A Photo Tour of the United Nations

The United Nations is the only organization encompassing every government on Earth. Each country is referred to as a "member state." Those nations form the U.N. General Assembly. A smaller group of countries meet as the U.N. Security Council. The council has five permanent members (United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia, China - referred to as the P5) and ten rotating members. Because the P5 each have the authority to veto any council move, U.N. action depends on agreement among the P5.

The photos here depict these and other major elements of the U.N.'s work. For more information, read my profile of the United Nations.