    [United States Government Manual]
    [June 01, 2007]
    [Pages 579-588]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 579]]

    SELECTED MULTILATERAL ORGANIZATIONS

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------

    MULTILATERAL INTERNATIONALORGANIZATIONS 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. Specialized Agencies of the United Nations

    Food and Agricultural Organization
    International Atomic Energy Agency
    International Civil Aviation Organization
    International Fund for Agriculture Development
    International Labor Organization
    International Maritime Organization
    International Telecommunication Union
    United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
        (UNESCO)
    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

    Border Environment Cooperation Commission
    Inter-American Center of Tax Administrators
    Inter-American Indian Institute
    Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture
    Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research

    [[Page 580]]

    Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission
    Organization of American States (OAS)
    Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)
    Pan American Institute of Geography and History
    Pan American Railway Congress Association
    Postal Union of the Americas and Spain and Portugal (PUASP)

    IV. Regional Organizations

    Asia Pacific Energy Research Center
    Colombo Plan Council
    Great Lakes Fishery Commission
    International Energy Agency
    North Atlantic Assembly
    North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
    Nuclear Energy Agency
    Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
    South Pacific Commission

    V. Other International Organizations

    Center for International Forestry Research
    Commission for Labor Cooperation
    Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources
    Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna
        and Flora
    Global Biodiversity Information Facility
    International Agreement on the Maintenance of Certain Lights in the Red
        Sea
    International Bureau for the Permanent Court of Arbitration
    International Bureau for the Protection of Industrial Property
    International Bureau for the Publication of Customs Tariffs
    International Bureau of Weights and Measures
    International Center for Agriculrural Research in the Dry Areas
    International Center for the Study of the Preservation and the
        Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM)
    International Coffee Organization
    International Committee of the Red Cross
    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 Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics
    International Development Law Institute
    International Fertilizer Development Center
    International Grain Council
    International Human Frontier Science Program Organization
    International Hydrographic Organization
    International Institute for Cotton
    International Institute for the Unification of Private Law
    International Mobile Satellitte Organization
    International North Pacific Fisheries Commission
    International Organization for Legal Metrology (IOLM)
    International Organization for Migration
    International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions
    International Plant Genetics Resources Institute
    International Rubber Study Group
    International Science and Technology Center
    International Seed Testing Association
    International Service for National Agriculture Research
    International Sugar Council
    International Tropical Timber Organization
    International Union of Credit and Investment Insurers
    International Whaling Commission
    Interparliamentary Union
    Iran-United States Claims Tribunal
    Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization
    Multinational Force Observers
    Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
    Pacific Aviation Safety Office
    Permanent International Association of Navigation Congresses
    Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty
    Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe
    Science and Technology Center in Ukraine

    [[Page 581]]

    Sierra Leone Special Court
    World Heritage Fund
    World Customs Organization
    World Trade Organization (WTO)

    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)
    Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)
    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
    Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel
    Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
    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 (temporary): Angle des Trois Rues, Avenue Du Ghana, Rue
    Pierre De Coubertin, Rue Hedi Nouira, BP. 323, 1002 Tunis Belvedere,
    Tunisia. Internet, www.afdb.org. E-mail, afdb@afdb.org.

    President: Omar Kabbaj

    The African Development Bank (AFDB) was established in 1964 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, South Africa, and AFDB, which represents
    its African members and is allocated half of the votes.
        In February 2003, security concerns resulted in AFDB headquarters
    temporarily relocating to Tunis, Tunisia.

    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 63 member countries--45 from Asia and 18 from outside the
    region.

    [[Page 582]]

        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. Or contact
    the ADB North American Representative Office, 815 Connecticut Avenue
    NW., Washington, DC 20006. Phone, 202-728-1500. E-mail, adbnaro@adb.org.

