UNITED NATIONS HEADQUARTERS

The building is bordered on the courtyard by the flags of its 193 Member States and on the garden side by sumptuous rose bushes. The park offers a magnificent view of the East River. In the vast reception centre, temporary and free exhibitions take place. We will admire the stained glass window of Chagall as well as the pendulum of Foucault which swings tirelessly on the ceiling. In the basement, we will linger at Unicef and Unesco counters, in craft shops, including the UN shop that sells flags from all over the world, at the bookshop or at the UN post office: unique in the world, it will allow philatelists to complete their collection (mail with the UN stamp, not valid outside, must be posted on site). We will finish this tour with lunch or coffee in the cafeteria.

It is possible to discover this iconic building from the inside by taking part in a guided tour, which will last between 45 minutes and one hour. Visits are organised from Monday to Friday between 9am and 4.30pm (the visit in French usually takes place at 10.15am). Online booking is mandatory, go to this website to make your reservation: visit.un.org/content/tickets-1. Once you cross the gates, you will no longer be on American territory, but on international territory. This small portion of Manhattan belongs to all member states. There is not one official language here, but six: English, Arabic, Chinese, Spanish, French and Russian. The visit is informative, contradictory, and so topical! The discovery of the UN with its meeting rooms (Security Council, General Assembly, Economic and Social Council) allows us to experience the atmosphere of this political hive (most of the time, it is true, through picture windows). The visits are led by multilingual guides, and the public is the physical illustration of the beginning of the charter: "We the peoples of the United Nations". They begin with a visit to the huge UN bookshop and end in the basement, where the UN post office, UNICEF and UNESCO counters, an information centre to learn more about the history of the United Nations, and the shop are located. The visit will allow you to learn more about the UN's role in the world, its financing, its actions, and the (many) conflicts that the organization is currently facing.