[United States Government Manual]
[May 31, 1996]
[Pages 739-748]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


[[Page 739]]





SELECTED MULTILATERAL ORGANIZATIONS

________________________________________________________________________

MULTILATERAL INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS IN WHICH THE UNITED STATES 
PARTICIPATES

Explanatory note: The United States participates in the organizations 
named below in accordance with the provisions of treaties, other 
international agreements, congressional legislation, or executive 
arrangements. In some cases, no financial contribution is involved.

    Various commissions, councils, or committees subsidiary to the 
organizations listed here are not named separately on this list. These 
include the international bodies for narcotics control, which are 
subsidiary to the United Nations.

I. United Nations, Specialized Agencies, and International Atomic Energy 
Agency

Food and Agricultural Organization
International Atomic Energy Agency
International Civil Aviation Organization
International Labor Organization
International Maritime Organization
International Telecommunication Union
United Nations
United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)
Universal Postal Union
World Health Organization
World Intellectual Property Organization
World Meteorological Organization

II. Peacekeeping

United Nations Angola Verification Mission III
United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (Golan Heights)
United Nations Force in Cyprus
United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon
United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Observer Mission
United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan
United Nations Mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina
United Nations Mission in Haiti
United Nations Mission to Prevlaka
United Nations Mission of Observers in Tajikistan
United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara
United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia
United Nations Observer Mission in Liberia
United Nations Preventive Deployment Force (Macedonia)
United Nations Transitional Authority in Eastern Slavonia
United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (Middle East)

III. Inter-American Organizations

Inter-American Indian Institute
Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture
Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission
Organization of American States
Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)
Pan American Institute of Geography and History
Pan American Railway Congress Association

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Postal Union of the Americas and Spain and Portugal

IV. Regional Organizations

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
Colombo Plan for Cooperative Economic and Social Development in Asia and 
    the Pacific
North Atlantic Assembly
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
South Pacific Commission

V. Other International Organizations

Bureau of International Expositions
Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources
Customs Cooperation Council (CCC)
Fund for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage
Hague Conference on Private International Law
International Agency for Research on Cancer
International Bureau of the Permanent Court of Arbitration
International Bureau for the Publication of Customs Tariffs
International Bureau of Weights and Measures
International Center for the Study of the Preservation and the 
    Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM)
International Coffee Organization (ICO)
International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas
International Copper Study Group
International Cotton Advisory Committee
International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES)
International Council of Scientific Unions and Its Associated Unions 
    (20)
International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL)
International Hydrographic Organization
International Institute for Cotton
International Institute for the Unification of Private Law
International Jute Organization
International Lead and Zinc Study Group
International Natural Rubber Organization
International North Pacific Fisheries Commission
International Office of Epizootics
International Office of Vine and Wine
International Organization for Legal Metrology
International Rubber Study Group
International Seed Testing Association
International Sugar Organization
International Tropical Timber Organization
International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources 
    (IUNC)
International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV)
International Whaling Commission
International Wheat Council
Interparliamentary Union
North Atlantic Ice Patrol
North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization
Organization for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons
Permanent International Association of Navigation Congresses
Permanent International Association of Road Congresses
United Nations Compensation Commission
World Tourism Organization
World Trade Organization (WTO)/General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 
    (GATT)

VI. Special Voluntary Programs

Colombo Plan Drug Advisory Program
Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna 
    and Flora (CITES)
International Atomic Energy Agency Technical Assistance and Cooperation 
    Fund
International Atomic Energy Agency Voluntary Programs
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Aviation Security Fund
International Contributions for Scientific, Educational, and Cultural 
    Activities
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
International Organization for Migration (IOM)
Korean Penninsula Energy Development Organization
Montreal Protocol Multilateral Fund

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Organization of American States Fund for Strengthening Democracy
Organization of American States Special Cultural Fund
Organization of American States Special Development Assistance Fund
Organization of American States Special Multilateral Fund (Education and 
    Science)
Organization of American States Special Projects Fund (Mar del Plata)
Pan American Health Organization Special Health Promotion Funds
United Nations Afghanistan Emergency Trust Fund
United Nations Center for Human Settlements (Habitat) (UNCHS)
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM)
United Nations Development Program (UNDP)
United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)
United Nations/Food and Agricultural Organization World Food Program 
    (WFP)
United Nations Fund for Drug Abuse Control (UNFDAC)
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Program (UNHCR)
United Nations Population Fund
United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA)
United Nations Volunteers (UNV)
World Health Organization Special Programs
World Meteorological Organization Special Fund for Climate Activities
World Meteorological Organization Voluntary Cooperation Program

