and safe guarding refugees, disaster relief and mitigation, counter terrorism, as well as disarmament and non-proliferation covering nuclear.
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Section 1 - What does the UN Stand for?
What does the UN stand for and what are its core values?
The Charter of the United Nations is the founding document of the United Nations; this multilateral treaty was signed in June 1945, in San Francisco and came into force on 24 October 1945. The Charter has so far been amended three times in 1963, 1965, and 1973.
The current status of this agreement can be found on the UN Treaty Collection website; alternatively you can buy the charter and other UN related documents at the UN Shop: https://shop.un.org/
Article 1 of the UN Charter is a great starting point to understand the UN’s purpose.
Article 1 of the UN charter:
To maintain international peace and security, and to that end: to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace, and for the suppression of acts of aggression or other breaches of the peace, and to bring about by peaceful means, and in conformity with the principles of justice and international law, adjustment or settlement of international disputes or situations which might lead to a breach of the peace;
To develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples, and to take other appropriate measures to strengthen universal peace;
To achieve international co-operation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian character, and in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion; and
To be a center for harmonizing the actions of nations in the attainment of these common ends
By the way, the UN does not have an official anthem or hymn.
“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.”
United Nations, Charter, 1945.
Section 1 - How does the UN work?
How does the UN work, how many organizations in the UN?
To understand the United Nations and its 17 specialised agencies it is best to take a look at the broader reach of the United nations which is best done through its Procurement arm the United Nations Global marketplace. This tells you all you need to know about the structure of the individual 15 Member Organs, Specialized Agencies and the 5 Related Organisations of the UN. The latter 5 Related Organisations differ in that they do not follow article 57 and 63 of the United Nations Charter, relevant to Specialized Agencies, whilst this is not important to personally know it may help should you wish to know which agency you wish to work for.
What are the key UN meetings?
The Member Organs report annually to the General Assembly and through the Security Council or the Economic and Social Council. Some familiar member names you may have heard of feature frequently such as UNICEF - United Nations Children's Fund, UNCTAD - United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, UN Women - United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women and some others not so commonly known such as UNFPA - United Nations Population Fund.
What are the most commonly known UN organizations?
The common names you have no doubt heard featured in the press are the UN Specialized Agencies such as the WHO - World Health Organization or perhaps UNESCO - United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization located in Paris, France. The United Nations global marketplace link below features the full organisational chart to help you understand the clearer link between the differing bodies and how they are organised and governed. If you would like to learn more about UN locations see the next section.
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Section 1 - Where is the UN located?
Where is the UN system located, where are the UN offices?
The United Nations is spread across the globe so understanding how many United Nations offices there are is quite a mind boggling task so let’s break down the answer by the most obvious questions:
Where is the United Nations headquartered? UN in NYC?
Four out of the five principle UN organs are located in New York at the NYC UN building 750 United Nations Plaza, in Manhattan, New York City.
Where are the global offices of the UN?
There are numerous UN global offices located across the globe and are present in Copenhagen, Helsinki, Paris, Bonn (Germany), Rome, Turin, Valletta (Malta), Oslo, Madrid, Barcelona, Malmo, Berne, Geneva, London, Santo Domingo, Kingston, Washington DC, Santiago, Nairobi, Amman (Jordan), Beirut (Lebanon), Tokyo, Macau, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Montreal but no doubt since writing there may have been a new office open.
Wherever you end up working for the United Nations you can be sure you will have the opportunity to work with an eclectic mix of interesting cultures.
Are there UN offices in Europe?
UN locations in Europe are commonly known due to hosting an array of the major agencies such as the International Court of Justice which is located at the Hague. The Vienna International Centre (VIC) located at Wagramer Str. 5, 1220 Wien, Austria hosts agencies such as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), UN organization for Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the UN office in Geneva (UNOG) which is located at Palais des Nations, 1211 Genève, Switzerland is home to the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE).
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