# Where do delegations to the United Nations stay? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 13, 2003, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-delegations-to-the-united-nations-stay/161163 "2003-03-13T19:56:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2003, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-delegations-to-the-united-nations-stay/161163/1 "2003-03-13T19:56:33Z")
My search for knowledge is for a silly reason: in a role-playing game that I’m starting tonight, I’m playing a fellow who heads up security for the Peruvian delegation to the United Nations. I know nothing about what that would entail, though, and I wanted help with details. My questions are things like this: -Where do delegations stay? Do they each have embassies, like in DC? Do they have a floor in a hotel devoted to them? What are the quarters like? -How large a staff would a delegation have? Are we talking 300 people per delegation, or 5? -How large a security detail would a delegation have? None? One bodyguard for the delegate? Twenty soldiers from the country’s national security forces? -What degree of interaction would a delegation (and specifically, the delegation’s security detail) have with a visiting non-governmental dignitary from the home country who was in NYC? Might they provide accommodations, entertainment, tourist information, translators, etc. for the dignitary? -What are some other cool details I should know about delegations? Obviously, answers will differ from country to country; where possible, if you can answer the questions for Peru (or for a similar state), that’d be great. And unlike for most General Questions, answers that are not strictly accurate but which are both plausible and cool will be appreciated, although I’d appreciate it if you’d tell me they’re not strictly accurate. Thanks! Daniel ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2003, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-delegations-to-the-united-nations-stay/161163/2 "2003-03-13T21:06:55Z")
Can’t answer all of your questions but here’s a start. The embassy’s are in Washington but countries represented at the UN have consulates in New York City. The typical consulate looks like a residential building or brownstone on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Of course, wealthy countries have rather opulent digs and the consulate for a poor country may consist of a one bedroom apartment in Queens. While the Swiss delegate may be chaufered, the delegate from Djubuti may take the subway and worry whether his homeland will send him any subsistence money before the landlord comes knocking. Typically, the security detail is minimal unless there is a high level dignitary visiting. In that case the NYC Police will provide added security. The Cuban consulate has had NYC Police guarding the building for years on a continual basis. The Pakistani consulate had full-time NYC police detail after 9/11 and during the war in Afghanistan. I don’t know what personal security detail is used but probably there are bodyguards for delegates from “hot spots”. They would be part of the diplomatic staff. The size of staff would depend on the country and the amount of business being done. The Russian consulate has a line out front every morning of people getting visas. A small country might have just one or two people that take care of what little business needs to be done. The consulate typically is the residence of the UN delagate, can serve as a business office and a place to entertain. There are signs in front of consulate designating a couple of parking spaces for vehicles with “Diplomat” plates. NYC and the diplomats are always at each others throats over parking tickets and other violations that the diplomats like to ignore. This doesn’t answer all of your quetion but maybe it can get you started. Good luck! ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2003, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-delegations-to-the-united-nations-stay/161163/3 "2003-03-13T21:18:31Z")
Thanks, **Sparty**! Looking around a little more, it appears that Peru doesn’t have a permanent mission to the United Nations, whatever that means. But they do have a Consulate General. In fact, it’s at [215 Lexington Avenue](http://www.allny.com/transp/embassy.html). Yay Google! Is anyone familiar enough with NYC to tell me what such an address is likely to be? Lacking a suite or floor number, I’m guessing it’s a freestanding Brownstone; does this sound accurate? It’s near the intersection of [Park Ave and E. 34th St.](http://maps.yahoo.com/py/maps.py?Pyt=Tmap&addr=215+Lexington+Ave&city=New+York&state=NY&csz=New+York,+NY+10016-6023&slt=40.745528&sln=-73.980212&zip=10016-6023&country=us&BFKey=&BFCat=&BFClient=&cs=9&name=&desc=&poititle=&poi=&uz=10016&ds=n&mag=9&newmag=8) Thanks again! Daniel ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2003, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-delegations-to-the-united-nations-stay/161163/4 "2003-03-13T21:25:11Z")
215 Lexington is probably a high-rise office building. ---
