The Sovereign Military 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 103 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.

The members of the Mission, consisting of both full-time and volunteer delegates and staff, work cooperatively to sustain a consistent productive presence at the United Nations, ensuring that the Order of Malta is widely respected and highly visible in the role it enjoys today in the General Assembly and other United Nations bodies. Delegates attend daily meetings of the Security Council, the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council, as well as regularly being distinguished participants in high-level conferences and special sessions at Headquarters and abroad. Issues of particular concern to the Order of Malta, such as the safety of its humanitarian field personnel—be they assisting in United Nations Peacekeeping missions or operating independently—and the eradication of AIDS and other diseases are often on the agenda of the meetings of United Nations Committees, Agencies and Departments.

The Permanent Observer reports to the Grand Chancellor and the Diplomatic Counsellor of the Order of Malta, among others, on the issues addressed in these fora and makes informed recommendations as to how the Order can further its humanitarian and diplomatic goals. The Order of Malta also produces monthly Information Notes on its humanitarian relief and development projects world-wide. These are distributed to all Permanent Missions to the UN, ensuring that the Order’s fellow UN members remain informed. Responses to these Information Notes are overwhelmingly positive.

More about the Order of Malta and the United Nations
Order of Malta's Permanent Observers to the United Nations in New York
Order of Malta's Permanent Missions to UN entities