United Nations Issues: Congressional Representatives to the UN General Assembly
https://crsreports.congress.gov
Updated August 27, 2024
United Nations Issues: Congressional Representatives to the U.N. General Assembly
The annual session of the United Nations (U.N.) General Assembly is held at U.N. Headquarters in New York City. The President generally appoints one Democrat and one Republican to serve as U.S. representatives to the session, alternating each year between the House and Senate. Representatives French Hill and Barbara Lee served as representatives during the 78th Assembly session; two Senators would typically be expected to serve as U.S. representatives during a 79th session, which is scheduled to begin on September 5, 2024.
Overview of the U.N. General Assembly
The U.N. General Assembly is composed of 193 U.N. member states, including the United States. It is the primary deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the United Nations. Each country, including the United States, has one vote. A two-thirds majority vote is required for decisions related to key issues such as peace and security, admission of new members, and the budget. A simple majority vote applies for all other matters.
The Assembly’s annual regular session opens in September and runs for one year. The main part of the session, from September to December, includes most of the work of the Assembly’s six committees. The annual meeting of heads of state and government, often referred to as the “general debate,” is held at the beginning of the Assembly session. Two Members of Congress generally serve as the U.S. representatives during this time.
History of Congressional Representation The concept of congressional representation to the U.N. General Assembly emerged from extensive participation by both Senators and Representatives in the 1945 San Francisco Conference on International Organization, which led to the adoption of the U.N. Charter. The practice began at the first Assembly session in 1946, when Members of the Senate and House held positions as representatives and alternate representatives, respectively. Since that time, with few exceptions, congressional representatives have served as part of U.S. delegations to the U.N. General Assembly, which are typically led and coordinated by the Department of State. Each year two Senators have alternated with two Representatives—with the Senate typically serving in years when the House holds elections. In most cases, both parties have been represented and, when possible, the Administration and Congress have aimed to select Members who have not previously served as delegates. (See Table 1 for a list of congressional representatives from 2008 to 2023.)
Legislative Authority
After the adoption of the U.N. Charter, Congress enacted the United Nations Participation Act of 1945 (UNPA; 22
U.S.C. 287 et seq.), which provides legislative authority for U.S. engagement in the United Nations. UNPA does not require congressional participation in sessions of the General Assembly, but anticipates and permits participation of Members of Congress, among other U.S. representatives, in such sessions. Section 2 of the act sets out the authorities for U.S. representation the United Nations. Specifically, Section 2(a) specifies that the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, shall designate not more than five U.S. representatives to attend a specified session or specified sessions of the General Assembly. UNPA does not specify whether Members are eligible to be appointed as U.S. representatives; however, Section 2(g) prohibits compensation for Members serving as U.S. representatives, signaling that Members might serve.
Role and Responsibilities
The role and duties of congressional representatives are not formalized; thus, the level and extent of congressional engagement during the Assembly session depends on the interests and priorities of individual Members. Delegates generally travel to New York at the beginning of the regular session. In the past, some Members have attended the general debate and the President’s reception for visiting heads of state, while others have stayed for several additional days or returned for other parts of the Assembly session. Congressional representatives have also followed the activities of one of the General Assembly’s six main committees, with at least one Member tracking the work of the fifth committee, which is responsible for administrative and budgetary matters related to the organization. Before or during the session, Members may also schedule appointments on policy issues of interest; these might include one-on-one visits with heads of state, foreign representatives, or U.N. officials.
Congressional representatives have often received support from congressional committee staff and State Department officials. For example, staff from the House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC) and Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) might write statements, provide background materials and briefings, or arrange meetings for Members. State Department officials generally coordinate meetings and brief Members on U.S. policy and key issues facing the Assembly. The Department also provides Members with office space and services in the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in New York City.
Appointment Process
As outlined in UNPA, the President, with the advice and consent of the Senate, may designate congressional representatives. In practice, SFRC has developed a policy of not holding hearings for temporary or part-time positions, including General Assembly representatives.
United Nations Issues: Congressional Representatives to the U.N. General Assembly
https://crsreports.congress.gov
Instead, both HFAC and SFRC have annually provided the President with their choices, who are then nominated by the President and confirmed by vote of the full Senate. Nominees for the 72nd (2017) and 73rd (2018) Assembly sessions were confirmed by the Senate by voice vote. From 2013 to 2016, however, it appears that while SFRC reported out nominees, the full Senate did not vote on the nominations. For the 74th (2019) and 75th (2020) sessions, President Trump did not transmit nominations to SFRC, and thus no committee or full Senate consideration took place. In each of those years, two Members of Congress served as representatives to the Assembly (with the exception of 2020 due to COVID-19). More recently, President Biden transmitted nominations for the Assembly’s 78th session on September 5, 2023, which were referred to SFRC; the committee did not vote on the nominations. To date, nominations for the 79th session have not been transmitted to the Senate.
