Sitting along the East River, the United Nations headquarters in New York is open to visitors who may wish to visit on a tour around the building in order to learn more about the organization and how it works. A United Nations tour of its building in New York is an interesting and educational way to spend some time in the city.
Recently, we went on a United Nations Tour of the UN building to learn more about what the UN’s roles and what actually takes place within its halls.
United Nations Tour in New York City
The United Nations headquarters is open to visitors who are curious about what the UN does. The Standard Guided Tour lasts for about one hour and will take you to different places with the United Nations complex.
To go on the United Nations tour, you will need to book in advance. To do so, go onto the UN website and book a tour.
These ticketed tours are conducted in the six official languages of the United Nations – Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.
Tour groups have a maximum of 20 persons. However, during non-peak seasons, you can expect fewer people to be in the tour group.
Arriving at the United Nations
We made our booking online and were advise to arrive an hour ahead of our scheduled tour time.
This early arrival is to facilitate checking in and security clearances.
The United Nations headquarters is located between 1st Avenue and the East River at the end of East 45th Street in the area known as Tudor City.
When you arrive, the first place to go is the United Nations Headquarters Visitor Check-in Office. This is a small, nondescript office at the corner of 1st Avenue and East 45th Street.
Here is where, with your booking in hand, you will have to first register and check-in. Don’t forget to bring along your ID.
Once they have checked you in, you can then head across the street to the main entrance to the United Nations compound where there is security screening.
After passing through the security screening, you can then make your way to the United Nations building on your right.
You will pass by the Non-Violence sculpture of a gun with its barrel in a knot.
The sculpture was made by Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd in response to the 1980 murder of John Lennon outside of the Dakota apartments opposite Central Park.
Originally planned to be installed at Strawberry Fields in Central Park, it was bought by the Luxembourg government in 1988 and donated to the United Nations. It is on display at an area known as the “Peace Garden”.
Inside the United Nations Building
Stepping inside the United Nations building, there is a large atrium.
There is an information desk just inside from the entrance but if you are going for the tour, the meeting point is straight ahead, further into the building.
As you make your way into the building, you will go past the atrium. This is where there are displays of exhibition and artworks, all relating to the work of the United Nations.
On the right, there are portraits of the United Nations Secretaries-General, ranging from the first United Nations Secretary-General Trygve Lie to more recent former Secretaries-General like Kofi Annan and Ban Ki-moon.
United Nations HQ Tour
Be at the tour meeting point on time to join the tour.
There will be be a guide from the UN who will conduct the tour in your chosen language.
Once all in the group have arrived, the guide will take you behind a glass door and up the escalator to the second floor to provide an introduction to the United Nations.
The United Nations complex is made up of several buildings and was designed an international team of architects and led by Wallace Harrison.
Construction of the complex started in 1949 and was completed in 1951.
The tall building that many people think of as the United Nations building is the 30-storey Secretariat building. It houses the offices of the Secretary-General and various departments.
The next most famous building is the General Assembly building, the building that you enter into after the security screening.
Other buildings include the Conference Building, the Dag Hammarskjold Library, and the General Assembly Library.
Trusteeship Council Chambers
The first chambers we visited with the Trusteeship Council Chambers.
Originally designed by Danish architect Finn Juhl and a gift from the Danish government, this is where the Trusteeship Council met. The Trusteeship Council was originally set up to oversee the transition of colonies to independent states.
It ceased its activities in 1994 when Palau gained its independence.
In a corner of the Trusteeship Council Chambers is a sculpture by Danish sculptor Henrik Starcke. Called Mankind and Hope, it symbolizes the hope of former colonies gaining independence.
Council Chambers
Depending on whether there are meetings going on, it is also possible to enter into the other chambers such as the Security Council Chambers.
Unfortunately, it was locked on the day of our visit.
Nonetheless, on the walls of the corridors outside the Security Council Chambers, it is possible to learn more and gain an appreciation of the work that the United Nations does.
There is a display about the different spots around the world where the United Nations has peacekeeping missions.
On the opposite wall is additional information about human rights.
Other chambers that you may have a chance to visit, if not closed for meetings, include the Economic and Social Council.
Learning about the Work of the United Nations
The work of the United Nations is very broad.
Our guide shared with us more about the organization’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals that aim to promote prosperity across countries and also protect planet Earth.
One of the stops of the UN tour was to learn about the need for disarmament.
The daily military expenditure far outstrips the spending on development assistance.
This highlighted the tendency towards aggression and the need and urgency to act for peace in global affairs.
UN General Assembly Hall
The highlight of the UN tour was the visit to the UN General Assembly Hall.
This is where all the members of the United Nations gather. It can hold up to 1,800 people.
It is deliberately designed so that each delegate, no matter the size of the country, has a desk that faces towards the main rostrum.
Behind the country delegates are where the international organizations such as the WHO, WIPO and UNWTO have their seats.
Each seat is equipped with ear pieces so that translations of the proceedings can be heard in different languages.
The UN General Assembly Hall contains two abstract murals. These murals were designed by the French artist Fernand Léger and painted by his student Bruce Gregory.
The mural on the left wall is painted in orange, gray, and white.
The mural on the right wall is painted in blue, yellow, and white.
Their designs caused US president Harry S. Truman to call the left mural “Scrambled Eggs” and the right mural “Bugs Bunny”.
Basement Gift Shop, Bookstore and Cafe
You can end your tour of the United Nations at the basement.
A gift store sells souvenirs that you can take home with you to remember your visit to the United Nations.
There is also a bookstore that sells various books.
An interesting place in the basement is the post office or the United Nations Postal Administration. If you mail a postcard or mail from the United Nations’ post office. You will receive it with a UN post mark.
There is also an information office where you can learn more about the work of the United Nations along with its Sustainable Development Goals.
For those who are hungry, the basement has a cafe that sells light refreshments, pastries and beverages.
Visiting the United Nations in New York City
If you are looking for something off the usual beaten track while in New York City, a visit to the United Nations headquarters may be in order.
It is interesting to be able to step into such a recognizable building and its different spaces like the General Assembly Hall and to learn about the work of the United Nations.
Having a tour guide from the UN take us around was a chance to interact and ask questions about the work of the organization. We were able to ask questions and hear the perspectives of the tour guide, who was a United Nations’ staff. This made the visit more personal and educational as well.
The United Nations tour is a ticketed tour and you can book UN guided tour tickets online here.
We recommend booking the tickets in advance if this is something that you wish to do while visiting New York City. During peak months, the tickets can go quite quickly.
Besides the Standard Guide Tour, other tours available include the Garden Tour, Art Tour, Architecture Tour, Children’s Tour (for children between the ages of 5 to 10), Black History Tour and Focus on Women Tour. Some of these tours are seasonal.
If you enjoyed this story, you may also enjoy this one on a Cuban restaurant in Midtown Manhattan or reading about Ralph Bunche Park, the city’s first Peace Park that is located opposite from the United Nations.
