| |  Our Mission, Goals and HistoryBureau of International Organization Affairs (IO)
Our Mission and Goals
The Bureau of International Organization Affairs (IO), develops and implements U.S. policy in the United Nations (UN), the UN's specialized agencies, and other international organizations. IO works in cooperation with the United States Mission to the UN, the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, Geneva, the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, Rome, the U.S. Mission to International Organizations in Vienna, the U.S. Mission to the United Nations Education, Science and Culture Organization, and other international organizations.
IO works to advance U.S. policies and interests through multilateral diplomacy. The U.S. played a major role in the creation of the UN and other international organizations and maintains a strong leadership role in these bodies. IO works to ensure that the UN and other international organizations remain viable and effective.
Through the UN and other international organizations, the Bureau of International Organization Affairs (IO) promotes:
- Peace: Effective UN peacekeeping operations and preventive diplomacy efforts in areas of potential conflict;
- Security: Nonproliferation, nuclear safeguards, arms control and disarmament, and efforts to combat terrorism, organized crime, and narcotics trafficking;
- Democracy: Support for democratic principles and the rule of law in government and politics;
- Human Rights: Support for human rights, including advancement of women's rights;
- Economic Growth: Environmentally sustainable economic growth through market economies, free trade, private investment, and efficient multilateral development assistance;
- Trade: Improved opportunities for America's economy through cooperation in a variety of technical fields, including standards in trade, communication, transportation, labor, intellectual property protection, food, and agriculture;
- Health: Improved standards of health and eradication of major diseases through the World Health Organization;
- Humanitarian Assistance: Assistance to refugees, displaced persons, and victims of disasters through the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the World Food Program;
- Environment: Environmental cooperation, including the setting of standards to promote environmental protection and the facilitation of new agreements; and
- Transportation Safety: The establishment and enforcement of safety and security standards for air and sea travel by the International Civil Aviation Organization and the International Maritime Organization.
Source: Bureau of International Organization Affairs, Office of Policy, Public and Congressional Affairs.
Establishment of the Bureau of International Organization Affairs, U.S. Department of State, 1949
Secretary of State Dean Acheson established the Bureau of International Organization Affairs (IO) on June 24, 1949, as part of U.S. efforts to meet the needs of post-World War II diplomacy. Several months later, in October 1949, IO was renamed the Bureau for United Nations Affairs (UNA). (Departmental Announcement 191, October 27, 1949).
The Department of State created the position of Assistant Secretary of State for United Nations Affairs in February 1949, using one of the six Assistant secretary positions originally authorized by Congress in 1944 (Dec. 8, 1944; P.L. 78-472; 58 Stat. 798).
On Aug 25, 1954, a Department administrative action changed the incumbent's designation to Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs, and the Bureau was renamed the Bureau of International Organization Affairs. (Department Circular 349, February 4, 1960).
IO develops and implements U.S. policy in the UN and other international organizations and works to advance U.S. interests through multilateral diplomacy.
Source: U.S. State Department, Office of the Historian | | |
