New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, a Republican, is about to testify earlier than the Senate International Relations Committee on Jan. 16, 2025, as a part of her affirmation course of to turn out to be the following U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
Worldwide diplomacy is the essence of the U.N. As a former United Nations official and an tutorial who has revealed extensively on the U.N., I do know that diplomacy is an artwork, not a science.
And ambassador could make an actual distinction.
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A direct line from the UN to the president
The alliances international locations type and keep on the U.N. are vital to assist confront international crises that exceed the attain and energy of any single nation.
The entire 193 governments that make up the U.N. have ambassadors who negotiate completely different U.N. agreements on points starting from terrorism to nuclear proliferation.
Of all these ambassadors, the U.S. envoy is a very high-profile and distinctive job. First, the U.S. is the host nation to the U.N. headquarters. The U.S. can be the U.N.’s largest monetary contributor.
Some U.S. ambassadors have been profession diplomats, like Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the present ambassador who was appointed by President Joe Biden in February 2021.
Different former U.S. ambassadors to the U.N. have backgrounds in different areas, together with academia, journalism and U.S. politics.
The U.S. ambassador may be a part of a president’s Cupboard and report on to the president, or could not have the Cupboard rank and as an alternative report back to the secretary of state. Nikki Haley, who served as ambassador to the U.N. throughout the first Trump administration, had Cupboard standing, as would Stefanik, assuming she is confirmed.
Having the ear of the president strengthens the ambassador’s affect on the U.N.
The ambassador’s high jobs
The U.S. ambassador serves as an efficient worldwide advocate for the federal government’s pursuits, be it on decreasing meals insecurity and stopping famine in different international locations or attempting to cease North Korea from launching ballistic missiles.
The ambassador explains the U.S. authorities’s specific positions to different international locations’ ambassadors and representatives on the U.N.
The U.S. ambassador additionally listens to international representatives about their political positions. The ambassador then acts as a bridge between the U.N. in New York and the U.S. authorities in Washington, navigating tough conversations on human rights and terrorism, for instance.
The ambassador’s third, day-to-day function entails overseeing the 150 State Division and different workers on the U.S. mission to the U.N., a constructing proper throughout the road from U.N. headquarters on First Avenue in Manhattan.
The U.S. mission’s workers do every part from negotiating Safety Council resolutions to advising the ambassador and different high places of work on media relations.
The U.S. ambassador can be closely concerned in choosing the U.N. secretary-general, who leads the group in its assorted political and humanitarian work over a five-year time period.
Nations can nominate specific candidates to function the secretary-general. However any candidate should be capable to win the assist of the U.S. and the opposite Safety Council everlasting members, which have the facility to shoot down and reject a possible U.N. chief.
Nations will subsequent vote to nominate a brand new secretary-general in 2026.
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The UN Safety Council
A big a part of the U.S. ambassador’s work occurs on the Safety Council, a key a part of the U.N. that’s tasked with sustaining worldwide peace and safety. For the reason that U.N. was based in 1945, the Safety Council has been virtually completely disaster and emergency pushed.
The council has extra energy than arguably another department of the U.N., since its suggestions and choices, often known as resolutions, are thought-about binding below worldwide legislation. The council has voted on sanctions – which might appear to be journey bans or freezing of worldwide belongings – in opposition to a spread of people, international locations like Iran and Somalia, and terrorist teams like al-Qaida. It additionally has the facility to authorize U.N. peacekeeping operations to be deployed to battle zones.
The U.S., China, France, Russia and the UK are the 5 everlasting members of the council. Whereas different international locations rotate and take turns taking part within the council’s work, solely these everlasting council members can veto resolutions – resulting in frequent stalemates.
In 2024, the U.S. used its veto energy 5 occasions to reject resolutions associated to the struggle between Israel and Hamas.
The U.S. ambassador might help determine what points the council discusses, draft and share resolutions, and affect how different council members vote.
Actual negotiations happen not in formal conferences which can be routinely aired reside however in casual consultations behind closed doorways. That is the place diplomats train their ingenuity and settle their variations.
Days after the 9/11 terrorist assaults on the World Commerce Middle and the Pentagon, U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte, an appointee of then-President George W. Bush, negotiated a decision that known as for governments to tackle completely different counterterrorist actions.
Six months after the U.S. Senate confirmed Susan Rice as ambassador in 2009, she led the Safety Council in approving a decision that imposed financial sanctions on North Korea in response to its nuclear and missile checks.
Immediately, the Safety Council is coping with varied conflicts in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Center East. The council additionally focuses on counterterrorism, power, local weather, pure assets and different points.
Making the case
The U.S. ambassador to the U.N. is a public determine who is anticipated to regularly journey outdoors of the nation to make the case for why the US’ participation and management on the U.N. issues.
That is vital as a result of about 40% of Individuals in 2023 mentioned that the U.S. doesn’t profit from being a member of the U.N. And in a democracy, a profitable international coverage strategy should have public assist.
This story is a part of a collection of profiles of Cupboard and high-level administration positions.
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