Aims are to facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and the achieving of world peace.

Formed in 1945 after World War II to replace the League of Nations, to stop wars between countries, and to provide a platform for dialogue. It contains multiple subsidiary organizations to carry out its missions.There are currently 192 member states, including nearly every sovereign state in the world. From its offices around the world, the UN and its specialized agencies decide on substantive and administrative issues in regular meetings held throughout the year.

By having deployed a total of 54 peace-keeping forces and observer missions as of September 2001, the United Nations has been able to restore calm to allow the negotiating process to go forward while saving millions of people from becoming casualties of conflicts. There are presently 15 active peace-keeping forces in operation.

The United Nations has promote democracy by enabled people in many countries to participate in free and fair elections, including those held in Cambodia, Namibia, El Salvador, Eritrea, Mozambique, Nicaragua, South Africa, Kosovo and East Timor. It has provided electoral advice, assistance, and monitoring of results. The United Nations has also played a role in bringing about independence in countries that are now among its Member States.

Although major achievements of the United Nations were great, incidents still h appen. Major security failures at the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad were partially responsible for the large number of deaths and casualties caused by the truck bomb there in August, according to a new report on the incident. The explosion, which killed 22 people, including the head of the UN mission, Sergio Vieira de Mello, led to a reduction in the staff at the UN offices and has since affected the UN operation in the region.

One of the failings highlighted was the alleged failure to seek proper security coverage from coalition forces. This failure may have been partly caused by the UN belief that it was seen as a third party which had not been responsible for the military action.