# International Organizations – United States Department of State

- 20th Annual State Department Model United Nations Conference Office of the SpokespersonThe 20th annual State Department Model United Nations (UN) conference will take place on April 29 at the Department of State.  This event is scheduled in collaboration with the UN Association of the National Capital Area (UNA-NCA).  Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Elizabeth M. Allen will provide keynote remarks.  For the past 20 years, we have welcomed more than 500 students from Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia to this conference each year.  The students will spend the day representing UN member states and debate important issues, including human rights, food security, climate change, economic development, and peace and security. We believe the young people who participate in Model UN are tomorrow’s leaders.&nbsp; Many of those serving in government right now, in the United States and abroad, participated in Model UN where they practiced key skills, including writing, researching, public speaking, negotiation, and advocacy while debating and representing countries in the UN.&nbsp; We applaud the interest and initiative of these students, who have the potential to become tomorrow’s diplomats.&nbsp; &nbsp;For updates, please follow @State_IO and @UNANCA on X.						Tags																					Bureau of International Organization Affairs																								District of Columbia																								Maryland																								Office of the Spokesperson																								Virginia
- Deputy Secretary Campbell’s Meeting with NATO Deputy Secretary General Geoană Office of the SpokespersonThe below is attributable to Spokesperson Matthew Miller:Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell met with NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană today. Deputy Secretary Campbell and Deputy Secretary General Geoană discussed key priorities for the Washington Summit, including strengthening our shared commitment to Ukraine, furthering NATO’s Indo-Pacific partnerships, and building upon collective defense commitments.						Tags																					Deputy Secretary of State																																North Atlantic Treaty Organization																															Office of the Spokesperson
- Assistant Secretary Sison’s Travel to Berlin Office of the SpokespersonAssistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs Michele Sison will travel to Berlin, Germany,&nbsp;April&nbsp;10-12.&nbsp;&nbsp;During her visit, the Assistant Secretary will meet with German&nbsp;counterparts&nbsp;to discuss&nbsp;a variety of multilateral and UN issues, including&nbsp;the&nbsp;Summit of the&nbsp;Future,&nbsp;plans for&nbsp;the 2025 UN Peacekeeping Ministerial,&nbsp;and shared&nbsp;Human Rights Council priorities.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;While in Berlin,&nbsp;the Assistant&nbsp;Secretary&nbsp;will&nbsp;also&nbsp;participate&nbsp;in&nbsp;the&nbsp;third&nbsp;annual Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility&nbsp;(DEIA)&nbsp;Workshop&nbsp;for&nbsp;the Bureaus of European and Eurasian Affairs and International Organization Affairs.&nbsp;&nbsp;For updates, follow @State_IO on Twitter/X.						Tags																					Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs																								Bureau of International Organization Affairs																																Diversity and Inclusion																															Germany																								Office of the Spokesperson																																Official International Travel
- Secretary Blinken’s Meeting with NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg HomeOffice of the SpokespersonPress Releases&#8230;Secretary Blinken’s Meeting with NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg				hide		if(window.jQuery) {		jQuery( document ).ready(function() {			if (jQuery(".bc_middle").hasClass("collapse")) {				jQuery(".bc_ellipse").click(function(){					jQuery(".bc_hide").toggleClass("visible");					jQuery(".bc_middle").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_ellipse").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_content").toggleClass("noflex");					jQuery(".block_breadcrumbs_content").toggleClass("noflex");				});				jQuery(".bc_hide").click(function(){					jQuery(".bc_hide").toggleClass("visible");					jQuery(".bc_middle").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_ellipse").