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The Bureau of International Organization Affairs (IO) is the U.S. Government’s primary interlocutor with the United Nations and a host of international agencies and organizations. As such, the Bureau is charged with advancing the President’s vision of robust multilateral engagement as a crucial tool in advancing U.S. national interests. U.S. multilateral engagement spans the full range of important global issues, including peace and security, nuclear nonproliferation, human rights, economic development, climate change, global health, and much more.
Don’t Forget About Syria
DipNote (Apr. 15): In Kuwait on March 31, the international community pledged more than $3.3 billion to alleviate suffering brought on by the crisis in Syria. The pledges, which included $508 million from the United States, will help millions of people affected by the crisis this year, but they did not meet the $8.4 billion dollars needed under UN appeals. This gap between needs and resources raises important issues about the most severe crisis of our time. Full Text»
GPOI Delivers Heavy Engineering Equipment to Nepal for Peacekeeping Missions
DipNote (Apr. 15): In 2005 the United States established the Global Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI), a State Department funded program dedicated to building international capacity to conduct peacekeeping operations. The program works closely with the Department of Defense to develop peacekeeping capabilities in partner countries around the world. Since GPOI’s inception, program implementers have supported Nepal’s ambitious efforts to train and equip its peacekeeping forces. Full Text»
U.S. National Statement to the UN Crime Congress
Remarks (Apr. 13): Thank you, Mr. President. The United States delegation is grateful to the Government of Qatar for its hospitality this week, and for its leadership in organizing and hosting a meaningful and productive Crime Congress. Mr. President, we are here this week to discuss the linkages between crime prevention, criminal justice, and sustainable development. It is clear that there can be no prosperity without security, and that there can be no security without effective, transparent, and responsive governance under the rule of law. Full Text»
The 2015 Education for All Global Monitoring Report: What Lessons and Challenges Will Shape the Post-2015 Global Education World?
DipNote (Apr. 9): 2015 is a monumental year for the world's global education goals. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) come to an end this year as do the Education for All (EFA) goals which were adopted during the World Education Conference in Dakar, Senegal in 2000. Today the 12th and final edition of the Global Monitoring Report (GMR), 'Education for All (EFA) 2000-2015: Achievements and Challenges' launches charting progress of the six EFA goals. Full Text»
World Health Day: Food Safety and Food Security
DipNote (Apr. 7): World Health Day serves as an important occasion to recognize the achievements and challenges in the global health community. While health emergencies such as Ebola and polio have taken over the headlines, we must not forget the critical linkages that food and nutrition have with health and other development issues. This year’s World Health Day highlights the importance of food safety -- which directly impacts both food security and the global health agenda. Full Text»
Making Progress on Health Now and Post-2015
DipNote (Apr. 7): While the world has made significant progress, the international community must continue to mobilize action to address malnutrition and pressing global health challenges. We aim at nothing less than a grand convergence in health, where the developing world enjoys health outcomes similar to those in the developed world. As the end date for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) rapidly approaches, the United States strongly supports a Post-2015 Development Agenda that addresses the unfinished business of the MDGs: to end preventable child and maternal deaths, realize the promise of an AIDS-free generation, and keep the world safe and secure from infectious disease and emerging threats. Full Text»
UN International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action
Secretary of State John Kerry (Apr. 4): The observance of UN International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action on April 4 allows the United States to take pride in its efforts to address the humanitarian impact of these deadly devices on civilian populations around the world. Nonetheless, landmines and other unexploded ordnance continue to endanger civilians in over 60 countries across the globe. We must make that our focus during the coming year. Full Text»
Climate Change: The Defining Challenge of our Generation
DipNote (Mar. 31): Today the United States took an important step and formally submitted its commitment to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. In a statement, Secretary of State John Kerry underscored the United States commitment to playing a leading role in the global effort to address climate change, calling it the “defining challenge of our generation.” Full Text»
Submission of the U.S. Intended Nationally Determined Contribution to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
