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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.

IAEA Low Enriched Uranium Fuel Bank Agreement Signing Ceremony
Assistant Secretary Countryman (Aug. 27): "Establishing the IAEA Fuel Bank is an important and a complex achievement. It is important that we recognize the many people who made it possible." Full Text»

Remarks at a UN Security Council Arria-Formula Meeting on ISIL's Targeting of LGBT Individuals
UN Ambassador Power (Aug. 24): "ISIL does not try to hide its crimes against LGBT persons – it broadcasts them for all the world to see. Many of us have seen the videos. ISIL parading a man through the streets and beating him – for being gay. Today, we are coming together as a Security Council to condemn these acts, to demand they stop, and to commit to one day bringing the perpetrators to justice." Full Text»

UN Security Council Holds Inaugural Meeting on LGBT Issues
Department Spokesperson Kirby (Aug. 24): August Today, members of the UN Security Council held their first Arria-formula meeting on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) issues, particularly in the context of ISIL’s crimes against LGBT individuals in Iraq and Syria. This historic event recognizes that the issue of LGBT rights has a place in the UN Security Council. Full Text»

WSIS+10: A Look Back To Move Forward
Dipnote (Aug. 24): For the last few months (though, to be fair, the hard work really took place over the last 10 years), my colleagues and I have been taking part in a global review process that will culminate at the high-level meeting at the UN General Assembly in December. This event marks an important milestone in the history of the global digital economy -- the culmination of the 10 year review of the World Summit on the Information Society or “WSIS.” Full Text»

World Humanitarian Day
Secretary Kerry (Aug. 19): "Today we salute the unsung heroes who venture out to some of the most dangerous places on earth and risk their lives to save others. Through dark days, aid workers find ways to bring light to communities all over the world – and they do it with grace and grit, fearlessness and determination." Full Text»

Alleged Abuses by UN Peacekeepers in the Central African Republic
Deputy Spokesperson Mark Toner (Aug. 14): "The United States is profoundly shocked and dismayed by allegations and incidents of serious misconduct by UN peacekeepers serving in the UN Multidimensional Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA). The most recent of those allegations includes rape and civilian casualties during an arrest operation in early August. These allegations raise serious concerns about the mission’s discipline and command. They must be investigated immediately and thoroughly, with appropriate punishment and accountability for the perpetrators." Full Text»

Remarks at the Security Council Stakeout following Consultations on Alleged Abuses by Peacekeepers in the Central African Republic
U.S. Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power (Aug. 13): "We just had an exceptional meeting of the Security Council, an unusual meeting of the Security Council, with the Secretary-General to discuss sexual exploitation and other forms of abuse that is alleged to be occurring in peacekeeping missions… It was a meeting in which a great deal of horror, outrage, a sense of collective failure, were all expressed. We were horrified by the allegations of rape and killing of civilians by members of MINUSCA. And it should of course go without saying that these allegations need to be investigated swiftly and impartially and that any perpetrators of such crimes have to be punished." Full Text»

Remarks at a UN Security Council Briefing on Ebola
U.S. Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power (Aug. 13): "Let me begin with what we all know: we have made tremendous progress toward stopping this deadly outbreak. According to WHO, in the week that ended August 9th, only three new cases of Ebola were reported in the affected countries – one in Sierra Leone and two in Guinea. Three cases in a week – across three countries… But it would be a serious mistake to take our eye off the current outbreak, or to think that, when we end it, our job will be done. So today, I want to briefly set out three steps the region and the international community must take to address this outbreak and help prevent future ones from reaching such devastating proportions." Full Text»

Closing Keynote Remarks at the Youth Assembly at the United Nations
U.S. Special Advisor for Global Youth Issues Andy Rabens (Aug. 7): "Now I’m excited to have the chance to talk with you all today, nearly 600 delegates from over 30 countries, about the opportunities in front us to put our stamp on the Sustainable Development Goals and to embrace a collective vision of the world as it could be – a world that we will shortly inherit and a world that we have a historic opportunity to help shape." Full Text»

Syrian Crisis: U.S. Efforts and Assistance
Fact Sheet (Aug. 7): For those affected by the crisis inside Syria and in neighboring countries, the United States is providing healthcare, shelter, food, clean water, protection – including activities to prevent and respond to gender-based violence, and educational opportunities for refugee children. U.S. assistance supports the activities of UN agencies – including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the World Food Program (WFP), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) – and numerous non-governmental organizations, in Syria and neighboring countries. Full Text»

Remarks by the President and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon After Bilateral Meeting
President Barack Obama and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (Aug. 4): "As we celebrate the 70th anniversary of the United Nations, we can take great satisfaction in the success of the institution in resolving conflicts, in moving forward through its agencies on a whole range of development issues that are helping vulnerable peoples around the world. At the same time, we are in a period in which the demands placed, the burdens on the United Nations have never been greater." Full Text»

