Foreign and Commonwealth Office Competitors

The mandate of Global Affairs Canada is to manage Canada's diplomatic and consular relations, to encourage the country's international trade and to lead Canada’s international development and humanitarian assistance. Le mandat d'Affaires mondiales Canada est de diriger les relations diplomatiques et consulaires, d'encourager le commerce international du pays et de mener les efforts du Canada en matière de dévéloppement international et d'aide humanitaire.

Founded at the end of the Second World War, the United Nations is an international organization made up of 193 Member States committed to maintaining international peace and security. Every day the UN works to tackle global challenges and deliver results for those most in need. Giving life-saving support to populations hit by humanitarian crises, helping build and keep the peace in conflict-ridden areas, supporting governments and their citizens to advance development and fight poverty, and promoting human rights worldwide are the core pillars of the work of the United Nations and the mandates it receives from its Member States. The Charter of the United Nations is available in full at: http://www.un.org/en/documents/charter/

The U.S. Department of State is focused on accomplishing America's mission of diplomacy at home and around the world. The U.S. Department of State manages America’s relationships with foreign governments, international organizations, and the people of other countries. U.S. diplomats and Civil Service professionals carry out the President’s foreign policy and help build a more free, prosperous, and secure world. U.S. Department of State employees, with their skills, character and commitment to public service, are the backbone of America's diplomacy. They represent the people and advocate the interests of the U.S. to the rest of the world. The Foreign Service (FS) is dedicated to representing America and responding to the needs of American citizens in other countries. Members of the Foreign Service can be sent to any embassy, consulate, or other diplomatic mission anywhere in the world, at any time, to serve the diplomatic needs of the United States. Civil Service (CS) employees provide in-depth expertise and continuity in accomplishing all aspects of the Department's mission and are involved in virtually every function of the Department. Civil Service employees issue passports, compile and analyze overseas reports, provide logistical support to posts, consult with Congress about foreign policy initiatives and policies, and formulate and manage the budget. Nearly 7,400 Civil Service (CS) employees serve as a stable resource pool in Washington D.C., at Passport Agencies and field offices throughout the United States, and at several Consulates in Mexico. More than 31,000 Foreign Service National (FSN) employees also supplement the personnel requirements of the Department overseas. FSN employees are local residents of the countries in which we maintain diplomatic posts and consulates. They are valued members of our embassy teams, for they provide continuity for the transient American staff and have language and cultural expertise.