United Nations Medical Services Division

I am writing to formally file a complaint about the extremely unprofessional, impolite, and potentially racially discriminatory service I received from two staff members during my scheduled tour of the United Nations Headquarters on 6th May. I booked the 3:15 PM official tour, and the two distressing incidents occurred during check-in and exit respectively, which completely ruined my visiting experience and made me feel extremely disrespected and uncomfortable. First, I arrived at the check-in office opposite the entrance at around 2:30 PM to collect my photo ID badge for the tour. When I approached the staff member at the No.3 desk responsible for check-in and ID issuance, she did not greet me or offer any verbal guidance at all. She just silently held out his hand with a cold attitude, leaving me completely confused about what to do next. Fortunately, another staff member nearby kindly reminded me that I needed to provide my passport. After I handed over my passport, this check-in staff member took it without saying a word and immediately started taking a photo of me with a camera without any prior notice or reminder. I was totally unprepared for the photo, and she completed the photo shooting and ID badge production before I could react. This unprofessional and inconsiderate behavior made me very dissatisfied, as visitors deserve basic respect and clear guidance during such a formal check-in process. Second, another more unacceptable incident happened when I finished the tour and left the United Nations Headquarters at approximately 4:50 PM. I walked to the exit security checkpoint, where a male staff member was sitting on a chair. I could not find the clear exit sign and was not sure how to operate the turnstile in front of me, so I took the initiative to ask him politely, "Excuse me, where is the exit?" However, this male staff member just stared at me silently without any response, and there was a hint of mockery on his face. I stood there waiting patiently, but he still refused to answer my simple question. It was not until another staff member nearby came forward and kindly told me the correct exit direction that I was able to leave. What made me even more furious was that after the other staff helped me, this male staff member began to laugh inexplicably. His silent contempt and mocking behavior were extremely rude and unprofessional, and I have strong reason to suspect that his inappropriate attitude is a manifestation of racial discrimination (racist). As a global organization that advocates equality, respect, human rights and mutual respect for all people, the United Nations should set an example in providing polite, professional and equal services to every visitor from all over the world. However, the behaviors of these two staff members are completely contrary to the purposes and values upheld by the United Nations. Their unprofessional, impolite and potentially discriminatory attitude has caused great psychological discomfort and negative feelings to me, and also seriously damaged the reputation of the United Nations Headquarters among international visitors. I hereby formally demand that your team launch a thorough investigation into the two incidents mentioned above, hold the relevant staff members accountable for their inappropriate behaviors, and provide me with a formal written apology and a detailed explanation of the investigation results. Meanwhile, I also urge you to strengthen the service training and professional ethics education for all visitor service staff, to ensure that no visitor will suffer such disrespectful and discriminatory treatment again in the future.

We visited the UN on Jun 24, 2025 as part of the Road Scholar's "American Mosaic - An NYC Exploration" program. Two days prior to the visit, our tour guides registered us with our IDs. On the day itself, we lined up at the Visitor Check-In Office across the street from the UN to pick up our visitor passes. There was already a long line stretching out of the office at 9am. Even though our photos appeared blurry, there were no issues with the issuing of the passes. Then we crossed the street to the front gate of the UN where a security guard let us in. Next, we entered at the north lobby entrance via the security checkpoint. In compliance with UN policy, we left our water bottles and backpacks in the tour bus. Our tour group of 36 was divided into two smaller groups, and then led to the other end of the General Assembly building where we waited for our assigned UN tour guide. Ben D. from Germany appeared, introduced himself and the tour began. Starting at the third floor of the General Assembly building, Ben spoke as he showed us various gifts bestowed by other countries, artwork, as well as official documents and exhibits. He talked fast but was gracious in answering questions. One notable subject he brought up was language translators – the most difficult job in the UN. It requires extensive training, exceptional fortitude and nothing less than near-perfection. According to Ben, the dropout rate is a staggering 85%! The only other training program that is as difficult if not more so is Navy SEALs. The first chamber we saw was the Security Council Chamber in the Conference Building. A TV outside the room was showing clips of its past meetings – there was one at every chamber. As Ben explained the role of the Security Council, he pulled up a Council meeting that was in progress on his phone and placed the phone next to the TV, allowing the groups to see both past and present meetings side-by-side. When he received confirmation, we went inside the chamber. It was empty saved for two individuals congregating at the far end of the room. As we proceeded to the next chamber, there were additional TV screens mounted on adjacent walls of the chambers. Each screen displayed the daily schedule of each chamber. Then we came to Trusteeship Council Chamber. Unlike the last chamber, we were allowed to enter while a meeting was in progress so long as we didn't take pictures or videos. We briefly saw the Australian delegate spoke before we were quickly ushered out. The Economic and Social Council Chamber was the next. Like the Security Council Chamber, there was no meeting in progress so we spent more time in there. All three chambers – and probably the other conference rooms as well – have circular and/or half-moon tables. Ben emphasized the maintaining of eye contact and equality status of every participant as the driving reasons for the use of these furniture. Behind the windows circled in red are the translators' booths, where language translators are situated to translate every dialogue of a meeting in six languages – Arabic, English, French, Mandarin, Russian and Spanish. That being said, allow me to draw your attention to the photos of the seats. Notice the devices circled in red, one by each seat. They are radios that allow attendees to listen to the meetings translated in six languages, one channel for each language. Ben also showed us a touchscreen monitor, and its two-fold purpose: 1) educate visitors on the work UN is doing, and 2) help UN track their progress on current projects. By pressing a soft button on the monitor, a different screen appeared followed by an explanation (by Ben) on what it meant. Ben saved the best for last: the General Assembly hall. With the exception of the last two rows of seats at the back, the rest were furnished with desks for member nations, row after row all the way to the rostrum. Towards the front on each side of the hall are two floors of translators booths. The tour concluded with a group photo and a trip to the gift shop. Review concludes in the last image attached.