Wicker Supports Long-Overdue United Nations Reform
WICKER SUPPORTS LONG-OVERDUE UNITED NATIONS REFORM
REPORT FROM CONGRESS
By Congressman Roger F. Wicker
June 20, 2005
The U. S. House of Representatives has passed legislation aimed at forcing sweeping reform at the United Nations. The long-overdue plan is designed to bring accountability to an organization whose years of scandal and ineffectiveness have frustrated Republican and Democrat administrations alike.
I share the sentiments expressed by House International Relations Chairman Henry Hyde, the bill's author. He said, "No observer, be they passionate supporter or dismissive critic, can pretend that the current structure and operations of the U.N. represent an acceptable standard."
BIPARTISAN APPROACH
The House action coincides with release of recommendations from a bipartisan task force commissioned by Congress to look for ways to make the U.N. more effective. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell co-chaired the panel. They concluded the need for internal reform has never been more pressing and noted a U.S. role is vital. "If we are to see the United Nations recover from its present difficulties, American leadership will be indispensable in effecting change."
The U.N. was created in 1945 with lofty goals and great expectations, and it remains the most immediate forum for addressing international issues such as promoting democratic ideals, mediating disputes, and monitoring peace agreements. Those goals have been seriously undermined, however, by years of fraud, abuse of power, and bureaucratic bungling.
Accounts of nepotism, poor management, misconduct, and misappropriation of funds have damaged the U.N.'s credibility. The Oil-for-Food scandal with Iraq is a prime example. The program was designed to allow Iraq to sell oil to pay for food and other humanitarian needs while the country was under U.N. sanctions. With the complicity of U.N. officials, Saddam Hussein manipulated the system to enrich himself and strengthen his brutal regime.
ANNAN ALSO A PROBLEM
The Oil-for-Food scandal and reports of widespread mismanagement prompted me to call for the resignation of U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan. His lack of leadership has contributed to the ineptitude that is pervasive throughout the institution. While Annan's departure would be a positive change, the U.N.'s problems are more far-reaching and have been years in the making. We need to chart a new course.
The bill would provide more oversight of the U.N.'s overall budget and mandate cuts in programs that have been ineffective. It calls for an independent authority to investigate wrongdoing and mismanagement, and would prevent notorious human rights abusers from gaining membership on the U.N. High Commission on Human Rights. For example, it is an outrage that the Commission's current members include the repressive regimes of Cuba and Sudan.
In response to numerous accounts of sexual abuse and exploitation by U.N. peacekeepers, the plan would impose heavy oversight requirements on all aspects of the organization's peacekeeping activities.
U.S. HAS LEVERAGE
The U.S. has powerful leverage to force change. Our country provides 22 percent of the U.N.'s operating budget, far more than any other member. The bill would authorize withholding 50 percent of U.S. dues if these reforms are not enacted. The legislation would also bar support for new peacekeeping missions if the U.N. fails to respond. The U.S. currently accounts for 27 percent of the U.N.'s peacekeeping budget.
Congress is correct to take action to make the U.N. more accountable. We have a moral duty to promote peace and protect human rights and the obligation to ensure efficient use of U.S. taxpayer dollars. This legislation would meet those objectives.
http://www.house.gov/wicker/NationsReform.htm