African Development Bank

Headquarters: Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire

President: Omar Kabbaj

The African Development Bank (AFDB) was established in 1963 and, by 
charter amendment, opened its membership to non-African countries in 
1982. Its mandate is to contribute to the economic development and 
social progress of its regional members. Bank members total 77, 
including 53 African countries and 24 nonregional countries. Ownership 
of the Bank, by charter, is two-thirds African and one-third 
nonregional.
    The African Development Fund (AFDF), the concessional lending 
affiliate, was established in 1973 to complement AFDB operations by 
providing concessional financing for high-priority development projects 
in the poorest African countries. The Fund's membership consists of 24 
member countries and AFDB, which represents its African members and is 
allocated half of the votes.
    The United States became a member of AFDF in 1976 by virtue of the 
African Development Fund Act (22 U.S.C. 290g note) and, in February 
1983, became a member of AFDB by virtue of the African Development Bank 
Act (22 U.S.C. 290i note).

Asian Development Bank

Headquarters: 6 ADB Avenue, 1501 Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines. 
Phone, 632-711-3851

President: Mitsuo Sato

The Agreement establishing the Asian Development Bank came into effect 
on August 22, 1966, when it was ratified by 15 governments. The Bank 
commenced operations on December 19, 1966. The United States became a 
member by virtue of the Asian Development Bank Act of March 16, 1966 (22 
U.S.C. 285). The Bank now has 56 member countries--40 from Asia and 16 
from outside the region.
    The purpose of the Bank is to foster sustainable economic 
development, poverty alleviation, and cooperation among its developing 
member countries in the Asia/Pacific region. Including its concessional 
loan window, the Bank lends about $5 billion annually and provides over 
$100 million per year in technical assistance.

For further information, contact the Asian Development Bank, P.O. Box 
789, 1099 Manila, Philippines. E-mail, [email protected]. 
Internet, http://www.asiandevbank.org/.

[[Page 742]]

Inter-American Defense Board

2600 Sixteenth Street NW., Washington, DC 20441. Phone, 202-939-6600

Chairman: Maj. Gen. John C. Ellerson, USA

The Inter-American Defense Board is a permanently constituted, 
international military organization, autonomous within the inter-
American system, composed of army, navy, and air officers appointed by 
the governments of American Republics. Its constitutional sources are: 
Resolution XXXIX of the Meeting of Foreign Ministers at Rio de Janeiro 
in January 1942; Resolution XXXIV of the Ninth International Conference 
of American States held in Bogota, Colombia, in April 1948; and 
Resolution III of the Fourth Meeting of Consultation of Ministers of 
Foreign Affairs, held in Washington, DC, March-April 1951.
    The Board studies and recommends to the governments of the American 
Republics measures necessary for close military collaboration in 
preparation for the collective self-defense of the American Continents.

Inter-American Development Bank

Headquarters: 1300 New York Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20577. Phone, 
202-623-1000

President: Enrique V. Iglesias

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is an international financial 
institution established in 1959 to help accelerate economic and social 
development in Latin America and the Caribbean. It is based in 
Washington, DC.
    The Bank has 28 member countries in the Western Hemisphere and 18 
outside of the region.
    In its 37 years of operation, IDB has helped to provide, secure, and 
organize financing for projects that represent a total investment of 
more than $194 billion. The Bank has also fostered a more equitable 
distribution of the benefits of development and has been a pioneer in 
financing social projects.
    The Bank's highest authority is its Board of Governors, on which 
each member country is represented. Its 12-member Board of Executive 
Directors is responsible for the conduct of the Bank's operations.
    The Bank's field offices represent its dealings with local 
authorities and borrowers and supervise the implementation of Bank-
supported projects.

International Bank for Reconstruction and Development

Headquarters: 1818 H Street NW., Washington, DC 20433. Phone, 202-477-
1234

President: James D. Wolfensohn

The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), also 
known as the World Bank, officially came into existence on December 27, 
1945.
    The Bank's purpose is to promote economic, social, and environmental 
progress in developing nations by raising productivity so that their 
people may live better and fuller lives. It does this by lending funds 
at market-determined interest rates, providing advice, and serving as a 
catalyst to stimulate outside investments. Its resources come primarily 
from funds raised in the world capital markets, its retained earnings, 
and repayments on its loans.
    During the Bank's 1995 fiscal year, it made new loan commitments 
totaling $16,853 million in support of sound development projects, 
primarily in middle-income developing countries.

