Originally published on the CGS blog on July 19, 2011.
Today, the House Foreign Affairs Committee will be in the first stages of determining our contribution to the United Nations and to peacekeeping missions when it holds its markup of the Fiscal Year 2012 State Authorization bill.
If the bill passes in its current form, the UN will not receive sufficient funds for the Contributions to International Organizations (CIO) and the Contributions to International Peacekeeping Activites (CIPA). It will also extend an arbitrary cap on peacekeeping operations. If this bill is not modified, it will have alarming consequences here at home and abroad. Citizens for Global Solutions CEO Don Kraus said,
“The United States is facing challenges that are beyond the power and financial means of any nation to handle alone. Our contributions to the United Nations allow us to advance our foreign policy and national security interests, while sharing financial burdens with global partners. If passed in its current state, this legislation would lead to a decline in our influence on the world stage, harming our strategic interests.”
In these times of economic austerity, it is important to know where our dollars are going. The CIO account funds our dues to international organizations, such as the UN, NATO, and the IAEA. It provides for the immunization of children against infectious diseases, stops the spread of pandemics like SARS and swine flu, enforces arms embargos against nations that threaten our national security, like Iran and North Korea, and freezes assets of Libya’s Qaddafi. The UN regular budget also funds political missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, which are critical to ensuring stability and peace as our troops come home. Kraus stated,
“These foreign assistance dollars are crucial for the United Nations to tackle the most critical issues facing humanity. International cooperation is essential to resolve global challenges, building a safer, more secure world.”
As a permanent veto-wielding member of the UN Security Council, the U.S. must approve every peacekeeping mission before it is funded. The CIPA account pays for 15 peacekeeping missions around the globe, protecting civilians, stopping the outbreak of conflict, providing stability for political reconciliation, and preventing failed states. As we bring our mlitary engagements in Iraq and Afghanistsan to a close, it’s important to remember that these missions allow the United States to shape and influence foreign policy around the world, with troop and financial commitment dispersed among partners. According to a study by the Government Accountablity Office, UN peacekeeping missions are eight times cheaper than funding U.S. military operations.
Every three years, the United States and the UN renegotiate the assessment rates for our peacekeeping contribution. But for the last 17 years, Congress has circumvented the process, by placing its own arbitrary cap on peacekeeping and then waiving it every year, so that our financial obligations are met. It’s time for Congress to end this unnecessary process, and eliminate the cap on our peacekeeping contributions.
Citizens for Global Solutions urges members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee to fund the UN and peacekeeping missions in full and on time. Anything less will descrease our influence and leadership in the world, hurting our strategic foreign policy and national security interests.
