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 peacekeeping missions. 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 have given their lives 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 Internal Oversight Services
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
Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs
- Peacebuilding Support Office
- Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect
- Presence in Africa
- Presence in the Americas
- Presence in Asia and the Pacific
- Presence in Europe
- Presence in the Middle East and West Asia
- Electoral Assistance Division
- Division for Palestinian Rights
- Prevention and Mediation
- Security Council Secretariat Branch
- Decolonization Unit
Office for Disarmament Affairs
Department of Peace Operations
- Where We Operate
- Office of Military Affairs
- Office of Rule of Law and Security Institutions
- Policy, Evaluation and Training Division
Department of Operational Support
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Office of Counter-Terrorism (OCT)
Department for General Assembly and Conference Management
Development Coordination Office
Department of Economic and Social Affairs
- Financing for Sustainable Development Office
- Office for Intergovernmental Support and Coordination for Sustainable Development
- Division for Inclusive Social Development
- Statistics Division
- Division for Sustainable Development Goals
- Population Division
- Economic Analysis and Policy Division
- Division for Public Institutions and Digital Government
- Capacity Development Office
- United Nations Forum on Forests
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 on Africa
- Office of the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Solutions to Internal Displacement
- Office of the Special Advisers to the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide and the Responsibility to Protect
- Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict
- Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children
- Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict
- 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
Other Entities
- Secretariat of the UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB)
- United Nations Sustainable Development Group System-Wide Evaluation Office
- UN Ethics Office
- UN Global Compact
- UN Alliance of Civilizations
- United Nations Office for Partnerships
- United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF)
- United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund
- United Nations Staff Union