International Development Association  The International Development 
Association (IDA) came into existence on September 24, 1960, as an 
affiliate of IBRD. The Association's resources consist of subscriptions 
and supplementary resources in the form of general replenishments, 
mostly from its more industrialized and developed members; special 
contributions by its richer members; repayments on earlier credits; and 
transfers from IBRD's net earnings.
    The Association promotes economic development, increases 
productivity, and raises the standard of living in the least developed 
areas of the world. It does

[[Page 743]]

this by financing their developmental requirements on concessionary 
terms, which are more flexible and bear less heavily on the balance of 
payments than those of conventional loans, thereby furthering the 
objectives of IBRD and supplementing its activities.
    During the World Bank's 1995 fiscal year, IDA made new commitments 
totaling $5,669 million, primarily in the poorest countries in sub-
Saharan Africa and Asia.

International Finance Corporation

Headquarters: 1850 ``I'' Street NW., Washington, DC 20433. Phone, 202-
477-1234

President: James D. Wolfensohn
Executive Vice President: Jannik Lindbaek

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), an affiliate of the World 
Bank, was established in July 1956, to promote productive private 
enterprise in developing member countries.
    The Corporation pursues its objective principally through direct 
debt and equity investments in projects that establish new businesses or 
expand, modify, or diversify existing businesses. It also encourages 
cofinancing by other investors and lenders. For every dollar of 
financing approved by IFC for its own account, other investors and 
lenders provide almost six dollars.
    Additionally, advisory services and technical assistance are 
provided by IFC to developing member countries in areas such as capital 
market development, privatization, corporate restructuring, and foreign 
investment.
    During the World Bank's 1995 fiscal year, IFC made new debt and 
equity commitments for its own account of $2.877 million supporting 213 
new projects. The total size of these projects was approximately $19.35 
billion.

International Monetary Fund

700 Nineteenth Street NW., Washington, DC 20431. Phone, 202-623-7000

Managing Director and Chairman of the
Executive Board: Michel Camdessus

The Final Act of the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference, 
signed at Bretton Woods, NH, on July 22, 1944, set forth the original 
Articles of Agreement of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The 
Agreement became effective on December 27, 1945, when the President, 
authorized by the Bretton Woods Agreements Act (22 U.S.C. 286) accepted 
membership for the United States in IMF, the Agreement having thus been 
accepted by countries whose combined financial commitments (quotas) 
equaled approximately 80 percent of IMF's total commitments. The 
inaugural meeting of the Board of Governors was held in March 1946, and 
the first meeting of the Executive Directors was held May 6, 1946.
    On May 31, 1968, the Board of Governors approved an amendment to the 
Articles of Agreement for the establishment of a facility based on 
Special Drawing Rights (SDR) in IMF and for modification of certain IMF 
rules and practices. The amendment became effective on July 28, 1969, 
and the Special Drawing Account became operative on August 6, 1969. 
United States acceptance of the amendment and participation in the 
Special Drawing Account were authorized by the Special Drawing Rights 
Act (22 U.S.C. 286 et seq.).
    On April 30, 1976, the Board of Governors approved a second 
amendment to the Articles of Agreement, which entered into force on 
April 1, 1978. This amendment gave members the right to adopt exchange 
arrangements of their choice while placing certain obligations on them 
regarding their exchange rate policies, over which IMF was to exercise 
firm surveillance. The official price of gold was abolished and the SDR 
account was promoted as the principal reserve asset of the international 
monetary system. United States acceptance of this amendment was 
authorized by the Bretton Woods Agreements Act Amendments (22 U.S.C. 
286e-5).
    On June 28, 1990, the Board of Governors approved a third amendment 
to the Articles of Agreement, which became effective on November 11, 
1992. Under this amendment, a member's voting rights and certain

