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Release Date: December 14, 2009
Statement by Better World Campaign Executive Director Peter Yeo
Better World Campaign Executive Director Peter Yeo issued the following statement on passage of the ‘minibus’ yesterday in the United States Senate which contained the FY2010 State, Foreign Operations (SFOPS) Appropriations bill. This legislation, which provided full funding of the United Nations and United Nations peacekeeping missions, also passed the House of Representatives on Thursday.
“This weekend’s Senate passage of the SFOPS bill and House passage Thursday is critical to the success of the U.S. foreign policy agenda. President Obama’s actions, from chairing a session of the UN Security Council focusing on stopping the spread of nuclear weapons, to movement of the Human Rights Council towards sanctioning North Korea, we are beginning to see tangible successes through engagement with the United Nations.
“It has been a banner year for the U.S.-UN relationship. Not only has the U.S. lived up to its commitments by paying all of our dues, but we have also paid all of our back dues to the UN. When President Obama signs the FY2010 SFOPS bill, it will provide $2.124 billion of critical funding for Contributions for International Peacekeeping Activities which supports peacekeeping missions in from Afghanistan to Darfur, Haiti and Liberia. UN peacekeeping operations are the second largest deployment of troops around the world, and continue to be a cost-effective solution to preventing instability around the globe.
“Full funding for the UN is essential to keeping the U.S. in good financial standing at the UN and will prevent us from falling back into arrears. By authorizing and appropriating the resources necessary for the U.S. to meet its commitments to multilateral organizations, Congress is delivering on this Administration’s commitment to restoring U.S. leadership through diplomacy.”
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About the Better World Campaign
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. 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.
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