[United States Government Manual]
[June 01, 2001]
[Pages 579-588]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




[[Page 579]]

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
Universal Postal Union
World Health Organization
World Intellectual Property Organization
World Meteorological Organization

II. Peacekeeping

United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (Golan Heights)
United Nations Force in Cyprus
United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon
United Nations International Criminal Tribunal--Rwanda
United Nations International Criminal Tribunal--Yugoslavia
United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Observer Mission
United Nations Mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina
United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo
United Nations Mission in Kosovo
United Nations Mission of Observers in Tajikistan
United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara
United Nations Observer Mission in Angola
United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia
United Nations Observer Mission in Sierra Leone
United Nations Prevention Deployment Force
United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor
United Nations Transitional Administration in Eastern Slovenia

III. Inter-American Organizations

Inter-American Drug Abuse Commission
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
Postal Union of the Americas and Spain and Portugal

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IV. Regional Organizations

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
Great Lakes Fishery Commission
North Atlantic Assembly
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Organization of African States
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
South Pacific Commission

V. Other International Organizations

Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources
Customs Cooperation Council (CCC)
Global Environment Facility
Hague Conference on Private International Law
International Agency for Research on Cancer
International Astronomical Union
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 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 Grain Council
International Hydrographic Organization
International Institute for the Unification of Private Law
International Lead and Zinc Study Group
International Natural Rubber Organization
International Office of Epizootics
International Office of Vine and Wine
International Pacific Halibut Commission
International Rubber Study Group
International Seed Testing Association
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 Union of Biological Sciences
International Whaling Commission
North Atlantic Fisheries Organization
North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization
North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission
North Pacific Marine Science Organization
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
Pacific Salmon Commission
Wassenaar Arrangement
World Trade Organization (WTO)/General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 
    (GATT)

VI. Special Voluntary Programs

African Institute for Prevention of Crime and Treatment of Offenders
Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna 
    and Flora (CITES)
International Center for Research in Agroforestry
International Council of Science
International Crop Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics
International Federation of the Red Cross
International Food Policy Research Institute
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture
International Organization for Migration (IOM)
Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization
Montreal Protocol Multilateral Fund
Organization of American States Fund for Strengthening Democracy
Organization of American States Special Development Assistance Fund
Pan American Health Organization
Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel
Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

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United Nations Afghanistan Emergency Trust Fund
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 High Commissioner for Refugees Program (UNHCR)
United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA)
United Nations Voluntary Fund for the Victims of Torture
World Health Organization Special Programs

AfricanDevelopmentBank

Headquarters: 01 B.P. 1387, Abidjan 01, Cote d'Ivoire. Internet, 
www.afdb.org

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. With the 
September 1999 ratification of the agreement on the fifth general 
capital increase, Bank ownership is 60 percent African and 40 percent 
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 25 
nonregional member countries and AFDB, which represents its African 
members and is allocated half of the votes.

AsianDevelopmentBank

Headquarters: 6 ADB Avenue, Mandaluyong City, 0401 Metro Manila, 
Philippines. Phone, 632-632-4444. Fax, 632-636-2444. Internet, 
www.adb.org.

President: Tadao Chino

The Asian Development Bank commenced operations on December 19, 1966. It 
now has 57 member countries--41 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.

For further information, contact the Asian Development Bank, P.O. Box 
789, 0980 Manila, Philippines. E-mail, [email protected]. 
Internet, www.adb.org.

Inter-AmericanDefense Board

2600 Sixteenth Street NW., Washington, DC 20441. Phone, 202-939-6600. 
Internet, www.jid.org. E-mail, [email protected].

Chairman: Maj. Gen. Carl H. Freeman, USA

The Inter-American Defense Board is the oldest permanently constituted, 
international military organization in the world. It was founded by 
Resolution XXXIX of the Meeting of Foreign Ministers at Rio de Janeiro 
in January 1942. Senior army, navy, and air force officers from 25 
member nations staff the various agencies of the Board. Its four major 
agencies are: the Council of Delegates, the decisionmaking body; the 
International Staff; the Inter-American Defense College; and the 
Secretariat, which provides administrative and logistical support.
    The Board studies and recommends to member governments measures 
necessary for close military collaboration in preparation for the 
collective self-defense of the American Continents. It also acts as a 
technical military adviser for the Organization of American States, and 
is involved in projects such as disaster relief planning and demining 
programs in Central America.
    The College prepares senior military officers and civilian 
functionaries for positions in their respective governments.

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Inter-AmericanDevelopmentBank

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

President: Enrique V. Iglesias

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) was 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.

