Ten years ago we made a photo gallery of some of the beautiful handwritten messages, candles and flowers left by our gate.  

See the 2001 Photo Gallery

The AMS is Loaded onto a USAF C5 Galaxy Aircraft (CERN photo)

The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS), an experiment that will search for antimatter and dark matter in space, will be flown August 26 aboard a giant U.S. Airforce Galaxy jet from Geneva International Airport to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The AMS experiment is scheduled to be transported on the last space shuttle flight in February 2011to the International Space Station It will be the largest scientific instrument on the Space Station and the largest physics experiment in space.

AMS will help us to understand the origin and structure of the Universe by searching for signs of antimatter and dark matter. As a byproduct, AMS will also gather a host of information on stars and galaxies millions of light years from our home Galaxy. The program is complementary to that of the Large Hadron Collider.

The photos in this set show a US Air Force Galaxy transport aircraft being prepared for the AMS, and a press conference with scientists at Geneva Airport on August 25, 2010.

Press Releases

CERN Press Release
NASA Press Release

Right to Left: Ambassador Betty E. King, Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations in Geneva, Ambassador Jerry Matjila, South Africa's Ambassador to the United Nations, and Ambassador Laura Kennedy, U.S. Permanent Representative to the Conference on Disarmament.

Today, Friday June 11 is Kickoff Day for the 2010 World Cup, the first FIFA World Cup ever held on the African continent.

U.S. Diplomats took up the invitation of the Permanent Mission of South Africa for diplomats from qualifying countries to wear their national jerseys to the United Nations on Fridays during the duration of the World Cup.

U.S. Mission photographer Eric Bridiers captured a few photos at the Palais des Nations June 11.

The United States Mission to the United Nations in Geneva invites the online community, and the general public to submit photos to our online photo competition on the theme of American Streetscapes.

The contest is being run through a Group page on Flickr to which any photographer,  amateur or professional, may submit appropriate photos.

Ten to Fifteen photos will be selected by the US Mission’s creative team to be featured in the design of our Independence Day poster. This poster will be presented as a gift to the approximately 2000 diplomats and UN officials from around the world who attend our annual Independence Day celebration in Geneva.

Contest winners will be credited on the poster, and will each receive ten copies each of the poster featuring their work.

The theme for our contest is American Streetscapes” with a special focus on five key topical areas.

•Main Street America
(Images of any Street that sums up the essence of the American Streetscape. Please be sure provide the name and location of the street with your image.)

•Broadway, New York, New York

•Bourbon Street, New Orleans

•Calle Ocho, Miami

•Martin Luther King Jr.
(Any Street, Avenue or Boulevard in the United States which
is named after Martin Luther King Jr. )

In addition to being on the poster, the selected photos will be featured on the website of the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in Geneva and become part of a permanent display in our building.

The U.S. Mission to the United Nations in Geneva is the site of many important international meetings and negotiations, such as the recent talks between the US and the Russian Federation that led to the New START treaty. You can read more about the work of the U.S. Mission on our website: geneva.usmission.gov and see photos from recent meetings held here in our Flickr photostream: www.flickr.com/photos/us-mission/.

•Contest Rules

Deadline: Submissions are due by June 11, 2010.

There is no limit to the number of photos you may submit.

Submitted images must be in .jpg format and of adequate resolution for print production at a size around 5 to 8 inches square.

•Please make sure your image has a file extension of .jpg prior to uploading.

•Please submit images that are true photography. Photos of paintings, screen shots, and illustrations will not be accepted.

•Digitally manipulated images are accepted, but preference will be given to photos which are not too abstract, and where the streets are recognizable.

•Photographs must be submitted electronically via Flickr.

•To enter, please simply add your photo to the U.S. Mission’s “American Streetscapes” Group page, and include the tag “American Streetscapes”

Because the final poster design will include multiple images, it is possible that your photo may be slightly cropped in the final version.

By submitting an image to the “American Streetscapes” contest, you affirm you are the creator and rightful owner of this image.

All photographs will remain the copyright of the photographer. But by submitting your image, you agree to allow the United States Mission to the United Nations to use the image in the July 4 poster, related promotional materials, and to crop the image to fit the poster if necessary. Your photo will not be used for any commercial purpose, but only for the not for profit Independence Day related uses described above.

Flickr Page for the Competition

Robert Einhorn: Interactive Discussion with Geneva Diplomats

April 13, 2010

GENEVA -  Special Advisor for Nonproliferation and Arms Control Robert Einhorn briefed the Conference on Disarmament (CD) community in Geneva on the recently released Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) on April 13 via Digital Video Conference.  CD Ambassador Laura Kennedy hosted the briefing at the U.S. Mission.  After Mr. Einhorn’s initial presentation, attendees were able to ask him questions about the NPR and other related issues.    Many of the attendees will be representing their governments at the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty Review Conference in New York in May.