Committee Selection Although both HFAC and SFRC have at different times documented procedures for selecting congressional representatives, in practice the process appears to be informal and has varied over time depending on the priorities and preferences of committee leadership.
House of Representatives. HFAC does not appear to have a formal process for selecting congressional representatives to the General Assembly. Based on past practice, it has assigned one Member from each political party on the basis of seniority, starting with those who have not served as representatives; however, in recent years HFAC members have increasingly selected participants based on the Member’s level of interest in U.N.-related issues and availability to attend the session.
Senate. SFRC also does not appear to have a formal process for selecting congressional representatives to the Assembly. In practice, the chairperson and ranking member select the representatives, who are usually chosen from among SFRC members. Similar to the House, congressional representatives from the Senate appear to be selected based on their interest in U.N. issues and availability.
Role of the Executive Branch In accordance with the President’s authority to appoint U.S. representatives to the U.N. General Assembly, the executive branch is responsible for sending a letter of invitation to the individual Member appointing him or her to the U.S. delegation. At the same time, it customarily forwards the names of the selected Members to the Senate for confirmation, and encloses a full list of participants in the U.S. delegation. The first public notice is usually a press statement from individual Members, a White House announcement, or a notice of intention to nominate as part of the Assembly delegation, subject to Senate confirmation.
The State Department provides funding for U.S. representatives to the General Assembly, including per diem, transportation, and lodging expenses. These activities are typically financed through the Diplomatic & Consular Programs account, which funds the Office of International
Conferences in the International Organization Affairs Bureau (IO/C). IO/C is responsible for accrediting, instructing, and managing U.S. delegates to multilateral conferences, including the General Assembly.
Table 1. Congressional Representatives to U.N.
General Assembly Sessions: 2008 to 2024
General Assembly Main Sessions
Representatives or Senators
79th (Sept. 10-Dec. 27, 2024)
To be determined.
78th (Sept. 5-Dec. 22, 2023)
Rep. Barbara Lee Rep. French Hill
77th (Sept. 13-Dec. 23, 2022)
Sen. Patrick Leahy Sen. James Risch
76th (Sept. 14-Dec. 23, 2021)
Rep. Barbara Lee Rep. French Hill
75th (Sept. 14-Dec. 27, 2020)
None due to COVID-19 pandemic.
74th (Sept. 17-Dec. 27, 2019)
Rep. Barbara Lee Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers
73rd (Sept. 18-Dec. 22, 2018)
Sen. Ron Johnson Sen. Jeff Merkley
72nd (Sept. 12-Dec. 24, 2017)
Rep. Barbara Lee Rep. Christopher Smith
71st (Sept. 13-Dec. 23, 2016)
Sen. Chris Coons Sen. Ron Johnson
70th (Sept. 16-Dec. 29, 2015)
Rep. Barbara Lee Rep. Christopher Smith
69th (Sept. 16-Dec. 29, 2014)
Sen. Ben Cardin Sen. Ron Johnson
68th (Sept. 17-Dec. 27, 2013)
Rep. Barbara Lee Rep. Mark Meadows
67th (Sept. 18-Dec. 24, 2012)
Sen. Johnny Isakson Sen. Patrick Leahy
66th (Sept. 13-Dec. 24, 2011)
Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle Rep. Russ Carnahan
65th (Sept. 14-Dec. 24, 2010)
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen Sen. Roger Wicker
64th (Sept. 15-Dec. 23, 2009)
Rep. William Delahunt Rep. Christopher Smith
63rd (Sept. 16-Dec. 23, 2008)
Sen. Bob Corker Sen. Bill Nelson
Sources: CRS, White House, Congress.gov, and press releases.
Notes: The dates represent the main part of the Assembly session.
Luisa Blanchfield, Specialist in International Relations Matthew C. Weed, Specialist in Foreign Policy Legislation
IF10464
United Nations Issues: Congressional Representatives to the U.N. General Assembly
https://crsreports.congress.gov | IF10464 · VERSION 22 · UPDATED
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