[[Page 744]]

related rights may be suspended by a 70-percent majority of the 
executive board if the member, having been declared ineligible to use 
the general resources of the Fund, persists in its failure to fulfill 
any of its obligations under the Articles.
    As of April 30, 1996, IMF had 181 member countries. Total quotas 
were SDR 145 billion (equivalent to approximately $218 billion).
    The purposes of IMF are to promote international monetary 
cooperation through a permanent institution that provides the machinery 
for consultation and collaboration on international monetary problems; 
to facilitate the expansion and balanced growth of international trade; 
to promote exchange stability; to assist in the establishment of a 
multilateral system of payments for current transactions between 
members; and to give confidence to members by making IMF resources 
temporarily available to them under adequate safeguards.
    In accordance with these purposes, IMF seeks to shorten the duration 
and lessen the degree of imbalance in the international balances of 
payments of members. It provides financial assistance to aid its members 
in handling balance-of-payment difficulties through a variety of 
facilities that are designed to address specific problems. These lending 
mechanisms include stand-by and extended arrangements, as well as 
separate facilities to provide compensatory and contingency financing to 
countries suffering temporary declines in their export earnings, to 
support structural adjustment programs in the poorest countries, and to 
promote systemic transformation in the formerly centrally planned 
economies during their transitions to market economies.

For further information, contact the Chief, Public Affairs Division, 
External Relations Department, International Monetary Fund, 700 
Nineteenth Street NW., Washington, DC 20431. Phone, 202-623-7300.

International Organization for Migration

Headquarters: 17 Route des Morillons, Grand-Saconnex, Geneva. Mailing 
address, P.O. Box 71, CH-1211, Geneva 19, Switzerland. Phone, 011-41-22-
717-9111. Fax, 011-41-22-798-6150.

Director General: James N. Purcell, Jr.

Deputy Director General: Narcisa L. Escaler

Washington Office: Suite 1110, 1750 K Street NW., Washington, DC 20006. 
Phone, 202-862-1826. Fax, 202-862-1879. E-mail, 
[email protected]
Chief of Mission: Hans-Petter W. Boe

New York Office: Suite 1610, 122 E. 42d Street, New York, NY 10168. 
Phone, 212-681-7000. Fax, 212-867-5887. E-mail, 
[email protected]
Chief of Mission: Richard E. Scott

The International Organization for Migration (IOM), formerly the 
Intergovernmental Committee for Migration, was created in 1951 at an 
international migration conference in Brussels sponsored by the United 
States and Belgium. It was formed outside the U.N. system in order to 
provide specific kinds of migration assistance, including health 
screening and transportation, to refugees as well as to persons not 
under the protection of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, and to 
be concerned with international migration issues in general such as the 
links between migration and development.
    As a technical, nonpolitical organization committed to the statement 
that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society, IOM has 
four strategic objectives:
    --to cooperate with its partners in the international community to 
assist in meeting the operational challenges of migration;
    --to advance understanding of migration issues;
    --to encourage social and economic development through migration; 
and
    --to work toward effective respect of the human dignity and well-
being of migrants.
     The Organization plans and carries out refugee migration schemes, 
programs for returning migrants, and emergency relief activities at the 
request of its member states and in cooperation with other international 
organizations, especially U.N. agencies. In addition, it

[[Page 745]]

publishes surveys and sponsors conferences on migration trends and 
issues.
    In the United States, IOM carries out certain activities for the 
U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, facilitates sponsor prepayment for 
other U.S.-bound immigrants, and operates a limited number of return 
migration programs. In addition to Washington, DC, and New York, IOM has 
offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, San Francisco, and Seattle.
    The Organization comprises 100 states (59 members and 41 observers). 
They meet once a year, usually in Geneva, as the Council, to consider 
global migration issues and the Organization's work, direction, and 
budget. Mandatory assessed contributions from member states finance 
IOM's administrative budget, whereas its operational budget is funded 
through voluntary contributions. Member states elect the Director 
General and the Deputy Director General, whose regular terms are 5 
years. Several international governmental and nongovernmental 
organizations are invited to observe and address the IOM Council.
    The Organization has observer status at the U.N. General Assembly 
and at the governing bodies of several specialized U.N. agencies, the 
Organization of American States, and other organizations.

Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency

Headquarters: 1818 H Street NW., Washington, DC 20433. Phone, 202-477-
1234

President: James D. Wolfensohn
Executive Vice President: Akira Iida

The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), an affiliate of the 
World Bank, was formally constituted in April 1988.
    Its basic purpose is to facilitate the flow of foreign private 
investment for productive purposes to developing member countries by 
offering long-term political risk insurance in the areas of 
expropriation, currency transfer, and war and civil disturbance; and by 
providing advisory and consultative services.
    During the World Bank's 1995 fiscal year, MIGA issued 54 guarantees 
with a maximum contingent liability of $672 million to facilitate 
aggregate direct investment of approximately $2.5 billion.

