In October 1973 Congress passed the Department of State Appropriations Authorization Act that mandated the creation of the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs (OES), and it was established a year later, on October 8, 1974. OES assumed the duties of several State Department offices and positions that were then abolished, including the Office of International Scientific and Technological Affairs; Office of Special Assistant to the Secretary of Fisheries and Wildlife, and Coordinator of Ocean Affairs; Office of the Special Assistant to the Secretary for Population Matters; and Special Assistant to the Secretary for Environmental Affairs. In addition, the Act gave OES responsibility for promoting U.S. interests in various matters relating to conservation, environmental issues, fisheries, health arenas, oceans, scientific topics, and wildlife, designating it as the primary office for negotiation of international environmental and natural resource agreements and treaties with other nations.

• The Environment Directorate deals with a broad range of global topics related to environmental protection and natural resources conservation, many of which are addressed by the Office of Environmental Policy, which coordinates U.S. approaches to air quality and environmental issues that cross national boundaries; environmental aspects of free trade agreements; and environmental issues in international financial institutions. The Office of Ecology and Natural Resource Conservation also covers areas relevant to the Environment Directorate, coordinating U.S. approaches to international wildlife trafficking, illegal logging, and issues related to the conservation of coral reefs, wetlands and drylands, and control of invasive species.
• The Health, Space, and Science Directorate acts in conjunction with several U.S. Government agencies, including the Office of International Health Affairs, which facilitates policy-making regarding international bio-terrorism, infectious disease, surveillance, environmental health, and health in post-conflict situations. The Office of Space and Advanced Technology works to see that U.S. space exploration policies are science-based, protect national security, advance economic interests, foster environmental protection, and enhance the competitiveness of the U.S. aerospace industry, and is also coordinating a broad diplomatic effort to encourage acceptance of the U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS) as a worldwide standard for satellite-based navigation. The Office of Science & Technology Cooperation promotes the interests of the U.S. science and technology communities in the international policy arena, negotiating agreements, taking a leading role in representing U.S. science and technology in organizations such as UNESCO, and managing the State Department's Embassy Science Fellows Program.
• The Oceans and Fisheries Directorate has two offices addressing its issues, the Office of Marine Conservation, which concentrates on international fishing matters, and the Office of Ocean Affairs, which is primarily responsible for international ocean law and policy, marine pollution, marine mammals, polar affairs, maritime boundaries, and marine science.
• The Office of Global Change functions in accordance with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, to develop a post-2012 climate strategy that is environmentally effective and economically sustainable, and aims to create, as part of a global agreement, binding international commitments for all major economies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but flexible, depending on each country’s circumstances and capabilities.
• The Office of Policy Coordination and Initiatives works closely with the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development to help build and promote public-private partnerships, and manages ongoing initiatives on water, and dialogues on OES issues with partners such as Brazil, India and China, and other countries, including Afghanistan and Iraq. It also coordinates the operation of twelve Regional Environmental Hubs that deal with health, science, the environment, and other areas of concern, and which operate out of U.S. Embassies strategically positioned throughout the world, Their locations are: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Gaborone, Botswana; Accra, Ghana; Copenhagen, Denmark; Budapest, Hungary; Amman, Jordan; Suva, Fiji; Bangkok, Thailand; Kathmandu, Nepal; Astana, Kazakhstan; San Jose, Costa Rica; and Brasilia, Brazil.

The

of 2005 was passed to improve access to safe water and sanitation for developing countries. OES works closely with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to implement the policy in 35 countries worldwide.

The position of Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environment and Scientific Affairs can be an unexpected springboard to greater things. The first person to hold the office, Dixy Lee Ray, was later elected governor of the state of Washington. Patsy Mink went on become the first Asian American woman to be elected to Congress. Thomas Pickering was later U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, and John Negroponte went on to serve as Ambassador to Iraq and Director of National Intelligence.