Agriculture Archives

U.S. Mission to the Organization for American States

The United States Mission to the Organization of American States was formally established in 1948, and is the only embassy located within the Department of State in Washington, D.C. The Organization of American States (OAS) is the world’s oldest regional organization, dating back to the First International Conference of American States held in Washington, D.C. in October 1889. It is the premier multilateral forum for dealing with political issues in the Western Hemisphere. The main goals of the Mission are to strengthen peace and security, promote the effective exercise of representative democracy, ensure the peaceful settlement of disputes among members, and provide for common action in the event of aggression. They also seek solutions to political, juridical, and economic problems that may arise by promoting cooperative action, and economic, social, educational, scientific and cultural development.

African Affairs (AF)

The Bureau of African Affairs (AF) works to foster a dynamic of development and democracy that builds on Africa’s traditions and advances U.S. interests by creating an environment in which freedom, prosperity and security become the benchmarks for success in the U.S.-African partnership of the 21st century. The bureau conducts the full range of U.S. foreign relations with the countries of sub-Saharan Africa, providing staffing and resource support to our embassies in challenging environments. Offices include:

Office of East African Affairs (AF/E): oversees policy for the East African Region, and liaises with the U.S. Embassies in Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Somalia, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Office of Central African Affairs (AF/C): oversees policy for the Central African Region, and liaises with the U.S. Embassies in Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Rwanda, and São Tomé and Príncipe.
Office of South African Affairs (AF/S): oversees policy for the South African Region, and liaises with the U.S. Embassies in Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Office of West African Affairs (AF/W): oversees policy for the West African Region, and liaises with the U.S. Embassies in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
Office Economic and Regional Affairs (AF/ERA): advises on critical economic issues and programs such as the African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA).
Office of the Executive Director (AF/EX): coordinates logistics, management, budget, and human resources for the bureau.
Office of Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs (AF/PDPA): is responsible for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs coordination for the Africa Bureau.
Office of Regional and Security Affairs (AF/RSA): coordinates policies relating to the African Union (AU) and other regional multilateral and security-focused issues.