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PriceOfPeace.org
CAMPAIGN TO ENCOURAGE U.S. TO PAY U.N. PEACEKEEPING DUES (MaximsNews.com,
U.N.) |
UNITED NATIONS - / www.MaximsNews.com@U.N./
- 14 May 2007 –
Warning that the United States
risks being $1 billion in debt to the United Nations for international
peacekeeping efforts, the Better World Campaign announced recently the launch of
its new web-based campaign at www.PriceOfPeace.org
to engage Americans and encourage the U.S. government to pay its full and fair
share of these crucial missions in Fiscal Year 2008.
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The
United States currently owes over $500 million to the UN peacekeeping, or
Contributions to International Peacekeeping Activities (CIPA),
account.
The
Administration’s Fiscal Year 2008 budget request under-funds this account
by an additional $500 million.
This
means that unless Congress acts soon, U.S. shortfalls in UN peacekeeping
dues will grow to over $1 billion.
PriceOfPeace.org
hosts an online petition asking Congress to fully fund UN peacekeeping
efforts. This petition will be delivered to Members of Congress in the
coming weeks.
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“UN
peacekeeping is a great value for the United States—it promotes global
political and economic stability, and is a key means of ensuring that no one
country must shoulder all of the costs and risks in promoting our shared
security,” said Timothy E. Wirth, President of the United Nations Foundation,
a sister organization to the Better World Campaign.
“Simply
put, fully funding UN peacekeeping is in U.S. national security interests. And
who better to send this message to Congress than the American people,” he
said.
“Although
the United States has repeatedly called and voted for renewed or expanded UN
peacekeeping efforts in countries like Sudan, Lebanon, the Democratic Republic
of Congo, and Haiti, Congress and the Administration are short-changing these
very efforts by letting UN peacekeeping bills go unpaid,” said Deborah
Derrick, Executive Director of The Better World Campaign, an organization
dedicated to strengthening the relationship between the United States and the
United Nations.
“Great nations pay their bills. At a time when the United States is calling on
the UN to increase its peacekeeping operations, it is crucial that Congress
address this major shortfall in the FY 2008 appropriations process and begin
formulating a plan to pay back our debt and keep our promise to the
international community,” she said.
UN peacekeeping has received favorable ratings from the highest levels of the
U.S. government and from other respected sources.
A
U.S. Government Accountability Office report found UN peacekeeping to be eight
times less expensive than funding a comparable U.S. force.
The
White House Office of Management and Budget rated U.S. contributions to UN
peacekeeping with three stars—its highest rating—judging it to be
“effective, achieving its stated goals, and contributing to U.S.
objectives.”
Finally,
a 2005 RAND report found that UN peacekeeping operations have a high rate of
success.
In addition to the petition, the campaign includes interactive features
including: a 60-second Flash video emphasizing the cost-effective and
burden-sharing value of UN peacekeeping; educational components including video
remarks by Jane Holl Lute, Assistant Secretary-General of UN Peacekeeping and a
former career officer in the United States Army; and a “viral” component
including “tell-a-friend” e-cards and downloadable internet banner
advertisements.
The
PriceOfPeace.org
campaign was initiated by The Better World Campaign and is supported by a
growing list of independent non-governmental organizations including Americans
for Informed Democracy, Citizens for Global Solutions, Refugees International,
and the United Nations Association of the United States of America.
The
Better World Campaign (BWC), an initiative of the Better World Fund, works to
strengthen the relationship between the United States and the United Nations
through outreach, communications, and advocacy.
It
encourages U.S. leadership to enhance the UN’s ability to carry out its
invaluable international work on behalf of peace, progress, freedom, and
justice.
In
these efforts, BWC engages policy makers, the media, and the American public to
increase awareness of and support for the United Nations. For more information,
visit www.betterworldcampaign.org.
MaximsNews.com,
An Independent Voice from the United Nations is in partnership with the Better
World Campaign.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Labels: United
Nations, U.N., United
Nations Foundation, Better
World Campaign
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Dr. Nafis Sadik, Shashi Tharoor, Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, Noeleen Heyzer, Kerry
Kennedy, Ian Williams, Stephen Schlesinger, Sen.
Timothy E. Wirth, Marc Morial, Amb. Jayantha
Dhanapala (Sri Lanka), Amb. Pierre Schori
(Sweden), Amb. William H. Luers, Susan Roosevelt
Weld, Rory Kennedy, Mehri
Madarshahi, J. Michael Adams, Gloria Feldt,
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O'Connor, Genevieve Stamper, Max Stamper and
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