The Headquarters of the United Nations is located on an 18-acre site on the east side of Manhattan. It is an international zone belonging to all member nations. The Headquarters consists of four main buildings: the General Assembly building, the Conference Building, the 39-floor Secretariat building and the Dag Hammarskjold Library. The original complex was designed in 1946 by an international team of 11 architects led by Wallace K. Harrison from the United States.
The Secretary-General's Office -
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The Secretary-General's office is located on the top floor of the Secretariat building. The office is currently occupied by Kofi Annan who officially began his first term as Secretary-General on January 1, 1997.
The Peacekeeping Situation Center -
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The Peacekeeping Situation Center is staffed by military personnel from member nations and is the command, control and communications center for all UN peacekeeping missions around the world. It is staffed around-the-clock and is comprised of a watch commander and duty desks for each region where operations are ongoing. Duty officers keep abreast of changing situations and are in continuous communications with field commanders. Wall maps show deployment of personnel, material and treaty zones.
The Peacekeeping Situation Center Briefing Room -
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The Peacekeeping Situation Center Briefing Room was designed with consultation from military specialists. This specially equipped conference room allows UN leaders to video teleconference with up to five field commanders simultaneously. In addition, the room is used for daily briefings on UN peacekeeping missions around the world.
The Dag Hammarskjold Library -
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The Dag Hammarskjold Library building was a gift from the Ford Foundation in 1961 to honor the late Secretary-General. The library is intended primarily for the use of Secretariat staff, delegations to the United Nations, members of permanent missions and other official users.
The Economic and Social Council Chamber -
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The Economic and Social Council Chamber was a gift from Sweden and conceived by the Swedish architect Sven Markelius, one of the original UN site architects. A special feature of the room is the exposed pipes and ducts in the ceiling above the public gallery. The "unfinished" ceiling is commonly seen as a symbolic reminder that the economic and social work of the United Nations is never finished.
The Security Council Chamber -
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The Security Council Chamber was a gift from Norway, designed by the Norwegian architect Arenstein Arnenberg. A central feature of the Security Council Chamber is the oil canvas mural painted by the Norwegian artist Per Krogh. It depicts a phoenix rising from the ashes and is a symbol of the world being rebuilt after the Second World War.
The General Assembly Hall -
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View of the General Assembly from behind the podium.
View of the General Assembly from the main seating area, looking toward the podium.
The General Assembly Hall is the largest room in the United Nations with seating capacity for over 1,800 people. The design of the room was a collaborative effort by the same team of 11 architects that designed the UN Headquarters. The General Assembly Hall is the only conference room at the United Nations containing the UN emblem, consisting of a map of the world as seen from above the North Pole, flanked by an olive wreath as a symbol of peace.
The General Assembly Lobby-
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View of the General Assembly Lobby from the first floor.
View of the General Assembly Lobby from the top of the staircase.
A prominent feature of the General Assembly Lobby is the Foucault pendulum, given by the Netherlands to the United Nations in 1955. The Foucault pendulum, named after the French physicist Jean Bernard Leon Foucault, gives visual proof of the rotation of the Earth.
The General Assembly Delegates Entrance -
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(Repeat same title and caption for both views)
The General Assembly Delegates Entrance contains 2 murals entitled "War" and "Peace" which cover the east and west walls of the lobby. The murals were painted by the Brazilian artist Candido Portinari and each measures 34 feet by 46 feet. The huge tapestry on the north wall was designed by Peter Colfs of Belgium and is the largest tapestry ever woven, measuring 43 1/2 by 28 1/2 feet. Its themes are peace, prosperity and equality.
The United Nations Courtyard -
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Several buildings surrounding the main UN complex contain offices for various UN organizations. The tall UN Plaza buildings are located across 1st Avenue from the UN Headquarters, and house programs such as UNICEF and UNDP, as well as the UN Plaza Hotel where visiting diplomats often stay.
The United Nations Garden -
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The United Nations garden contains several sculptures and statues that have been donated by different countries. One is called "Let Us Beat Swords into Plowshares" and was a gift from the former Soviet Union presented in 1959. Created by Evgeniy Vuchetich, the bronze statue symbolizes man's desire to put an end to war and convert the means of destruction into creative tools for the benefit of all mankind.
