We only have one planet.
It's organized
into almost 200 countries
which are home
to 7.5 billion people,
living and working and playing
and eating and sleeping
and arguing too.
Humans argue a lot!
[multiple voices arguing]
Isn't there anything we could do
to try and help work things out?
Actually, there's this thing
called the United Nations .
It was created way back
in 1945 after the world
had been through
two really terrible wars.
[cheering]
[camera flash]
Ruby: The United Nations,
also known as The UN ,
was created to try to prevent
wars from happening
and to help
countries get along.
How do they do that?
By trying to make sure
everyone has what they need
to live a good life.
Food, shelter, medicine,
a clean environment,
dignity, and safety.
♪ [light]
[slide whistle]
[cheering]
Sid: So, the UN
is kind of like a club.
Ruby: Kind of,
but a really huge club.
It's an organization and almost
every country is a member,
193 in total.
Is their a secret handshake?
No, but countries
do have to pay to join.
Huh. So, how does
The UN actually work?
Well, all decisions
are made by vote,
including who
the leader of The UN will be.
That person is called
the Secretary General.
The Secretary General works with
all the other UN members
to identify problems and work
towards peaceful solutions.
Their job is to speak for
all the people of the world,
ensuring they come first,
no matter what decision
is being made
and to always act for peace.
[cheering]
And what about kids?
Does The UN have
anything to do with us?
Yes. In a big way.
The United Nations
created a document
called The UN Convention
 on the Rights of the Child.
It outlines things
all children should have
or be able to do.
Sid:
What things are those?
Like, every kid has the right
to be safe, to learn,
and to play.
Wow! The UN's
pretty cool and important.
Ruby: You can think of The UN
like the world's referee,
here to make sure problems
and arguments are dealt with
properly and peacefully.
And while The UN still has
a long way to go towards fairly
achieving its goals,
members of The UN will continue
to try and work together.
With or without
the secret handshake.
♪ ♪