New Humanitarian Assistance for Iraq
Media Note (Aug. 3): Secretary of State John Kerry announced today at the Gulf Cooperation Council Summit in Qatar that the United States is providing nearly $62 million in additional humanitarian assistance to Iraqis who have been affected by violence and are in urgent need of assistance from the international community… A range of UN and international non-governmental agencies are receiving the funding, including the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and other international and nongovernmental organizations. Full Text»

Conclusion of Negotiations on the Post-2015 Development Agenda

Secretary Kerry (Aug. 2): "The goals and aspirations conveyed through these negotiations expand on the successes seen under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), established by the global community 15 years ago…This bold new agenda of sustainable development goals features transformative objectives for the next 15 years: eradicating extreme poverty; ensuring environmental sustainability and conservation; advancing gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls; and building peaceful, well-governed, and economically prosperous societies to ensure that we leave no one behind." Full Text»

U.S. Statement at the Closing of the Intergovernmental Negotiations on the Post-2015 Development Agenda
U.S. Special Coordinator for the Post-2015 Development Agenda Tony Pipa (Aug. 2): " We are pleased to join consensus on this visionary, transformative and ambitious agenda. Like any effort such as this, we recognize that it represents a fine political balance and includes compromises – and like others, we think there are things in this document that can be improved. At a later date, we will provide additional views on the text…The ambition reflected in this outcome and the conclusion of these deliberations reaffirms the transformative nature of the multilateral system, and underscores the power of what is possible through collective endeavor." Full Text»

U.S. Statement on Goals and Targets During Post-2015 Intergovernmental Negotiations
U.S. Special Coordinator for the Post-2015 Development Agenda Tony Pipa (July 28): "As we near the end of negotiations, we think it is important to present to our heads of state, and ask them to commit to, an agenda with targets that are as clear, compelling, and technically sound as possible, and thus we are uncomfortable with a list of suggested edits attached as an annex to one of the chapters, implying the agenda has not been fully reviewed and rationalized." Full Text»

U.S. Statement on Means Of Implementation During Post-2015 Intergovernmental Negotiations
U.S. Special Coordinator for the Post-2015 Development Agenda Tony Pipa (July 28): "As we reflect on the bright spots of our negotiations thus far this past week, we note the considerable agreement around this room in the quality, strength, and level of ambition of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda. We compromised collectively on issues of great importance to each of us individually there, and we continue to appreciate and hope to build upon the collaborative spirit that made it possible." Full Text»

Remarks at a Meeting on UN Peacekeeping at the 69th Regiment Armory
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Power (July 28): "To be sure, UN peacekeeping is just one tool in a diverse kit that we must strengthen to address the complex threats confronting us today, together with others such as sustained prevention efforts and special political missions. But if peacekeepers can learn from these practices of the 69th – their mission can become a more effective part of advancing our shared security. And the presence of the United States’ highest ranking military officer here today is testament to how important we think it is to get this enterprise right." Full Text»

Iran Nuclear Agreement: House Foreign Affairs Committee Hearing
Secretary Kerry (July 28): "We are convinced that the plan that we have developed with five other nations accomplishes the task that President Obama set out, which is to close off the four pathways to a bomb… The IAEA will be continuously monitoring their centrifuge production, as centrifuge -- so centrifuges cannot be diverted to a covert facility. For the next 25 years, the IAEA will be continuously monitoring uranium from the point that it’s produced all the way through production so that it cannot be diverted to another facility." Full Text»

Remarks to the People of Africa
President Obama (July 28): "I’m grateful for this opportunity to speak to the representatives of more than one billion people of the great African continent… The world must do more to help as well. This fall at the United Nations, I will host a summit to secure new commitments to strengthen international support for peacekeeping, including here in Africa. And building on commitments that originated here in the AU, we’ll work to develop a new partnership between the U.N. and the AU that can provide reliable support for AU peace operations." Full Text»

U.S. Statement on Follow Up and Review During Post-2015 Intergovernmental Negotiations
U.S. Special Coordinator for the Post-2015 Development Agenda Tony Pipa (July 24): "The political declaration provides the vision; the goals and targets set out the key milestones for us as protagonists; and the means of implementation provides the narrative arc of how we get there. It is our follow up and review processes that over the next 15 years will fill in that outline with the actual story – how it happened, what successes and challenges we encountered, how we adjusted when the story took a twist we didn’t expect." Full Text»

Meeting of the Advisory Committee on International Postal and Delivery Services
(July 24): On August 6, the Department of State’s Advisory Committee on International Postal and Delivery Services will meet to consider issues related to terminal dues, customs treatment of mail, and recent developments in the Universal Postal Union. Full Text»

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