Inter-AmericanInvestment Corporation

Headquarters: 1300 New York Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20577. Phone, 
202-623-3900

Chairman of Board of Directors: Enrique V. Iglesias
General Manager: Jacques Rogozinski

The Inter-American Investment Corporation (IIC), an affiliate of the 
Inter-American Development Bank, was established in 1984 to promote the 
economic development of its Latin American and Caribbean members by 
financing small and medium-size private enterprises. IIC makes direct 
loans and equity investments and grants lines of credit to local 
financial intermediaries. It is based in Washington, DC.
    IIC has 37 member countries, of which 27 are in the Western 
Hemisphere, including the United States, and 10 are outside the region.

International BankforReconstruction 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 reducing poverty so that their people 
may live better and fuller lives. The Bank lends funds at market-
determined interest rates, provides advice, and serves 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.

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, reduces poverty, and 
raises the standard of living in the least developed areas of the world. 
It does 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.

InternationalFinanceCorporation

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

President: James D. Wolfensohn
Executive Vice President: Peter Woicke

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 investmentsin 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

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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.

International Monetary Fund

700 Nineteenth Street NW., Washington, DC 20431. Phone, 202-623-7000. 
Internet, www.imf.org.

Managing Director and Chairman of the
Executive Board: Horst Koehler

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 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 January 22, 2001, IMF had 183 member countries. Total quotas 
were SDR 210 billion (equivalent to approximately $300 billion).
    The purposes of IMF are to promote international monetary 
cooperation through a permanent forum for consultation and collaboration 
on international monetary problems; to facilitate the expansion and 
balanced growth of international trade; to promote exchange rate 
stability; to assist in the establishment of an open 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 help its members 
correct the imbalances in their international balances of payments. It 
periodically examines the economic developments and policies of its 
member countries and offers policy advice. IMF also provides financial 
assistance to aid its members in handling balance-of-payment 
difficulties through a variety of financial facilities designed to 
address specific problems. These lending mechanisms include

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stand-by and extended arrangements, a facility to provide compensatory 
and contingency financing to countries suffering temporary declines in 
their export earnings, a concessional (low-interest rate) poverty 
reduction and growth facility to support structural adjustment programs 
in the poorest countries, and emergency financial assistance for 
countries experiencing financial crises. IMF also provides technical 
assistance and training to its members.

For further information, contact the Chief, Editorial Division, External 
Relations Department, International Monetary Fund, 700 Nineteenth Street 
NW., Washington, DC 20431. Phone, 202-623-7364. Internet, www.imf.org.

InternationalOrganizationfor 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. Internet, www.iom.int.

Director General: Brunson McKinley (United States)

Deputy Director General: Ndioro Ndiaye (Senegal)

Washington Office: Suite 700, 1752 N Street NW., Washington, DC 20036. 
Phone, 202-862-1826. Fax, 202-862-1879. E-mail, [email protected].
Regional Representative: William Hyde (United States)

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: Andrew Bruce (New Zealand)

Permanent United Nations Observer: Robert G. Paiva (United States)

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 United Nations system in 
order to provide 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 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, and San Francisco.
    The Organization comprises 123 states (79 members and 44 observers). 
They meet once a year 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

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nongovernmental organizations are invited to observe and address the IOM 
Council.
    The Organization has observer status at U.N. agencies, the 
Organization of American States, and other organizations.

MultilateralInvestmentGuarantee Agency

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

President: James D. Wolfensohn
Executive Vice President: Moromichi Ikawa

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. The Agency cooperates with 
national investment insurance schemes, such as OPIC, and with private 
insurers.

Organization of American States

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

Secretary General: Cesar Gaviria
Assistant Secretary General: Luigi R. Einaudi
Executive Secretary for Integral Development: Leonel Zuniga, Acting
Assistant Secretary for Management: James Harding
Assistant Secretary for Legal Affairs: Enrique Lagos

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. Three subsequent protocols of amendment, Buenos Aires 1967, 
Cartagena de Indias 1985, and Washington 1992, gave it its present form. 
The Protocol of Washington, which entered into force on September 25, 
1997, incorporated provisions for the protection of democratically 
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. In

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addition to the Holy See and the European Union, 44 non-American 
countries 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. Internet, www.oas.org.

United Nations

United Nations, New York, NY 10017. Phone, 212-963-1234. Internet, 
www.un.org.

Secretary-General: Kofi A. Annan

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

Director-General: Vladimir Petrovsky

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

Director-General: Pino Arlacchi

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: Catherine O'Neill

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 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 189 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.

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    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 normally meets in regular annual session in 
September. It also has met in special sessions and emergency special 
sessions.
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.
    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

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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.''