United Nations - New York City
 

United Nations: Peacekeeping operations to end some of the world's most intractable conflicts is the Untied Nations mission. They also assist victims of disaster, protect human rights and advance international law. This impressive building is right on the river. Various tours are available to see different parts of the building, the Security Council, etc or you may just want to check out the flag of your own country on the flag staffs outside the buildings.

In 1946, the United Nations were looking for a location for their new headquarters in New York. The original plan was to use the grounds of the 1939 World Fair in Flushing Meadow Park in Queens. But when a project known as X-City on Manhattan's eastern border failed to materialize, John D. Rockefeller Jr. bought the 18 acre plot and donated it to United Nations. This site was then used to build the UN's headquarters. The whole area was converted into international territory and officially does not belong to the United States.

The design for the United Nations complex was drawn by an international committee of architects, the United Nations Board of Design. The most notable of the architects were Oscar Niemeyer, Le Corbusier and Wallace K. Harrison, who headed the board. Some renowned architects including Mies van der Rohe and Walter Gropius were excluded due to their historic links with Germany, the enemy during the war.

The international style was chosen by the board members as it symbolized a new start after the second World War. A plan by Le Corbusier, known as project 23A, was taken as the basis for the complex. After many months of heated discussions, mainly between Le Curbusier and the other architects, the final plan 23W, drawn up by Oscar Niemeyer was adopted by all members of the board. It consists of a complex with 4 buildings: the Secretariat building, the General Assembly building, the Conference building and the Dag Hammarskjold Library.

Adjacent to the United Nations complex is a small public park bordering the East River. It is littered with artwork donated by many countries, including the 'Let Us Beat Swords into Plowshares' by Evgeniy Vuchetich, donated by the Soviet Union in 1959. Recently a piece of the Berlin Wall was added to the park.

Along First Avenue in front of the United Nations Headquarters is a display of flags from each member of the UN. It starts with Afghanistan at 48th street and ends with Zimbabwe at 42nd street.