Organization of American States

General Secretariat: 1889 F Street NW., Washington, DC 20006. Phone, 
202-458-3000. Fax, 202-458-3967

Secretary General: Cesar Gaviria
Assistant Secretary General: Christopher Thomas
Executive Secretary for Integral Development: Leonel Zuniga, 
Acting
Assistant Secretary for Management: James B. McCeney, Acting
Assistant Secretary for Legal Affairs: William M. Berenson, Acting

The Organization of American States (OAS) is a regional, 
intergovernmental organization whose primary purposes are to strengthen 
the peace and security of the continent; to promote and consolidate 
representative democracy, with due respect for the principle of 
nonintervention; to prevent possible causes of difficulties and to 
conciliate disputes that may arise among the member states; to provide 
for common action by those states in the event of aggression; to seek 
the solution of political, juridical, and economic problems that may 
arise among them; to promote, by cooperative action, their economic, 
social, and cultural development; and to achieve an effective limitation 
of conventional weapons that will make it possible to devote the largest 
amount of resources to the economic and social development of the member 
states.
    With roots dating from 1890, the first OAS Charter was signed in 
1948. Two subsequent protocols of amendment, Buenos Aires 1967 and 
Cartagena de Indias 1985, gave it its present form. One additional 
protocol of amendment, Washington 1992, is currently in the ratification 
process. The Protocol of Washington will incorporate provisions for the 
protection of democratically

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constituted governments and will include among the essential purposes of 
the Organization the eradication of extreme poverty, which constitutes 
an obstacle to the full democratic development of the peoples of the 
hemisphere. A fourth protocol of amendment, the Protocol of Managua 1993 
which entered into force on January 29, 1996, established the Inter-
American Council for Integral Development (CIDI), which replaces the 
Inter-American Councils for Economic and Social Affairs and Education, 
Science and Culture.
    The Organization's member states are Argentina, Antigua and Barbuda, 
Commonwealth of the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, 
Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Commonwealth of Dominica, Dominican 
Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, 
Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, St. Kitts 
and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad 
and Tobago, the United States of America, Uruguay, and Venezuela. The 
present Government of Cuba is excluded from participation by a decision 
of the Eighth Meeting of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs in 
1962. Thirty-seven non-American countries, as well as the Holy See and 
the European Union, are permanent observers.
    The principal organs of the OAS are:
    --the General Assembly, which is normally composed of the foreign 
ministers of the member states and meets at least once a year to decide 
the general action and policy of the Organization;
    --the Meeting of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, which 
meets on call to consider urgent matters of common interest or threats 
to the peace and security of the hemisphere;
    --the Permanent Council, which meets twice a month at OAS 
headquarters;
    --the Inter-American Council for Integral Development;
    --the Inter-American Juridical Committee;
    --the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights; and
    --the General Secretariat, which is the central and permanent organ, 
headquartered in Washington, DC.
    The Organization has six specialized organizations that handle 
technical matters of common interest to the American States. It also 
holds specialized conferences on specific technical matters.

For further information, contact the Director, Department of Public 
Information, Organization of American States, Seventeenth Street and 
Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20006. Phone, 202-458-3760. Fax, 
202-458-6421.

United Nations

United Nations, New York, NY 10017. Phone, 212-963-1234

Secretary-General: Boutros Boutros-Ghali

United Nations Office at Geneva: Palais des Nations, 1211 Geneva 10, 
Switzerland

Director-General: Antoine Blanca

United Nations Office at Vienna: Vienna International Centre, P.O. Box 
500, A-1400, Vienna, Austria

Director-General: Giorgio Giacomelli

Washington, DC, Office: U.N. Information Centre, Suite 400, 1775 K 
Street NW., Washington, DC 20006. Phone, 202-331-8670. Fax, 202-331-9191

Director: Joe Sills

The United Nations is an international organization that was set up in 
accordance with the Charter \1\ drafted by governments represented at 
the Conference on International Organization meeting at San Francisco. 
The Charter was signed on June 26, 1945, and came into force on October 
24, 1945, when the required number of ratifications and accessions had 
been made by the signatories. Amendments increasing membership of the 
Security Council and the Economic and Social

[[Page 747]]

Council came into effect on August 31, 1965.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ Charter of the United Nations, together with the Statute of the 
International Court of Justice (Department of State Publication No. 
2353, International Organization and Conference Series III, 21), June 
26, 1945. Available for sale from the Superintendent of Documents, 
Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. Phone, 202-512-1800.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    The United Nations now consists of 185 member states, of which 51 
are founding members.
    The purposes of the United Nations set out in the Charter are: to 
maintain international peace and security; to develop friendly relations 
among nations; to achieve international cooperation in solving 
international problems of an economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian 
character and in promoting respect for human rights; and to be a center 
for harmonizing the actions of nations in the attainment of these common 
ends.

