The United Nations employs over 1,800 Americans in the U.S. and thousands of others in UN offices abroad. While it has been a priority of the U.S. Department of State to increase the number of Americans working at the UN, a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) study found that while Americans are equitably represented in the Secretariat—the main offices of UN headquarters under the supervision of the Secretary-General—Americans are under-represented in some UN agencies.
Work for the UN: If you are an American and interested in working for the United Nations, visit the U.S. State Department website to view and/or apply for employment opportunities at the UN.
Americans hold several key leadership posts in the UN system:
Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe. Pascoe was appointed in March 2007 by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon after an almost 40-year career with the U.S. foreign service. The Department of Political Affairs plays a central role in the UN's worldwide efforts to prevent conflict, make peace, and rebuild after conflict. Read Bio
Photo: http://www.us-asean.org/Indonesia/pascoe.jpg
Assistant Secretary-General Jane Holl Lute, Department of Peacekeeping Operations. Lute was appointed in August 2003 and has since managed the start-up of ten new peacekeeping missions and a more than three-fold increase in the size of UN peacekeeping operations, in both troop numbers and overall budget. Read Bio
Photo: http://www0.un.org/av/photo/incoming/medium/57082.jpg
Executive Director Ann Veneman, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Veneman, Executive Director of UNICEF since May 2005, was formerly the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. Her UNICEF priorities include meeting the Millennium Development Goals, particularly those related to children, and building partnerships with governments, fellow UN agencies, non-governmental organizations, and faith-based groups. Read Bio
Photo: http://www.unicef.org/about/structure/images/venemant.jpg
Executive Director Josette Sheeran, World Food Program (WFP). Sheeran was selected to manage WFP in November 2006 and will serve for a five-year term. She heads the world's largest humanitarian agency. Her top priorities are to ensure that no child goes to bed hungry and to reduce hunger-related deaths. Read Bio
Photo: http://www.wfp.org/aboutwfp/img/how_run/sheeran_bio.jpg
Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Strategic Planning Robert Orr, UN Secretariat. Orr has served as Assistant Secretary-General since August 2004, and helped head the transition team for incoming Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Orr has consistently been intricately involved in implementing efforts to strengthen and reform the United Nations. Read Bio
Photo: http://www.globalmpa.net/images/Alumni/alum_RobertOrr.jpg |
