United States Mission to the United Nations

The United States Mission to the United Nations is the formal title of the United States delegation to the United Nations (UN).[1] Each nation at the UN has a similar delegation, although only a few are members of the UN Security Council. The United States Mission joined in the original founding of the UN, among 51 member states, under the United Nations Charter in 1945.

Contents

Leadership

There are several major leadership roles in the U.S. Mission.[1] The primary role, United States Ambassador to the United Nations, is the leader of the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. The position is more formally known by the exact title:

"Permanent Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations, with the rank and status of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, and Representative of the United States of America in the Security Council of the United Nations".

The position is also known as simply the U.S. Permanent Representative, or "Perm Rep", to the United Nations.

The U.S. Permanent Representative, currently Susan Rice, is charged with representing the United States on the U.N. Security Council and during almost all plenary meetings of the General Assembly, except in the rare situation in which a more senior officer of the United States (such as the U.S. Secretary of State or the President of the United States) is present. Like all United States ambassadors, he or she must be nominated by the U.S. President and confirmed by the Senate.

Many prominent U.S. politicians and diplomats have held the post, including Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr., Adlai Stevenson, George H. W. Bush, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Dr. Jeane Kirkpatrick, Richard Holbrooke, Dr. Madeleine Albright, Bill Richardson, and John Danforth.

It was a cabinet-level position under the Clinton administration and is under the Obama administration as well. It was not a cabinet-level position under the George W. Bush administration (from 2001 to 2009).[2][3]

The other leadership roles are also known as UN ambassadors, but with specific titles as related to which offices of the UN they handle.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Welcome to the United States Mission to the United Nations", USUN.state.gov, March 2011, webpage: state.gov-913.
  2. ^ Kelemen, Michele (December 1, 2008). "U.N. Envoy Nominee Rice Known As Smart, Tough". National Public Radio. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97661695&ft=1&f=1003. Retrieved January 21, 2009. "The head of the United Nations Foundation, a Washington-based advocacy group, released a statement praising Rice as well as Obama's decision to make the post of U.N. ambassador a Cabinet-level position once again — as it was during the Clinton years." 
  3. ^ Cooper, Helene (November 20, 2008). "Clinton Decision Holding Up Other Obama Choices". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/21/us/politics/20Cooperweb.html. Retrieved February 9, 2009. "Ms. Rice could get the post of United States ambassador to the United Nations, a cabinet-level position under President Clinton. President Bush downgraded the position when he came into office" .

External links