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_content").toggleClass("noflex");					jQuery(".block_breadcrumbs_content").toggleClass("noflex");				});			} else {				jQuery(".bc_ellipse").hide();			}		});	}																										Secretary Blinken’s Meeting with NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg																																		Readout																														April 3, 2024																																							The below is attributable to Spokesperson Matthew Miller:Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg today in Brussels ahead of the NATO Foreign Ministers Meeting. Secretary Blinken and Secretary General Stoltenberg discussed key priorities for the Washington Summit, including strengthening our shared commitment to Ukraine, furthering NATO’s Indo-Pacific and EU partnerships, and building upon collective defense commitments.&nbsp;They also noted the strength of the Alliance, with Finland and Sweden participating as members and increased investment by Allies.&nbsp;						Tags																					Belgium																																North Atlantic Treaty Organization																															Office of the Spokesperson																																Secretary Trip																															The Secretary of State
- Secretary Antony J. Blinken and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg Before Their Meeting HomeOffice of the SpokespersonPress Releases&#8230;Secretary Antony J. Blinken and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg Before Their Meeting				hide		if(window.jQuery) {		jQuery( document ).ready(function() {			if (jQuery(".bc_middle").hasClass("collapse")) {				jQuery(".bc_ellipse").click(function(){					jQuery(".bc_hide").toggleClass("visible");					jQuery(".bc_middle").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_ellipse").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_content").toggleClass("noflex");					jQuery(".block_breadcrumbs_content").toggleClass("noflex");				});				jQuery(".bc_hide").click(function(){					jQuery(".bc_hide").toggleClass("visible");					jQuery(".bc_middle").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_ellipse").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_content").toggleClass("noflex");					jQuery(".block_breadcrumbs_content").toggleClass("noflex");				});			} else {				jQuery(".bc_ellipse").hide();			}		});	}																										Secretary Antony J. Blinken and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg Before Their Meeting																																		Remarks																														April 3, 2024																																							SECRETARY GENERAL STOLTENBERG:&nbsp;&nbsp;Secretary Blinken – Dear Tony – welcome back to NATO.&nbsp; It’s always good to see you here.&nbsp; And thank you for leadership; thank you for your strong commitment to our Alliance.&nbsp; Today we all started our foreign minister meeting, and we have addressed how to strengthen our support to Ukraine to create a more – even more robust framework for our support.&nbsp; And I thank you for your strong commitment, your personal commitment, commitment of President Biden to ensure that the United States continues to be a lead nation in supporting Ukraine.&nbsp;Then burden sharing is always top on our agenda.&nbsp; When NATO made the pledge to invest 2 percent of GDP on defense back in 2014, only three Allies met that target.&nbsp; Today, two-thirds of NATO Allies are spending 2 percent of GDP on defense.&nbsp; That’s significant progress, but of course we want more Allies – we want all Allies to be at 2 percent, and 2 percent is a minimum.&nbsp; So this is a message that I and we all convey very strongly as we prepare for upcoming Washington Summit.&nbsp;Then tomorrow we will also meet with our Asia-Pacific partners, and I think the war in Ukraine demonstrates how intertwined the security of Europe is with the security of Asia and the Pacific.&nbsp; North Korea, China, Iran are supporting Russia’s war of aggression in different ways, so this demonstrates that security is not regional security, it’s truly global, and therefore it’s important that we work together with our Asia-Pacific partners.&nbsp; And again, thank you for the strong U.S. leadership on also – on this issue.&nbsp;Then lastly, tomorrow we will celebrate NATO’s 75th anniversary.&nbsp; We’ll actually meet tonight at the Truman Hall, but also then tomorrow we will mark it here at the NATO headquarters.&nbsp; And then we will also mark the 75th anniversary at the NATO summit in Washington in July.