The Order and the United Nations

H.E. Ambassador Paul Beresford-Hill, KM

The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta has maintained a permanent mission to facilitate diplomatic relations with the United Nations since 1994 when it was granted Observer Status with the international organization. The Permanent Observer Mission exists, like all the diplomatic initiatives of the Order of Malta, to support and extend the humanitarian goals of the Order of Malta and its members.

The neutral, impartial, and non-political nature of the Order of Malta permits for humanitarian intervention in a timely and valuable nature as well as for a welcoming presence amongst fellow members of the United Nations. Diplomats assist in ensuring the cooperation of particular countries or multilateral agencies in the Order of Malta’s effective delivery of aid and personnel into what are often the least inviting of circumstances.

There are currently 104 countries with which the Order has diplomatic relations, and all are represented at the United Nations headquarters in New York City. The United Nations is an essential arena for an active Order of Malta presence.

For more information please click here to visit the Permanent Observer Mission of the Order of Malta to the United Nations website.