UN Geneva
General
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UNOG is part of the United Nations Secretariat, which is described in Chapter XV of the Charter of the United Nations. The Secretariat Headquarters is in New York. UNOG is one of three Secretariat offices away from Headquarters, the other two being located in Nairobi and Vienna.
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The United Nations family comprises a large number of intergovernmental organizations, specialized agencies, programmes, funds, offices and research institutes as well as related organizations. Many of these organizations have a presence in Geneva. UNOG is a member of this wider United Nations family in Geneva and cooperates closely with many of the United Nations entities present here. For more information, see the section of the web site devoted to the UN Family in Geneva, and to other FAQs on the same topic.
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The Office was called the European Office of the United Nations until 1966 when it was given its present name, the United Nations Office at Geneva. The United Nations is present in many European countries. For more details on United Nations agencies, programmes and funds in Europe and globally, check the United Nations System of Organizations.
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Approximately 1,850 people work for UNOG. Around 3,500 staff work inside the Palais des Nations.
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Lengthy negotiations conducted at the Palais des Nations have resulted in the resolution of bitter, drawn-out conflicts. Examples of these include the armistice in 1953 between North and South Korea and, several decades later, agreements on Afghanistan in 1988. Efforts to resolve conflicts in areas such as Abkhazia/Georgia, Cyprus, East Timor, Liberia, Syria, Yemen, the territories of the former Yugoslavia, and about the conflict in Sudan have also been pursued at the Palais des Nations in the past years. Geneva is a favoured place for multilateral and bilateral consultations and meetings to facilitate peaceful solutions to protracted problems. For example, in November 2002, the Presidents of Cameroon and Nigeria met at the Palais des Nations at the invitation and in the presence of the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, to follow up on the decision of the International Court of Justice on the border dispute between the two countries. More information on specific activities is available on our page on peace negotiations and in the UNOG Library and archives collections.
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Facilitating cooperation with regional organizations is part of the mandate of the United Nations Office at Geneva. UNOG represents the United Nations in the ‘tripartite process’, a framework of informal consultations with the Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
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The Visitors’ Service at UNOG organizes lecture tours in 12 languages and information programmes on United Nations activities, the history of the Organization and the issues on its agenda.
For more information, see the section of the web site about the Palais des Nations. The UNOG Annual Report provides a comprehensive yearly overview of the work of UNOG, including key statistical information.
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UNOG stands for the United Nations Office at Geneva. UNOG is the representative office of the United Nations Secretary-General at Geneva and it is the largest United Nations office after United Nations Headquarters in New York.
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In addition to representational and liaison functions with Member States, non-governmental organizations, host country authorities and other United Nations entities based in Geneva, the Office provides conference services to over 8,000 meetings every year and administrative services to many United Nations entities based in Geneva and elsewhere.
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The Director-General is responsible for all activities of the United Nations Office at Geneva. For more information on the Director-General and her mandate, visit the Director-General's webpage.