Remarks of Ambassador Kennedy as delivered:

Thank you all for coming to our interactive session with Robert Einhorn, our Special Advisor for Non Proliferation and Arms Control.  We are delighted that Bob, one of the United States’ most highly regarded experts on non-proliferation is able to be with us today, especially given the ongoing Summit on Nuclear Security which is in its second day in Washington DC.  We know that the release of the Nuclear Posture Review attracted extensive interest in many quarters, and most particularly among the members of the Conference on Disarmament.  As you know, this is only the third such major review undertaken by an American administration. It is notable in many regards which Bob will detail so let me just note that this document elevates preventing nuclear non-proliferation and nuclear terrorism to the top of the US policy agenda and aligns US posture and policy to address these concerns.  With that, let me turn your attention to Mr. Einhorn who will offer remarks first and then stand ready to take your questions.

We know this is a busy time for all of you but we  hope that you find this session useful as many of us turn our attention to the UN for the forthcoming Review Conference of the Non-Proliferation Review Conference.  For those of you who may want to examine the text of the NPR in detail you can access it via our website http://geneva.usmission.gov/us-cd.  I look forward to working with all of you now that I have joined your ranks at the CD.

Ambassador Laura Kennedy Hosted the Briefing

Closing Plenary of the New START negotaitions

U.S. and Russian New START Delegations held their closing plenary on April 9, 2010 in Geneva, Switzerland, where many of the negotiations on the new arms control treaty took place over the course of the past 11 months.

Heads of delegation, Rose Gottemoeller, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Verification, Compliance, and Implementation, and Ambassador Anatoly Antonov, Director of the Department of Security and Disarmament Affairs, Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation, returned to Geneva after attending the April 8 signing ceremony in Prague, to chair the final plenary.

The closing plenary took place at the Permanent Mission of the United States to the United Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva, where many of the earlier negotiating sessions were also held.

Other Photos of the Negotiations (Prior to Closing Plenary)

USTR Ron Kirk at Closing Press Conference of the 2009 WTO Ministerial - US Mission Photo: Eric Bridiers

Ambassador Kirk Gives Closing Statement at 7th Session of WTO Ministerial Conference
12/2/09 2:01pm

United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk made the following statement at the conclusion of the 7th Session of the WTO Ministerial Conference today in Geneva, Switzerland.

From Ambassador Kirk:

“During the recent and ongoing financial crisis, participation in a rules-based global trading system has led WTO Members to avoid the kind of protectionism that exacerbated the Great Depression. This week in Geneva, we have recognized the need to strengthen and build on that rules-based and cooperative foundation, and to consider the potential of a balanced and ambitious conclusion to the Doha Round.

“In the wake of the financial crisis, the world needs a meaningful outcome at Doha that provides new and real economic opportunities. As President Obama described it, ‘not just any agreement, but an agreement that will open up markets and increase exports around the world.’ This will create the widespread economic opportunity necessary to meet the development promise of Doha.

“In the last several months, the United States has sought to work with our trading partners on new approaches to truly move these talks into the endgame. Our team introduced sustained direct bilateral engagement as a way for key partners to achieve needed clarity and close gaps with regard to market-opening contributions by advanced developing countries. The question now is the willingness of partners to engage in a meaningful way.

“WTO members have repeatedly committed this year to moving the Doha Round forward. It is time to act on those commitments, move outside our comfort zones, and make the hard choices required of those who would lead at the WTO.

“In the United States, we recognize that trade can be an important pillar of global economic recovery and of recovery right at home – particularly in terms of creating the well-paid jobs that Americans want and need. And we also recognize the economic necessity of this round to the poorest countries, to which the Obama Administration has made a special commitment.

“This ministerial may be over, but the work will not stop. I look forward to marking progress on the Doha Round, and on many more issues within this rules-based global trading community, when next we meet.”

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In October 2009 a UNHCR donor mission traveled to Eastern Sudan to see one of the High Commissioner's five priority protracted refugee situations.

U.S. Mission Refugee and Migration Affairs Attaché Melissa Pitotti participated in a multi-donor mission to Eastern Sudan from October 10 to 16, 2009.  Organized by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), participants saw one of the oldest refugee situations in the world, and explored opportunities for refugees to become self-reliant.

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Quilt Challenge Opening

Opening of the Quilt Challenge for the Global Fund exhibition at the United Nations, November 12, 2009.
For more information about the show, please see the quilt challenge website.

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