U.S. Mission Geneva
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ABOUT THE UNITED STATES MISSION
TO THE UNITED NATIONS IN GENEVA
From the Briefing Book on International Organizations
published by the Public Affairs Office of the U.S. Mission

U.S. Ambassador Warren TichenorAmbassador Warren Tichenor
U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva

Ambassador Peter Allgeier
Deputy U.S. Trade Representative and U.S. Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organization

Ambassador Christina Rocca
U.S. Permanent Representative to the
Conference on Disarmament


Officially called "The United States Permanent Mission to the United Nations Office and Other International Organizations in Geneva," the Mission's role is to represent the U.S. government in Geneva. Since June 12, 2006 the Mission has been headed by Ambassador Warren W. Tichenor, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva.

The U.S. Mission handles all dealings and communications with the United Nations and other international agencies in Geneva, as well as with the 100-plus countries that also maintain permanent missions to the UN in Geneva. This "multilateral" role of the Mission dealing with many countries is separate from the "bilateral" diplomacy of the U.S. Embassy in the Swiss capital Bern, which handles relations between the U.S. government and Switzerland.

In practice, the Mission carries out its work by attending meetings on any subject of interest to the United States. U.S. Mission staff officers, together with delegates from Washington, are involved in some 300 Geneva-based conferences a year, promoting U.S. policy, representing U.S. interests and helping countries benefit from U.S. experience.

The Mission has also frequently been the site of bilateral and multilateral negotiations on a variety of security, economic and political issues. During 1993-1994, the United States and North Korea met in Geneva to work out the details of a nuclear agreement under which North Korea agreed to freeze its nuclear program and abide by its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation treaty. During 1995, the Mission hosted important negotiations on the former Yugoslavia in the lead-up to the Dayton Accords. On September 8, 1995 representatives of the governments of Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia, holding their first face-to-face meeting in nearly two years at the U.S. Mission, agreed on a set of basic principles which were later embodied in the Dayton agreement.

THE MISSION BUILDING

The seven-story building, inaugurated in 1980, stands in its own grounds in the Geneva commune of Chambesy. It is close to the Palais des Nations in the area set aside by the City of Geneva for international organizations.

The Mission has 8,000 square meters (86,000 square feet) of office space; a two-story wing containing a multipurpose auditorium with simultaneous-interpretation facilities and other services such as a cafeteria, bank, and travel office.

In the Mission's forecourt is a stainless-steel statue - "United Peace" - created by the sculptor Pascal to represent the peaceful aims of the United Nations. "United Peace" is a stabile: it rotates slightly on its pedestal with the wind.

Internet:

http://geneva.usmission.gov

Address:
The United States Mission to the United Nations Office and other International Organizations in Geneva
Route de Pregny 11
1292 Chambesy/GENEVA
Tel. 749.4111
Fax. 749.4880

The Mission's Permanent Staff is Divided Into the Following Specialized Areas:

  • IEA - International Economic Affairs (economic cooperation and development; environmental affairs)
  • RMA - Refugee and Migration Affairs (protection and resettlement of refugees and displaced persons, disaster-relief and other humanitarian assistance issues)
  • PSA - Political and Specialized Agency Affairs (coordination of U.S. policy in the different Geneva agencies, humanitarian matters under the Geneva Red Cross Conventions, and human rights)
  • ADM - Administrative Affairs (logistic and administrative support for visiting U.S. delegations, and for the permanent Mission staff)
  • IRM - International Resource Management (questions related to Americans working in the various international organizations, the budgets of the UN specialized agencies, and U.N. reform.)
  • LA - Legal Adviser (for counsel on legal points arising during conferences, and the negotiation and interpretation of international treaties and agreements)
  • RSO - Regional Security Office (all security issues inside and outside the Mission)
  • CD - Conference on Disarmament (the U.S. delegation to the Conference on Disarmament (CD))
  • PA- The Public Affairs Office responds to press and public information questions on U.S. policy development, distributes electronic Newsletters on various topics, and publishes this briefing book.

    The Mission also works closely with the Geneva offices the U.S. Trade Representative
  • USTR - United States Trade Representative (international trade questions, the WTO and rounds of trade-liberalization talks; the USTR offices are located in the Botanic Building annex. See chapter on USTR.)