&nbsp; Thank you for hosting the summit, and it will be a great summit to celebrate the Alliance, but also to ensure that we continue to adapt and to ensure that NATO continues to be the most successful Alliance in history.&nbsp; So Tony, welcome. &nbsp;Always good to have you here.SECRETARY BLINKEN:&nbsp;&nbsp;Jens, thank you so much.&nbsp; And as always, I have to start by telling you how much we appreciate – more than appreciate – we’re grateful for your extraordinary leadership of this Alliance at what is an extraordinary time.&nbsp; But as a result of that leadership, we have an Alliance that we will celebrate in a couple of months in Washington for the 75th anniversary summit, an Alliance that is stronger, bigger, and more united than ever.&nbsp;And as the secretary general said, tomorrow, as we begin to formally celebrate the 75th anniversary, of course we’re looking back at the first 75 years, but the work today, the work tomorrow, the work at the summit is really about the next 75 and everything that we need to do now to ensure that this Alliance remains what it has been – as Jens said, the most successful in history – a defensive alliance with no designs on the territory of any other country but with a determination to protect the territory of each of its members, and to do it in a way that is – has been unique in human history, based on the principle that we have each other’s backs, that if one of is the victim of aggression, all of us will be in to help.&nbsp;And that’s the most effective way to actually prevent aggression from happening in the first place, and to create an environment in each of our countries where people don’t have to worry about security in that sense and they can make the most of their lives and reach their full potential.&nbsp; That’s really what this Alliance is all about.&nbsp; But it requires constant renewal, constant effort; it doesn’t just happen by itself.&nbsp;And so the work that we’re doing today to prepare for the summit, to ensure that everyone is picking up their share of the burden, to make sure that the Alliance has the capabilities and the capacity to contend not just with the problems we’ve had to face over the last 75 years, but so many news challenges – some of which the Secretary General alluded to – that we have to confront now, and to make sure that countries continue to do their part as well when it comes to helping Ukraine deal with the ongoing aggression from Russia.&nbsp; All of these things are front and center.&nbsp;So we’ve had a very good session today focused on preparations for the summit and the substance of the summit.&nbsp; More to follow with Ukraine, with our partners, and with the ongoing work to strengthen our Alliance for the future.&nbsp; But once again, none of this would have been possible as effectively as we’ve seen it without the leadership of the secretary general.&nbsp; Jens, thank you.SECRETARY GENERAL STOLTENBERG:&nbsp;&nbsp;Thank you.&nbsp;SECRETARY BLINKEN:&nbsp;&nbsp;Thank you.&nbsp;SECRETARY GENERAL STOLTENBERG:&nbsp;&nbsp;Thank you.&nbsp;SECRETARY BLINKEN:&nbsp;&nbsp;Thanks, everyone.&nbsp;						Tags																					Belgium																								Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs																																North Atlantic Treaty Organization																															Office of the Spokesperson																																Secretary Trip																															The Secretary of State																								Ukraine
- Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs Sison’s Travel to Iowa Office of the SpokespersonAssistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs Michele Sison will travel to Johnson County, Iowa, March 6-7, 2024.  During her visit, the Assistant Secretary will highlight U.S. multilateral leadership in addressing the world’s most pressing challenges and how that leadership strengthens America’s safety, security, and prosperity.  Assistant Secretary Sison will headline an event hosted by the Johnson County United Nations Association as well as a fireside chat cohosted by the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council and the University of Iowa.  She will also visit with the Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature organization and meet with students at Kirkwood Community College to discuss U.S. multilateral priorities and career opportunities at the Department of State and in international organizations.For updates, follow @State_IO on Twitter/X.
