Can the U.N. Work… and is it Worth the Effort?

Yesterday, in my capacity as Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee on the Middle East and South Asia, I attended and spoke at a press conference in support of a bill that would, if passed, go a long way towards reforming the United Nations. And does it ever need to be reformed! The bill is known as the United Nations Transparency, Accountability, and Reform Act (H.R. 2829).

At the founding of the United Nations in San Francisco shortly after the end of World War II, the world’s hopes and expectations for the U.N. were great. Unfortunately, the noble goals for which the U.N. was founded have gone largely unrealized. In fact, in the words of Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, and the chief sponsor of the bill, “the current U.N. continues to be plagued by scandal, mismanagement, and inaction, and its agenda is frequently hijacked by rogue regimes which protect each other while targeting free democracies like the U.S. and Israel.” She’s right.

A few examples of U.N. abuses and failures. Sitting on the U.N. Human Rights Council are such countries as Cuba, China, Russia, and Sudan (remember Darfur?), and the old Muammar Gaddafi Libya regime, some of the world’s worst abusers of human rights. And Cuba was the Vice-Chair of the committee! A total mockery.

Who do we put in charge of disarmament? Well, the U.N. has chosen the likes of North Korea, Syria, and again Cuba. I’m not making this up.

Who does the U.N. pick to be Vice President of the Executive Board of UNICEF, the U.N. entity responsible for humanitarian assistance to children? Burma (Myanmar), which is widely known for its exploitation of children as child soldiers.

Disdain for the United States and our ally Israel in the U.N. is rampant. Countries who get considerable foreign aid from the United States (India, Pakistan, and Egypt are examples), vote against the United States’ position there time and time again. I would start addressing this by cutting or eliminating altogether funding to any countries who consistently vote against us at the U.N.

There is an effort underway to undermine Israel’s security by unilaterally recognizing a Palestinian state this fall in the U.N. General Assembly (where the U.S. does not have a veto as it does in the U.N. Security Council). This would occur without the Palestinians even being required to recognize Israel’s right to exist. The only true Israeli-Palestinian peace will be accomplished by the Israelis and the Palestinians negotiating in good faith, with each other, not imposed by others.

I drafted and submitted to Congress a Resolution, when this effort first reared its ugly head a few months back, which would state clearly that if the U.N. General Assembly proceeds to this unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state without the consent of Israel, the U.S. would withhold all funding to the General Assembly. I’m pleased to note that my Resolution is contained in H.R. 2829.

A few other reforms contained in this important legislation. From now on, U.S. funding to the United Nations would only go to U.N. programs that advance U.S. interests and values. In addition, the Government Accounting Office (GAO) would investigate and audit all U.S. contributions to the U.N.

The U.S. would withhold funding to the U.N. Human Rights Council so long as the world’s worst human rights abusers (Cuba, China, Sudan) remain on the Council, and the United States will not agree to be a member of this Council until it is reformed. Unfortunately, the Obama Administration, by allowing the U.S. to sit on this Council, has lent our legitimacy to a Human Rights Council that is so rotten that it has become an international joke.

Time and space limit a complete and comprehensive review of the bill here, but suffice it to say that I believe it is long overdue legislation, and I intend to push for its passage at the earliest opportunity.

The United Nations must be reformed – NOW. Far too many U.S. taxpayer dollars go to an organization which often acts against the best interests of the United States. At a time when we have a $14.6 trillion national debt, and are looking for places to cut wasteful spending, U.S. contributions to the U.N. seems like a logical place to start.

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