The United States Mission to the UN Agencies in Rome serves as a link between the Rome-based international organizations and the U.S. government. Rome is unusual in that there are three U.S. Ambassadors located there; the other U.S. diplomatic missions in Rome are the
Embassy of the United States, Rome
The Embassy of the United States of America in Rome is the diplomatic mission of the United States of America to the Italian Republic. The embassy's chancery is situated in the Palazzo Margherita, Via Vittorio Veneto, Rome. The United States als ...
, and the
Embassy of the United States to the Holy See
The Embassy of the United States of America to the Holy See (or Embassy Vatican for short) is the diplomatic mission of United States of America to the Holy See, a term referring to the central government and universal reach of the Roman Catholic C ...
.
Together they are referred to as "Tri-Mission Community" in Rome.
The chief of the mission is typically the person who is the
, or a
chargé d'affaires if the ambassadorship is vacant.
The Mission
Because Rome is home to the three principal
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
organizations dedicated to food and agriculture (
World Food Programme
The World Food Programme; it, Programma alimentare mondiale; es, Programa Mundial de Alimentos; ar, برنامج الأغذية العالمي, translit=barnamaj al'aghdhiat alealami; russian: Всемирная продовольствен� ...
,
Food and Agriculture Organization
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)french: link=no, Organisation des Nations unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture; it, Organizzazione delle Nazioni Unite per l'Alimentazione e l'Agricoltura is an intern ...
, and
International Fund for Agricultural Development), it is at the center of international efforts to promote sustainable development and combat world hunger.
[}] Thus, the Mission plays an essential role in supporting the "Feed the Future" in its work. The U.S. Mission to the UN in Rome serves as a link between the Rome-based international organizations and the U.S. government; the staff at this mission represent the
Department of State,
Agriculture
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people t ...
, and the
Agency for International Development
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $27 ...
.
In 2014, per an article in ''
State Magazine'', there were some 25 professionals from those departments stationed at the mission.
Together, they work to advance UN efforts towards
food security
Food security speaks to the availability of food in a country (or geography) and the ability of individuals within that country (geography) to access, afford, and source adequate foodstuffs. According to the United Nations' Committee on World ...
overall, with particular attention to areas such as emergency food aid, food safety standards, food production and accompanying environments, and financing for rural development.
The Mission is engaged with six Rome-based multilateral organizations overall;
the other three are the
International Development Law Organization
The International Development Law Organization (IDLO) is an intergovernmental organization dedicated to the promotion of the rule of law.
With a joint focus on the promotion of rule of law and development, it works to empower people and communiti ...
, the
International Institute for the Unification of Private Law
UNIDROIT (formally, the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law; French: ''Institut international pour l'unification du droit privé'') is an intergovernmental organization whose objective is to harmonize international priv ...
, and the
.
Staff in the mission work in conjunction with these agencies to improve the legal framework for achieving improved quality-of-life for all residents of developing countries as their economic performance grows.
The mission, like the other two in Rome and other high-profile ambassadorships in Europe, often gets assigned political appointees rather than career foreign service officers. As a result, deputy chiefs of mission are selected for their ability to bring foreign service expertise.
Since the United States is the largest contributor to the UN worldwide, it has a vital interest in ensuring that UN organizations are efficient and that the activities of the UN complement and enhance the national and foreign policy objectives of the United States. The Mission works to promote the efficient functioning of the UN food organizations and U.S. interests.
As an important donor to these international organizations, the Mission advocates the U.S. government's goal of eliminating global hunger, enhancing nutrition, and the use of agriculture as an engine of economic growth.
Formerly, the United States Mission to the UN Agencies in Rome was located in a building on the
Piazza del Popolo
Piazza del Popolo is a large urban square in Rome. The name in modern Italian language, Italian literally means "People's Square", but historically it derives from the Populus, poplars (''populus'' in Latin language, Latin, ''pioppo'' in Italian) ...
.
However, in December 2011 it was moved to a separate building within the compound of the
Embassy of the United States, Rome
The Embassy of the United States of America in Rome is the diplomatic mission of the United States of America to the Italian Republic. The embassy's chancery is situated in the Palazzo Margherita, Via Vittorio Veneto, Rome. The United States als ...
, just as the
Embassy of the United States to the Holy See
The Embassy of the United States of America to the Holy See (or Embassy Vatican for short) is the diplomatic mission of United States of America to the Holy See, a term referring to the central government and universal reach of the Roman Catholic C ...
also has a building within that compound.
Like the other two, the Mission to the UN Agencies is housed in historic structures dating to the 16th to 18th centuries.
External links
Official website
References
{{US diplomatic missions , state=expanded
Independent agencies of the United States government
United States Agency for International Development
Organisations based in Rome
United States and the United Nations
Diplomatic missions in Rome