- Ambassador (Ret.) McCarthy Leads US Delegation at Negotiating Session on UN Cybercrime Convention Office of the SpokespersonThe Ad Hoc Committee (AHC) to elaborate a UN cybercrime convention will convene at the United Nations in New York January 29 through February 9.  This is the seventh and concluding session of negotiations to finalize the convention.  Ambassador (ret.) Deborah McCarthy will lead the U.S. delegation and serve as lead negotiator for the session.  The U.S. delegation includes officials from the Departments of State and Justice.The United States is committed to adopting a consensus-based criminal justice instrument for a limited set of crimes that advances international cooperation while ensuring strong human rights protections and safeguards.  The convention would allow for enhanced international cooperation and increased capacity to combat cybercrime.For further information, please e-mail INL-PAPD@state.gov or follow INL on Twitter and Instagram @StateINL.  Further details about AHC are available at the UN Cybercrime Ad Hoc Committee website. 						Tags																					Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy																																														Cyber Issues																																							Cyber Security																																							Cybersecurity Exchange																															Office of the Spokesperson																																Official Domestic Travel																																							United Nations
- Secretary Antony J. Blinken and United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres Before Their Meeting HomeOffice of the SpokespersonPress Releases&#8230;Secretary Antony J. Blinken and United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres Before Their Meeting				hide		if(window.jQuery) {		jQuery( document ).ready(function() {			if (jQuery(".bc_middle").hasClass("collapse")) {				jQuery(".bc_ellipse").click(function(){					jQuery(".bc_hide").toggleClass("visible");					jQuery(".bc_middle").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_ellipse").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_content").toggleClass("noflex");					jQuery(".block_breadcrumbs_content").toggleClass("noflex");				});				jQuery(".bc_hide").click(function(){					jQuery(".bc_hide").toggleClass("visible");					jQuery(".bc_middle").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_ellipse").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_content").toggleClass("noflex");					jQuery(".block_breadcrumbs_content").toggleClass("noflex");				});			} else {				jQuery(".bc_ellipse").hide();			}		});	}																										Secretary Antony J. Blinken and United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres Before Their Meeting																																		Remarks																														January 16, 2024																																							SECRETARY BLINKEN:&nbsp; Well, let me just say briefly what a pleasure it is to be with the secretary-general, as always, but especially in this time where the United Nations is playing such a critical, vital role.&nbsp; We have a lot of important things to go over, starting, of course, with Gaza and the conflict between Israel and Hamas.&nbsp; I’ve seen every day what the United Nations is doing with the extraordinary courage and bravery of its people to try to make sure that people who desperately need it get the help, the assistance, the support they need – Palestinians in Gaza – and I’m incredibly admiring of the efforts that the UN is undertaking, and also very grateful for the secretary-general’s leadership in this area, and now with the recent naming coming from a Security Council resolution of a coordinator, Sigrid Kaag, who’s exceptional and I’ve had the opportunity to work with.So I know we’ll talk about that, talk about both the challenges and opportunities in Haiti, where the UN is also doing vital work, and of course many other challenges, including the ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine.&nbsp; But most important is I’m just very grateful on behalf of the United States for the secretary-general’s leadership and for the United Nations, because if we didn’t have it, we – as we would say, we would have to invent it because of the extraordinary work that members of the UN team are doing around the world every day, and no more so than in Gaza.SECRETARY-GENERAL GUTERRES:&nbsp; The partnership between the United States and the United Nations is an absolutely fundamental part of our multilateral program, and I am particularly grateful for the personal efforts that Secretary Blinken has been developing in order to address some of the most challenging problems of our time.&nbsp; I think we all want the war in Ukraine to end, but to end in line with the UN Charter, in line with international law.&nbsp; I think we all want this crisis in Gaza to end with a resolution of peace, a two-state solution implemented, and Palestinians and Israelis being able to transform this horrible crisis into an opportunity to deal with a common future.&nbsp; And we are extremely interested in cooperating in many other situations around the world where the U.S. and the UN are joining efforts to bring peace, to bring stability, and to bring development.&nbsp; That is also essential to stabilize these achievements that we hope we’ll be able to get to.SECRETARY BLINKEN:&nbsp; Thank you.&nbsp; Thanks, everyone.						Tags																					Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs																								Bureau of International Organization Affairs																																Israel-Hamas Conflict																															Office of the Spokesperson																																Official International Travel																																							Secretary Trip																															The Secretary of State																								Switzerland																																United Nations
