New York Office

The Joint Office for Commonwealth Permanent Missions to the United Nations

The New York office is a base for envoys from eleven Commonwealth countries to work out of and represent their respective states at the United Nations (UN).  

Located on 800 2nd Avenue, The Joint Office for Commonwealth Permanent Missions to the United Nations is made up of small countries from Africa, Asia, the Pacific and the Caribbean. Three Secretariat staff members and representatives from each of the eleven small states share the nineteen thousand square foot office. 

"This office is an excellent example of Commonwealth cooperation in the assistance given to Commonwealth small states for the costs of maintaining a permanent presence at the United Nations," says Tania Tupou, the office manager in New York. 

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, when several of the small states in the Pacific and Asia became independent, one of their objectives was to join the UN. Commonwealth countries in those regions suggested a single office for representatives from these small states. This was seen as an alternative to those countries setting up new Missions - representations to inter-governmental agencies - in New York. Therefore, in 1983, Australia provided the initial funding for the Secretariat to establish the New York office. 

The benefits to smaller states like Samoa and the Solomon Islands soon attracted other countries. In 1985, at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Nassau, Bahamas, Heads of Government requested that the Secretary-General explore the possibility of extending the facility to other Commonwealth small states.  

The eleven small states that currently have emissaries working from the New York Office are Dominica, The Gambia, Grenada , Maldives, Nauru, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, The Seychelles, The Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.  

The major donors supporting the New York office are Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom, closely followed by India and New Zealand. Other regular contributors are Malaysia and Singapore. In 2007, Cyprus, Malta, and South Africa also began funding the operation.  

The office offers the opportunity for other UN Member States to coordinate and conduct meetings as well as negotiate appointments. 

The Commonwealth office also assists with the organisation a number of important meetings. Notably, the office set-up consultations with former World Bank Chief Economist, Sir Nicholas Stern and Commonwealth small states regarding the review of the World Bank/Commonwealth Secretariat Task Report. 

The Joint Office for Commonwealth Permanent Missions plays an important role in promoting social and economic vibrancy in all Commonwealth countries that call it home.