    [United States Government Manual]
    [June 01, 2002]
    [Pages 577-586]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 577]]

    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

    [[Page 578]]

    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

    [[Page 579]]

    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

    African Development Bank

    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.

    Asian Development Bank

    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 60 member countries--43 from Asia and 17 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, information@adb.org.

    Inter-American Defense Board

    2600 Sixteenth Street NW., Washington, DC 20441. Phone, 202-939-6600.
    Internet, www.jid.org. E-mail, iadb@jid.org.

    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.

    [[Page 580]]

    Inter-American Development Bank

    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-American Investment 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 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 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.

    International Finance Corporation

    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

    [[Page 581]]

    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

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

    Managing Director and Chairman of the
    Executive Board: Horst Koehler
    First Deputy Managing Director:
    Anne O. Krueger
    Deputy Managing Directors: Eduardo Aninat, Shigemitsu Sugisaki

    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 31, 2002, IMF had 183 member countries. Total quotas
    were SDR 212 billion (equivalent to approximately $263 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

    [[Page 582]]

    through a variety of financial facilities designed to address specific
    problems. These lending mechanisms include 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.

    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. 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, MRFWashington@iom.int.
    Regional Representative: Frances Sullivan (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, newyork@iom.int
    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 128 states (91 members and 37 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

    [[Page 583]]

    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 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. 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

    [[Page 584]]

    from participation by a decision of the Eighth Meeting of Consultation
    of Ministers of Foreign Affairs in 1962. In addition to the Holy See and
    the European Union, 51 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

    [[Page 585]]

    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 normally meets in regular annual session from
    September through December. 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. 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

    [[Page 586]]

    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.''