My friends did LLM from USA and have joined different verticals of UN as policy Analyst. I'm told they earn north of 50k USD p/a. Is it true?

Yes. Your friend must have a solid academic background

Then 50k is nothing more than a joke.

That’s not very high FYI.

UN salaries are tax-free.

Even then 50k is just nothing. STEM earn much higher.

Still 50k living near NYC is homelessness

$50K in New York City is below poverty wages. I hope your friend is not homeless. It was an exaggeration. But $50K is super low.

To give you an example a Tier 1 firm in India pays Rs.15 lakh ($20K) per annum to a fresher, similar law firms in New York City starts at $200K.

Cost of living is very high in NY. So her $50K in NY is getting 25'000 per month in Mumbai or 3LPA.

Must have political backup. Just impossible for first generations.