**Author:** ![Lure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@Lure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lure)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2003, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-delegations-to-the-united-nations-stay/161163/5 "2003-03-13T21:39:09Z")
I lived,for a time (late 70s-early 80s),on 31st near Lex.IIRC,there were no brownstones on Lex,just buildings,with storefronts on the ground floors.Whether there were apartments or offices above them I’m not sure,but don’t recollect any doormen there. There was an OTB on the corner of 34th-maybe they’re using it for correspondence in between races 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Truth\_Seeker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5fc32e/32.png) [@Truth\_Seeker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Truth_Seeker)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2003, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-delegations-to-the-united-nations-stay/161163/6 "2003-03-13T21:58:29Z")
I get the impression that there is surprisingly little security at the U.N., even for big country delegates. A few days ago, on the BBC, I saw some footage of Powell leaving the U.N. after a recent Security Council debate. He walked out of the building in a loose group of 4 or 5 people, went down the sidewalk, _and waited for a light before crossing the street._ You could even see other people going about their business in the background. It seems likely that the head of the Peruvian delegation wouldn’t really have any security at all. ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-delegations-to-the-united-nations-stay/161163/7 "2003-03-14T09:19:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Spartydog \* > The embassy’s are in Washington but countries represented at the UN have consulates in New York City. I have no idea how other countries do it but Sweden has a UN embassy in NYC as well as a consulate. ---
**Author:** ![kirk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f9ae1b/32.png) [@kirk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kirk)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-delegations-to-the-united-nations-stay/161163/8 "2003-03-14T11:13:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Truth Seeker \* > \*\*I get the impression that there is surprisingly little security at the U.N., even for big country delegates. > \*\* I’m at the UN daily and you’re pretty much correct. The big security and motorcades protected by the Secret Service are reserved for visiting heads-of-state. Heck, the Secretary General usually only has three or four body guards with him when outside the UN grounds. ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-delegations-to-the-united-nations-stay/161163/9 "2003-03-14T12:46:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Floater \* > \*\*I have no idea how other countries do it but Sweden has a UN embassy in NYC as well as a consulate. \*\* I suppose there is a bit of hair-splitting here. I would guess that the answer is that the ambassador to the UN has full status so his office would be considered an embassy. What I meant to say is that the ambassadors to the US and their embassys are in DC. Of course, an ambassador to the UN and that embassy would be in New York. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-delegations-to-the-united-nations-stay/161163/10 "2003-03-14T13:37:29Z")
What does it mean to have a “permanent mission” to the UN? My first research into Peru’s delegation hit a dead-end when I couldn’t find them on a list of permanent missions; given that they have a permanent building with a (presumably permanent) consulate general, I’m not sure on the meaning of permanent mission. Thanks again, everyone! Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Billdo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/billdo/32/315_2.png) [@Billdo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billdo)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-delegations-to-the-united-nations-stay/161163/11 "2003-03-14T13:41:01Z")
Just to be technical, most countries have two diplomatic outposts in New York City, a consulate and a Permanent Mission to the United Nations. The consulate is just like any consulate in a non-capital city. Countries with which the U.S. has diplomatic relations have embassies in Washington. Most also have consulates in New York to handle visas, trade relations and other consular functions. The Permanent Mission is like an embassy to the United Nations. Its function is pretty much directed to the U.N., and generally doesn’t handle consular or other functions toward U.S. residents or visitors. I believe that the status of Permanent Missions are governed by the U.N Headquarters Agreement (which is discussed in this [recent thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=169107)). I understand that there are rules that the New York Consulate and the Permanent Mission from a country cannot be the same office, though I’ve that this rule can be waived for some of the smallest countries. ---
**Author:** ![Billdo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/billdo/32/315_2.png) [@Billdo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billdo)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-delegations-to-the-united-nations-stay/161163/12 "2003-03-14T13:55:26Z")
I checked the Manhattan white pages, and found the following listings: Peruvian Mission to the U N, 820 2nd Ave @ E 44, 212-883-0591. Consulate General of Peru, 241 E 49, 646-735-3828.