INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE The International Court of Justice consists of 15 members elected by the General Assembly and Security Council for 9-year terms ending February 5 of the year given in parenthesis. The Judges, listed in their order of precedence, are: Jose Maria Ruda of Argentina (1991), President Taslim Olawale Elias of Nigeria (1994) Shigeru Oda of Japan (1994) Roberto Ago of Italy (1997) Stephen M. Schwebel of the United States (1997) Jens Evensen of Norway (1994) Nikolai K. Tarassov of the U.S.S.R. (1997) Mohamed Shahabuddeen of Guyana (1997) Appendix 3 United States Missions U.S. MISSION TO THE UNITED NATIONS, NEW YORK 1989 The United States is represented by a permanent mission at the Headquarters of the United Nations in New York. Under the direction of the U.S. Representative to the United Nations, the mission carries out the instructions of the President, as transmitted by the Secretary of State. It serves as the channel of communication between the U.S. Government and the UN organs, agencies and commissions at the Headquarters; with the 159 other permanent missions accredited to the United Nations; and with various non-member observer missions. It is also the base of operations for U.S. Delegations to the General Assembly and to other UN bodies when they meet in New York. The Chief of Mission, who has the rank of Ambassador, is the U.S. Representative to the United Nations and also represents the United States in the Security Council. He or she is assisted by other persons of appropriate title, rank and status, who are appointed by the President. The mission staff includes specialists in political, economic, social, financial, budgetary, legal, military, public affairs and administrative matters. In 1989 about 150 persons were assigned to the mission by the Department of State and other U.S. departments and agencies. The staff assists the U.S. Representative in such activities as (1) planning the tactical pursuit of U.S. policy objectives in UN organs and bodies; (2) carrying out consultations, negotiation and liaison with other delegations and the UN Secretariat; (3) preparing policy recommendations to the Department of State; (4) reporting to the Department of State on consultations and developments in the United Nations; (5) discharging U.S. responsibilities as "host government," in particular those arising from the 1947 Headquarters Agreement between the United States and the United Nations (Public Law 357, 80th Cong.); the International Organizations Immunities Act of 1945, as amended; and the Convention on Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations, which deal, inter alia, with relations of the United Nations, its officials, and delegation members with federal, state and local authorities; (6) carrying out public affairs activities; and (7) planning and administering conference operations. U.S. MISSION TO THE EUROPEAN OFFICE OF THE UNITED NATIONS AND OTHER INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS, GENEVA The United States maintains a permanent mission in Geneva under the direction of a U.S. Representative, with the rank of Ambassador, who is accredited to the European Office of the United Nations and to the UN specialized agencies and other international organizations with headquarters in Geneva. The mission is responsible for the representation of U.S. interests at the UN European headquarters; in UN subsidiary bodies located in Geneva (such as UN Human Rights Commission, UN Conference on Trade and Development, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Economic Commission for Europe, and the UN Disaster Relief Organization); in the five specialized agencies that have their headquarters in Geneva (International Labor Organization, World Health Organization, World Meteorological Organization, International Telecommunication Union, and World Intellectual Property Organization); and in other international bodies such as General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, Conference on Disarmament, and the Intergovernmental Organization for Migration. The mission also maintains liaison, as appropriate, with resident delegations of other nations in Geneva, as well as with a large number of nongovernmental or voluntary organizations involved in humanitarian affairs, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross. The mission maintains liaison on a continuing basis with the executive heads and members of secretariats of international bodies, reports on developments relating to them, monitors their programs and budgets, and makes policy and program recommendations to the Department of State. The mission staff includes economic, political, financial, budgetary, scientific, agricultural, health, public affairs, humanitarian and administrative advisers. In 1989 about 150 Americans, including personnel detailed by U.S. Government departments other than the Department of State, were assigned to the staff, and 108 local employees were hired full time. The Ambassador often heads or serves as alternate on delegations to large conferences, and other officers of the mission either represent the United States in smaller international meetings or serve on the U.S. Delegations to these. The Mission supports the U.S.-Soviet bilateral arms control talks held in Geneva, which involve some 200 negotiating and technical personnel. OTHER U.S. MISSIONS The United States also maintains a mission at the Headquarters of the United Nations and IAEA in Vienna, an observer mission to UNESCO in Paris, a mission to the UN Agencies for Food and Agriculture in Rome, a mission to ICAO in Montreal, and a liaison office with UNEP in Nairobi. |