20 Facts about the United

Nations

What is the United Nations?

20 Key Facts about the United Nations

1. The United Nations is an international organization created to maintain

international peace and promote human rights.
2. It was founded in 1945 after the Second World War.
3. The U.N. began with 51 countries and is now comprised of 193 Member States.
4. The U.N. reaches virtually every corner of the world.
5. The U.N. is best known for peacekeeping, peace building, conflict prevention
and humanitarian assistance.
6. The United Nations has four main goals.
7. The U.N.’s first purpose is to keep peace throughout the world.
8. The second goal is to develop friendly relations.
9. The third purpose is to assist nations in encouraging human rights, helping the
poor, and improving hunger, disease and literacy.
10. The fourth goal is to operate as a center—a community—for achieving these
goals.
11. The U.N. provides food to 90 million people in over 75 countries.
12. They assist over 34 million refugees.
13. They work with 140 nations to combat climate change.
14. The U.N. vaccinates 58 percent of the world’s children.
15. They keep peace with 120,000 peace keepers over 4 continents.
16. The U.N. assists about 50 countries per year in elections.
17. They protect human rights through 80 different treaties and declarations.
18. They fight poverty by helping 370 million rural poor individuals achieve better
living circumstances.
19. The U.N. mobilizes $12.5 billion in humanitarian aid.
20. They assist about 30 million women a year by their maternal health efforts.

– Meagan Hurley