United Nations

Founded 1945 50,000 employees 189 state members More than 30 agencies Secretary General Kofi Annan since 1997

In the early hours of the morning in New York, Mr Annan was woken from his sleep and told.

A few hours later he came out of his Manhattan residence and described the award as "a wonderful feeling, and a great encouragement for us and the organisation".

It also comes as a welcome boost at a time once again when the world faces a troubled future.

The UN and the secretary general have tried to place themselves at the very centre of the new struggle against global terrorism and Mr Annan said this was a great responsibility at a difficult moment.

UN agencies have won the Nobel peace Prize before, and a former Secretary General, Dag Hammarskjoeld received the honour posthumously in 1961.

But it is the first time, the prestigious award has been given to a current secretary general and the UN as a whole.

Centenary award

There was widespread speculation that it would head in the direction of the UN on the 100th anniversary of the Nobel Peace Prize.

The fundamental principles of peace, tolerance, justice and a high regard for human rights are central to the United Nations charter drawn up at the end of World War II.

It is not the UN's fault that the world has rarely measured up to these lofty ideals.

The genocide in Rwanda was a notable UN failure

As an organisation it has tried, and sometimes it has failed.

But the fact that it has never given up, appears to have made it, and the office of the secretary general, worthy recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize.

The shortcomings of the UN are numerous.

Two notable ones were its failure to stop the genocide in Rwanda, and its inability to stop brutal ethnic cleansing in Bosnia.

But against this, are the success stories like the recent efforts to nurture democracy in East Timor.

As always, there will be critics who object to this award but to those who work under the blue flag of the UN, this is a welcome tribute.