Established in 1945, the United Nations (UN) was created to preserve peace among nations and foster "international cooperation and collective security." The UN has six main bodies: the Security Council, the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the Trusteeship Council, the Secretariat (all of which are based in New York City), and the Court of Justice (which is based in The Hague, Netherlands). More than 30 organizations are part of the overall UN system. Starting with 50 member nations, the UN now includes 189 countries, all of which have agreed to accept the UN charter as a treaty obligation while maintaining their own national sovereignty.

Besides addressing pressing global security issues and playing a lead role in peacemaking endeavors, the UN also wages a war against drugs, works towards disarmament, attempts to upgrade the status of women and children, fosters improved global health, brokers peace deals, hosts annual meetings of the Commission on Sustainable Development (see below), and, among other pursuits, focuses on pressing environmental considerations such as attempts to rid the world of devastating pelagic driftnets and the elimination of land mines, which kill man and beast alike.