The United Nations Secretariat carries out the day-to-day work of the UN as mandated by the General Assembly and the Organization's other main organs. The Secretary-General is the head of the Secretariat, which has tens of thousands of UN staff members working at duty stations all over the world. UN staff members are recruited internationally and locally, and work in duty stations and on . Serving the cause of peace in a violent world is a dangerous occupation. Since the founding of the United Nations, hundreds of brave men and women in its service.
The Secretariat is organized along departmental lines, with each department or office having a distinct area of action and responsibility. Offices and departments coordinate with each other to ensure cohesion in the UN’s programme of work. Much of the UN Secretariat is located in New York City, USA. The UN also has three major Offices outside of its Headquarters and five Regional Economic Commissions.
Secretary-General
The Secretary-General is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the UN Secretariat.
Offices and Departments at Headquarters in New York
Executive Office of the Secretary-General
Office of Legal Affairs
- Office of the Legal Counsel
- General Legal Division
- Codification Division
- Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea
- International Trade Law Division
- Treaty Section
- Policy, Evaluation and Training Division
Office of Counter-Terrorism (OCT)
Department for General Assembly and Conference Management
Department of Economic and Social Affairs
Department of Global Communications
Department of Safety and Security
Department of Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance
Special Advisers, Representatives, Advocates and Envoys
- Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States
- Office of the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Solutions to Internal Displacement
- Office of the Special Coordinator to Improve the UN Response to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse
- Office of the Victims' Rights Advocate (UN Response to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse)
- Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth
United Nations Ombudsman
Internal Justice Bodies
- UN Internal Justice System
- Office of Administration of Justice
- Office of Staff Legal Assistance
- UN Dispute Tribunal
- UN Appeals Tribunal