Secretary of State John Kerry (Mar. 31): "I was in Beijing with President Obama last November when he outlined the United States’ ambitious post-2020 greenhouse gas emissions target alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping. At a joint press conference, our nations each outlined bold climate change and clean energy objectives. For our part, the United States committed to cut our emissions by 26 to 28 percent from 2005 levels by the year 2025 – which would put us on the path to economy-wide reductions of around 80 percent by mid-century." Full Text»
Remarks at the Third International Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria, Kuwait City, Kuwait
U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations Samantha Power (Mar. 31): "Countries must close the widening gap between what we are providing and what the Syrian people desperately need. That is why President Obama sent me here today to announce that the United States is pledging $507 million, in addition to the nearly $3.2 billion we have provided since the conflict began. We are directing this aid to help meet Syrians’ immediate needs, such as treating more than 2 million patients in U.S.-supported hospitals and clinics, and feeding nearly 7 million people." Full Text»
Syria: The Greatest Humanitarian Crisis in a Generation Demands the Response of a Generation
DipNote (Mar. 31): U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations Samantha Power led the U.S. Delegation to the Third International Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria today. The pledging conference hosted and sponsored by the State of Kuwait, raised financial resources to respond to humanitarian needs in Syria and neighboring countries resulting from the ongoing conflict. Full Text»
Why You Should Still Care About Syria
DipNote (Mar. 31): This month, the Syrian conflict entered its fifth year. The relentless fighting has taken a catastrophic toll, making Syria the worst humanitarian crisis of our time. More than 220,000 people have lost their lives and more than 12 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in Syria–3 million more than a year ago. More than half of the entire Syrian population has fled their homes due to the violence, and an entire generation of Syrians–like Amina–are losing their childhood. Full Text»
On the Ground in South Sudan: Delivering Humanitarian and Food Assistance Against The Odds
DipNote (Mar. 28): Only three short years ago, the South Sudanese people saw their long struggle for independence culminate with the birth of the world’s newest nation. The current conflict robs them of the opportunity to enjoy peace, stability, and prosperity. WFP is one of the U.S. Government’s most stalwart partners in helping the people of South Sudan, as well as in providing humanitarian assistance for Syria, Iraq, Central African Republic, Ebola-affected countries and other crises around the world. Full Text»
Key U.S. Outcomes at the UN Human Rights Council 28th Session
Fact Sheet (Mar. 27): The outcomes of the 28th Session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) underscored the importance of robust U.S. engagement at the Council, where the United States continues to work with countries from all regions to address urgent human rights concerns. Secretary of State John Kerry’s statement to the Council during the high-level segment reaffirmed that U.S. leadership has helped to keep the Council at the forefront of international efforts to promote and protect human rights. Full Text»
The Goals and Targets Session of the Post-2015 Intergovernmental Negotiation Process
U.S. Coordinator for the Post-2015 Development Agenda Tony Pipa (Mar. 26): "We want to begin our discussion of goals and targets by first reinforcing our appreciation for this group’s collective effort during the Open Working Group. That experience built a strong foundation of shared vocabulary, a formidable evidence base from which to draw, understanding of mutual interests and concerns, and of course a report that serves as a guide for our discussions here. We recognize as well that we build these goals and targets on a strong lineage from the Millennium Development Goals and the Rio+20 Conference, and that we must thus use their lessons wisely." Full Text»
With U.S. Support, El Salvador Grows as an International Peacekeeper
DipNote (Mar. 24): El Salvador is a founding partner in the Global Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI) -- a U.S. Government-funded security assistance program working to meet the growing global demand for peacekeepers. This month, with support from the GPOI program, El Salvador took a major step with its first independent deployment of 90 Salvadoran peacekeepers in support of the United Nations-led stabilization effort in Mali. Full Text»
From Hyogo to Sendai: A New Action Plan for Resilience
DipNote (Mar. 23): Last week, I led the U.S. delegation to the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai, Japan. The result: the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030. Establishing ambitious targets, this framework includes goals of reducing mortality, minimizing economic and infrastructure losses, and getting countries to commit to disaster risk reduction strategies. Full Text»