    The principal organs of the United Nations are:

General Assembly  All states that are members of the United Nations are 
members of the General Assembly. Its functions are to consider and 
discuss any matter within the scope of the Charter of the United Nations 
and to make recommendations to the members of the United Nations and 
other organs. It approves the budget of the organization, the expenses 
of which are borne by the members as apportioned by the General 
Assembly.
    The General Assembly may call the attention of the Security Council 
to situations likely to endanger international peace and security, may 
initiate studies, and may receive and consider reports from other organs 
of the United Nations. Under the ``Uniting for Peace'' resolution 
adopted by the General Assembly in November 1950, if the Security 
Council fails to act on an apparent threat to or breach of the peace or 
act of aggression because of lack of unanimity of its five permanent 
members, the Assembly itself may take up the matter within 24 hours--in 
emergency special session--and recommend collective measures, including, 
in case of a breach of the peace or act of aggression, use of armed 
force when necessary to maintain or restore international peace and 
security.
    The General Assembly has held to date 50 regular sessions, 18 
special sessions, and 11 emergency special sessions. It normally meets 
in regular annual session in September.
Security Council  The Security Council consists of 15 members, of which 
5--the People's Republic of China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, 
and the United States of America--are permanent members and are elected 
each year. The 10 nonpermanent members are elected for 2-year terms by 
the General Assembly. The primary responsibility of the Security Council 
is to act on behalf of the members of the United Nations in maintenance 
of international peace and security. Measures that may be employed by 
the Security Council are outlined in the Charter.
    The Security Council, together with the General Assembly, also 
elects the judges of the International Court of Justice and makes a 
recommendation to the General Assembly on the appointment of the 
Secretary General of the organization.
    The Security Council first met in London on January 17, 1946, and is 
so organized as to be able to function continuously.
Economic and Social Council  This organ is responsible, under the 
authority of the General Assembly, for the economic and social programs 
of the United Nations. Its functions include making or initiating 
studies, reports, and recommendations on international economic, social, 
cultural, educational, health, and related matters; promoting respect 
for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all; 
calling international conferences and preparing draft conventions for 
submission to the General Assembly on matters within its competence; 
negotiating agreements with the specialized agencies and defining their 
relationship with the United Nations; coordinating the activities of the 
specialized agencies; and consulting with nongovernmental organizations 
concerned with matters within its competence. The Council consists of 54 
members of the United Nations elected by the General Assembly for 3-year 
terms; 18 are elected each year.

[[Page 748]]

    The Council usually holds two regular sessions a year. It has also 
held a number of special sessions.
Trusteeship Council  The Trusteeship Council was initially established 
to consist of any member states that administered trust territories, 
permanent members of the Security Council that did not administer trust 
territories, and enough other nonadministering countries elected by the 
General Assembly for 3-year terms to ensure that membership would be 
equally divided between administering and nonadministering members. 
Under authority of the General Assembly, the Council considered reports 
from members administering trust territories, examined petitions from 
trust territory inhabitants, and provided for periodic inspection visits 
to trust territories.
    With the independence of Palau, the last remaining U.N. trust 
territory, the Trusteeship Council formally suspended operations after 
nearly half a century. The council will henceforth meet only on an 
extraordinary basis, as the need may arise.
International Court of Justice  The International Court of Justice is 
the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. It has its seat at 
The Hague, The Netherlands. All members of the United Nations are ipso 
facto parties to the Statute of the Court. Nonmembers of the United 
Nations may become parties to the Statute of the Court on conditions 
prescribed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security 
Council.
    The jurisdiction of the Court comprises all cases that the parties 
refer to it and all matters specially provided for in the Charter of the 
United Nations or in treaties and conventions in force.
    The Court consists of 15 judges known as ``members'' of the Court. 
They are elected for 9-year terms by the General Assembly and the 
Security Council, voting independently, and may be reelected.
Secretariat   The Secretariat consists of a Secretary-General and ``such 
staff as the Organization may require.'' The Secretary-General, who is 
appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security 
Council, is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations. He 
acts in that capacity for the General Assembly, the Security Council, 
the Economic and Social Council, and the Trusteeship Council. Under the 
Charter, the Secretary-General ``may bring to the attention of the 
Security Council any matter that in his opinion may threaten the 
maintenance of international peace and security.''