    Inter-American Defense Board

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

    Chairman: Lieutenant General Jorge Armando de Almeida Ribeiro, Brazil

    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 three major
    components 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 it
    feels are necessary for the safety and security of the hemisphere. It
    also acts as a technical military adviser for the Organization of
    American States and is involved in projects such as disaster
    preparedness and humanitarian demining programs in Central and South
    America.
        The Inter-American Defense College, founded in 1962, prepares senior
    military officers and civilian functionaries for positions in their
    respective governments. The College's multidisciplinary program uses
    four annual seminars to focus on the Western Hemisphere's most pressing
    defense and security issues.

    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: 1350 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, 202-473-
    1000

    President: Paul D. Wolfowitz

    The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), also
    known as the World Bank, officially came into existence on December 27,
    1945.

    [[Page 583]]

        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: 2121 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20433. Phone,
    202-473-3800. Internet, www.ifc.org.

    President: Paul D. Wolfowitz
    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 investments in projects that establish new businesses or
    expand, modify, or diversify existing businesses. It also encourages
    cofinancing by other investors and lenders.
        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.
    Fax, 202-623-4661. Internet, www.imf.org.

    Managing Director and Chairman of the
    Executive Board: Rodrigo de Rato y Figaredo
    First Deputy Managing Director:
    John Lipsky
    Deputy Managing Directors: Murilo Portugal, Takatoshi Kato

    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

    [[Page 584]]

    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, 2007, IMF had 185 member countries. Total quotas
    at the end of December 2006 were SDR 217.5 billion (about $327.3
    billion).
        The IMF promotes international monetary cooperation through a
    permanent forum for consultation and collaboration on international
    monetary problems; facilitates the expansion and balanced growth of
    international trade; promotes exchange rate stability; assists in the
    establishment of an open multilateral system of payments for current
    transactions between members; and gives confidence to members by making
    IMF resources temporarily available to them under adequate safeguards.
        IMF helps its members correct imbalances in their international
    balances of payments. It periodically examines the economic developments
    and policies of its member countries, offers policy advice, and at
    member's request and upon executive board approval, provides financial
    assistance through a variety of financial facilities designed to address
    specific problems. These lending mechanisms include stand-by and
    extended arrangements, a supplemental reserve facility to provide short-
    term assistance for difficulties related to crises of market confidence,
    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 and promote growth in the poorest
    countries, an exogenous shocks facility to provide short-term assistance
    to low-income countries suffering balance of payments difficulties
    caused by an external shock, and emergency assistance for countries
    recovering from natural disasters or armed conflict. IMF also provides
    technical assistance and training to its members. As of December 31,
    2006, IMF usable resources were SDR 160 billion ($240.7 billion), and
    one-year forward commitment capacity was SDR 157.1 billion ($236.3
    billion).

    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. Fax,
    202-623-6278. E-mail, publicaffairs@imf.org. 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: Richard Scott (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

    [[Page 585]]

    Chief of Mission: Michael Gray (United States)

    Permanent Observer to the United Nations: Luca Dall'Oglio (Italy)

    The International Organization for Migration (IOM) was formed in 1951 as
    the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration (ICEM) to help
    solve the postwar problems of refugees and displaced persons in Europe
    and to assist in orderly trans-Atlantic migration. It adopted its
    current name in 1989 to reflect its progressively global outreach. Since
    its creation, IOM has assisted more than 12 million refugees and
    migrants in over 125 countries. As of December 2006, 120 governments are
    members of IOM, and 19 others have observer status. IOM has observer
    status at the United Nations.
        IOM's guiding principle is that humane and orderly migration
    benefits migrants and societies. In carrying out its mandate, IOM helps
    migrants, governments, and civil society plan and operate international
    and national migration programs at the request of its member states and
    in cooperation with other international organizations. Its major
    objectives are the processing and movement of migrants and refugees to
    countries offering them permanent resettlement opportunities; the
    promotion of orderly migration to meet the needs of both emigration and
    immigration communities; counter-trafficking activities; the transfer of
    technology through migration in order to promote the economic,
    educational, and social advancement of developing countries; the
    provision of a forum for states and other partners to exchange views;
    the promotion of cooperation and coordination on migration issues; and
    technical cooperation and advisory services on migration policies and
    legislation.

    Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency

    Headquarters: 1818 H Street NW., Washington, DC 20433. Phone, 202-458-
    9292. Internet, www.miga.org.

    President: Paul D. Wolfowitz
    Executive Vice President: Yukiko Omura

    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, transfer restriction, breach of contract, 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

    Headquarters: Seventeenth Street and Constitution Avenue NW.,
    Washington, DC 20006. Phone, 202-458-3000. Fax, 202-458-3967. Internet,
    www.oas.org.

    Secretary General: Jose Miguel Insulza
    Assistant Secretary General: Albert Ramdin

    The Organization of American States (OAS) brings together the countries
    of the Western Hemisphere to strengthen cooperation and advance common
    interests. At the core of the OAS mission is a commitment to democracy.
    Building on this foundation, OAS works to promote good governance,
    strengthen human rights, foster peace and security, expand trade, and
    address the complex problems caused by poverty, drugs, and corruption.
    Though decisions made by its political bodies and programs carried out
    by its General Secretariat, OAS promotes greater inter-American
    cooperation and understanding.
        OAS member states have intensified their cooperation since the end
    of the cold war, taking on new and important challenges. In 1994, the
    region's 34 democratically elected presidents and prime ministers met in
    Miami for the First Summit of the Americas, where they established broad
    political, economic and social development goals. They have continued to
    meet periodically since then to examine common interests and priorities.
    Through the ongoing Summits of the Americas process, the

    [[Page 586]]

    region's leaders have entrusted the OAS with a growing number of
    responsibilities to help advance the countries' shared vision.
        With four official languages--English, Spanish, Portuguese, and
    French--the OAS reflects the rich diversity of peoples and cultures
    across the Americas. The OAS has 35 member states, the independent
    nations of North, Central and South America and the Caribbean. Since
    1962, Cuba has been barred from participation by resolution of the Eight
    Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs. Countries from all around the
    world are permanent observers, closely following the issues that are
    critical to the Americas and often providing key financial support for
    OAS programs.
        Member states set major policies and goals through the General
    Assembly, which gathers the hemisphere's foreign ministers once a year
    in regular session. The Permanent Council, made up of ambassadors
    appointed by member states, meets regularly, at OAS headquarters in
    Washington, DC, to guide ongoing policies and actions. The chairmanship
    of the Permanent Council rotates every three months, in alphabetical
    order of countries. Each member state has an equal voice, and most
    decisions are made through consensus.
        Also under the OAS umbrella are several specialized agencies that
    have considerable autonomy. Those agencies are the Pan American Health
    Organization in Washington, DC; the Inter-American Children's Institute
    in Montevideo, Uruguay; the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on
    Agriculture in San Jose, Costa Rica; and the Pan American Institute of
    Geography and History and the Inter-American Indian Institute, both in
    Mexico City.
        In 1948, 21 nations of the hemisphere signed the OAS Charter at the
    Ninth International Conference of American States. They were Argentina,
    Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba (barred from
    participation), Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala,
    Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, United
    States of America, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
        Subsequently, 14 other countries joined the OAS by signing and
    ratifying the Charter. They were Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica,
    Grenada, Suriname, Dominica, Saint Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint
    Vincent and the Grenadines, the Bahamas, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Canada,
    Belize, and Guyana. This brings to 35 the number of member states.

    For further information, contact the Director, Department of Press and
    Communications, OAS, 1889 F Street NW., Washington, DC 20006. Phone,
    202-458-3760. Fax, 202-458-6421.

    United Nations

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

    Secretary-General: Ban Ki-moon

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

    Director-General: Sergi Ordzhonikidze

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

    Director-General: Antonio Maria Costa

    Washington, DC, Office: U.N. Information Centre, Suite 400, 1775 K
    Street NW., Washington, DC 20006. Phone, 202-331-8670. Fax, 202-331-
    9191. Internet, www.unicwash.org. E-mail, unicdc@unicwas.org

    Director: Will Davis

    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

    [[Page 587]]

    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 191 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 as follows:

    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 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

    [[Page 588]]

    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 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.''