April 2005
Amid sweeping reforms, international scandals, and Hollywood blockbusters, the United Nations has received a lot of press in recent weeks. This month's Inside Britannica brings you behind the scenes of this global institution.

Recently, Secretary-General Kofi Annan introduced a plan aimed at reforming the United Nations into an organization more capable of carrying out initiatives in development, security and human rights. These reforms face hurdles, as some of Annan's critics have called for his resignation following his activities—and those of his son—in the UN's oil-for-food program in Iraq (an inquiry cleared Annan of wrongdoing). In Hollywood news, The Interpreter, starring Nicole Kidman as a UN interpreter who overhears an assassination plot, hits theaters this week. It is the first movie production ever allowed filming access to the UN headquarters in New York.
How much do you know about the UN?

• Of the six principal organs of the United Nations, this is the only one in which all UN members are represented.

• This country's application was blocked for over 20 years before officially joining the UN in 1971.

• The use of UN peacekeeping forces as a buffer between warring nations became a formalized practice during this 1956 international crisis.

• Of the 15 members of the UN Security Council, only these five have permanent seats.

• This Swedish statesman served as the second secretary-general of the UN, and was posthumously awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1961.

Go behind the scenes at the United Nations with additional information on topics such as:

• The duties of the secretary-general, and the history of the position.

• The UN's principles and recommendations on arms control and disarmament.

• The controversial issues surrounding the financing of the United Nations.

• The background behind the UN's specialized agencies including the World Health Organization, UNESCO, and more.

• The UN's major role in defining, codifying, and expanding the realm of international law.


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Join the UN peacekeeping forces as they help to end civil unrest in Cyprus. Watch Video

Nearly every world nation belongs to the UN. Learn more about the 191 members. View Table

Note: Videos and animations may require Quicktime, Windows Media, or Real Player.
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During World War II, the major Allied Powers agreed to establish a new global organization to replace the failed League of Nations to help manage international affairs. This agreement was first articulated when British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Atlantic Charter in August 1941. The name "United Nations" was originally used to denote the countries allied against Germany, Italy, and Japan.
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