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United Nations headquarters


United Nations headquarters in New York City
United Nations headquarters, view from East River

The headquarters of the post-WWII international organization, the United Nations Building or the United Nations Headquarters, is one of the most visited and distinctive sites in New York City, New York. It is located in Turtle Bay, on the east side of Manhattan.

In the General Assembly Building, all 191 countries in the United Nations meet in the United Nations General Assembly. The complex also includes the Secretariat Building, the 39-floor office tower, the Dag Hammarskjöld Building, the main library, and the Conference Building, which houses the General Assembly.

The site of the United Nations Headquarters is considered international territory, which means local laws do not apply and the diplomats working there are immune from proscution by local courts. In the 1990's however, the New York City government took steps to force diplomats to abide by local laws when living and traveling outside the UN headquarters, especially those concerning parking tickets and drunk driving.

The United Nations Headquarters was designed by a team of 11 architects headed by Wallace K. Harrison and Le Coubersier. Work on the complex was begun in 1947 and completed in 1952. The Dag Hammarskjöld Building was added in 1961.