Definition
The UN's structure centers around a General Assembly, where representatives of all states sit together in a huge room, listen to speeches, and pass resolutions. The General Assembly coordinates a variety of third-world development programs and other autonomous agencies through the Economic and Social Council. Parallel to the General Assembly is the Security Council, in which five great powers and ten rotating members-states make decisions about international peace and security. The Security Council has responsibility for the dispatch of peacekeeping forces to trouble spots. The administration of the UN takes place through the Secretariat (executive branch), led by the secretary-general of the UN. The World Court (International Court of Justice) is a judicial arm of the UN. National delegations to the UN, headed by ambassadors from each member state, work at meet together at UN headquarters. They have diplomatic status in the United States, which as host country also assumes certain other obligations to facilitate the UN's functioning. For example, the U.S. government has permitted people such as Fidel Castro- normally barred from entry to the United States- to visit New York long enough to address the UN.
Introduction to structure and work of the UN with related links