The UN was founded in 1945 to maintain international peace and security, to develop friendly relations among nations, to achieve international cooperation in solving international problems and to be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations. Currently the UN comprises 193 Member States.
Latvia became a member of the UN on 17 September 1991. Participation and advocacy of Latvia’s national interests in the UN and its system organizations is ensured by diplomatic missions of Latvia – Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York, Geneva and Vienna, to the Food and Agriculture Organization, to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and to the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.