ORGANIZATIONAL LETTER: UN Peacekeeping Funding Letter to Members of Congress

This very timely organizational sign-on letter regarding the funding of U.N. peacekeeping has been sent to the chair and ranking members of the House and Senate full appropriations and foreign operations sub-committees The letter encourages them to support the funds requested for U.N. peacekeeping and not cut it from the upcoming supplemental appropriations bill. The letter was signed by 43 major international and religious organizations.

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April 27, 2009

Dear Member of Congress:

We are writing to urge your support for the $886,900,000 requested for United Nations and other peacekeeping accounts included in President Obama's FY 2009 Supplemental Funding request. As you know, American support for UN peacekeeping missions plays a critical role in promoting regional and global stability, preventing outbreaks in violence, and creating conditions that promote peaceful solutions to conflict.

The United States has correctly played a leadership role in supporting UN peacekeeping activities, and it voted for the establishment of all 16 missions currently deployed in places such as Darfur, Lebanon, and Haiti. These missions directly promote America's interests by providing a proven and effective way to share the cost of promoting global peace and security. But as the U.S. has supported the continuation and expansion of these peacekeeping missions, the funding we have provided has not kept pace with our commitments, which strains our credibility in the international community. Fully funding President Obama's request will provide critical and tangible support as he reasserts U.S. global leadership and recommits to multilateral diplomacy. Specifically, it will ensure that we can address our peacekeeping obligations for 2009, pay past funding shortfalls, and prevent further destabilization in troubled nations of the world, including Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Somalia.

In Chad, which neighbors Darfur, 5,000 UN peacekeeping troops are taking the place of EU forces to thwart rebel activity and banditry, which is threatening aid supplies. Full funding for this mission is urgent because the region has become even more volatile with the Sudanese Government's recent expulsion of 16 humanitarian organizations. As a result, more than one million civilians in Sudan are currently projected to lose access to food, water, and medicine within the next month. These aid restrictions could cause new movements of people, putting extra pressure on Chad, which already hosts 290,000 refugees from Darfur. In DRC, the Security Council authorized additional troops to, among other things, stabilize the eastern part of the country and prevent a civil war there from sparking a larger region-wide conflict. In Somalia, additional funding in both the Contributions to International Peacekeeping Activities (CIPA) and Peacekeeping Operations (PKO) accounts will help the current African Union mission provide security for key infrastructure and humanitarian assistance.

Moreover, in today's economic climate, fulfilling our obligations to UN peacekeeping is a smart investment. According to the Government Accountability Office, UN peacekeeping is 8 times less expensive-just 12¢ on the dollar-than fielding a comparative U.S. force.

As always, we are appreciative of your leadership on issues relating to U.S. support for the International Affairs Budget in general and the UN in particular. We hope you will continue this support by including sufficient funds in the FY 2009 Supplemental Appropriations bill and the FY 2010 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations bill to fully fund UN peacekeeping accounts.

Sincerely,

20/20 Vision
3D Security Initiative
African Medical & Research Foundation USA
American Humanist Association
American Jewish World Service
Americans for Democratic Action, Inc.
Americans for UNFPA
Amnesty International
Ananda Marga Universal Relief Team
Better World Campaign
Center for American Progress
Center for International Policy
Center for War/Peace Studies
Church World Service
Citizens for Global Solutions
Congressional Hunger Center
Council for a Livable World
EarthAction
Episcopal Relief & Development
Fellowship of Reconciliation USA
Friends Committee on National Legislation
Genocide Intervention Network
Global Action to Prevent War
Horn of Africa Community Center
International Crisis Group
International Rescue Committee
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
Mercy Corps
Open Society Policy Center
Operation USA
Oxfam America
Presbyterian Church (USA), Washington Office
Refugees International
Resolve Uganda
Save Darfur Coalition
The Humpty Dumpty Institute
The Institute for Inclusive Security
The Peace Alliance
United Nations Association of Maryland
United Nations Association of the National Capital Area
United Nations Association of the USA
Women's Action for New Directions
Women's Campaign International
Women's Refugee Commission