In diplomatic terms, “mission” has several meanings. All embassies, consulates, and other diplomatic posts in foreign countries are collectively known as missions, and they all share the common mission of conducting the foreign policy of the United States government.

But the U.S. government is also a member of many international organizations, and our representatives in these organizations and the work they do are called diplomatic missions, usually listed with a capital letter, such as the U.S. Mission to the United Nations.

Missions are headed by an ambassador and do the same work as embassies, but listen to multilateral issues: listening and reporting; communicating with the media; promoting U.S. views; and negotiating with representatives of other countries and staff of other international organizations.

The United States Mission to the United Nations in New York, for example, is the country’s largest mission to an international organization. It has more than 200 people who represent United States political, economic, legal, and military interests and American values at the United Nations.

The United States also has missions to the African Union (in Addis Ababa), the Organization of American States (in Washington, D.C.), the European Union (in Brussels), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (in Jakarta), NATO (Brussels). and many other international groups.