- Advancing Global Norms for Higher Airspace Operations Matthew Miller, Department SpokespersonHigh airspace continues to be transformed by new innovations, with engineers now designing and building aerial vehicles that can operate persistently at altitudes higher than 60,000 feet.&nbsp; New systems capable of operating in low atmospheric density airspace, such as sophisticated high altitude, long endurance vehicles, airships, and supersonic/hypersonic aircraft, are already in operation around the world.The growing availability of these kinds of aerial vehicles is matched by increasing demand to support a variety of civilian operations, including remote sensing to improve agricultural productivity; high altitude platforms to assist countries dealing with the impacts of climate change; supersonic and hypersonic aircraft to transport people and goods around the globe more quickly; and quasi-stationary airships that can deliver low-cost broadband internet services.&nbsp; These advances have created vast opportunities for technological innovation and rapid growth in higher airspace.But the standards and practices that ensure safety and security at lower altitudes are not in place for activities in higher airspace.  Expanding the existing aviation ecosystem to take full advantage of the opportunities in higher airspace requires new thinking.  To address this, President Biden in February 2023 directed the State Department to lead an effort to help establish global norms for civil aviation operations in higher airspace.  Together with our partners in the International Civil Aviation Organization we are taking concrete steps to address the challenges and opportunities in this burgeoning area.Today, the United States, together with Canada, the European Union and its Member States, Japan, and the United Kingdom are calling upon ICAO to prioritize work on higher airspace operations, accelerate efforts to identify solutions for manned and unmanned aviation traffic in that airspace, and use the coming year to advance important technical work in this area.&nbsp; Developing standards for higher airspace operations in this fast-paced, rapidly changing environment is a global priority.&nbsp; This is just the beginning.&nbsp; We look forward to working with ICAO partners on this effort.						Tags																					Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs																								Bureau of International Organization Affairs																								Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs																								Canada																																European Union																																							International Civil Aviation Organization																															Japan																								Office of the Spokesperson																								United Kingdom
- Joint Statement on Higher Airspace Operations (HAO) Office of the SpokespersonThe text of the following joint statement was released by the Governments of the United States of America, Canada, the European Union and its Member States (Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Ireland, Greece, Spain, France, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland, Sweden), Japan, and the United Kingdom expressing support for ICAO’s efforts to address the challenges and opportunities associated with higher airspace operations.Begin Text:New technology and engineering breakthroughs are driving a growing need for common rules to support the safe, secure, and sustainable development of civil aviation operations taking place in higher airspace, typically above the level of today’s regulated conventional aircraft operations.Activity in higher airspace is poised to soar, with demand for applications as diverse as bringing 5G and 6G telecommunications to underserved communities, improving current Earth Observation capabilities, and enabling innovation in transportation of people and goods.Systems that ensure safety and security for the millions of flights occurring at lower altitudes are simply not in place for activity in higher airspace.&nbsp; Aircraft operating in higher airspace have vastly different performance characteristics and unconventional operational needs.Now is the time for a holistic vision of higher airspace operations.&nbsp; That vision should include harmonized rules for airworthiness, staff training and licensing, ground operations, identification, detection, communication, location, flight paths, and emergencies to ensure that aircraft operating in higher airspace do not undermine the safety, security, and sustainability of the existing aviation system while expanding the international aviation ecosystem in exciting ways.We call upon ICAO to prioritize and expedite higher airspace operations in its work program and to accelerate the development and implementation of solutions for manned and unmanned aviation traffic in higher airspace, recalling ICAO Assembly Resolution A41-9, which recognizes ICAO&#8217;s role in supporting the development and implementation of global concepts and guidance in higher airspace.We further urge the ICAO Secretariat to organize discussions on higher airspace operations* during the next 14th Air Navigation Conference in order to reshape ICAO’s technical work program to take onboard these new priorities and identify potential resources, consider progress and determine a way forward, taking into consideration the discussions on higher airspace operations at the recent Air Navigation World Event.Finally, we call upon the Air Navigation Commission, the premier forum for studying, discussing, and advancing civil aviation standards, to support this vital work in ICAO.*Space launch and re-entry operations are not higher airspace operations simply because they transit through higher airspace.&nbsp; Separation between launch and re-entry operations and aviation activities needs to be maintained throughout all airspace for the safety of the wider airspace network.End Text.						Tags																					Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs																								Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs																								Canada																																European Union																															Japan																								Office of the Spokesperson																								United Kingdom