Better World Campaign Opposes H.R. 2829 Forfeiting American Leadership at the United Nations

Washington – (August 30, 2011) – At a time when the United States and United Nations are working together to address some of the world’s most pressing challenges—from the humanitarian needs of those in the Horn of Africa and Haiti, to political crises and violence in Iraq, Libya, Sudan, and Afghanistan—it is more important than ever that America maintain its longstanding commitment to global leadership and engagement.  Despite the importance of the vital partnership between the U.S. and the UN, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen has just introduced a bill, H.R. 2829, that threatens funding to the UN and would forfeit our standing at the world body. 

Reform, transparency and accountability at the UN are critical to its success, but this legislation does not bring us any closer to achieving those laudable goals.  H.R2829 would not only undermine real progress toward reform at the United Nations, but would also return us to an era of debt and ineffective leadership.

“It is shocking that this ill-considered legislation is being introduced on the heels of the vicious terrorist attack on UN Headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria.  Dozens of United Nations employees lost their lives this week working to promote peace and stability in Africa, and some in Congress are responding by cutting off American support for this vitally important institution,” said Better World Campaign Executive Director, Peter Yeo. “The United Nations has taken on an ever-increasing role in defending peace and security around the world and we are hard pressed to find a moment in history where the UN has had a greater role in promoting American interests. We strongly oppose this legislation introduced by Rep. Ros-Lehtinen that would severely erode America’s leadership role at the United Nations and undermine our nation’s security.”

Recent bi-partisan research found that Americans view the UN as an important global forum and organization that is still needed today, and the majority of Americans believe the United States should be actively engaged at the United Nations. The survey also showed that Republicans, Democrats and Independents alike support paying UN and UN peacekeeping dues on time and in full. 

Yeo continued, “This legislation is not only out of sync with the views of Americans, it also jeopardizes American leadership at the United Nations.  If this bill were to pass, it would put the U.S. back into debt at the UN and undermine our national security interests throughout the world.  In the coming weeks, the Better World Campaign will launch a campaign to ignite a grassroots movement in response to such wrongheaded legislation. Our sister organization, the United Nations Association of the USA, will also activate their 125-chapter strong membership across the country to tell their Members of Congress to let the U.S. lead at the United Nations and to vote NO on H.R. 2829.”

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MEDIA CONTACT:
Heather Wong
(202) 862-6310
HWong@betterworldcampaign.org

About the Better World Campaign
The Better World Campaign works to foster a strong, effective relationship between the United States and the United Nations through outreach, communications, and advocacy. We encourage U.S. leadership to work constructively with the UN to enhance the UN’s ability to carry out its invaluable operations around the world. In addition, we engage policymakers, the media, and the American public to increase awareness of and support for the UN. For more information, visit www.betterworldcampaign.org.