ABSTRACT
The structure of the United Nations (UN) system derives from the basic fact about the system, that members are states and its converse, that 'states are members', increasingly becoming true as the UN is nearly universal. The culture of the UN system derives from its origin in the Western or occidental, part of the world. A wider range of comprehensibility, hence, is certainly not only a question of translating into other national languages, but also of translating into the natural languages of other social groups and classes than those populating the UN system. Just as there is a linguistic bias in the UN system, there is also a bias in intellectual style. Some parts of the system will also have a claim on the staff member after s/he leaves the organisation, at least for a certain time period - experiences gained, particularly about the inner life of the organisation, still belongs to the organisation.
