June 29, 2006

On U.N. Reform, Congress Isn’t
Getting the Whole Story
Bolton is Congress’s Primary Portal, Rice and Silverberg Take Back Seat

Washington, DC – Citizens for Global Solutions is concerned that on U.N. reform issues, Members of Congress are primarily getting their information from Ambassador Bolton while Secretary Rice and Assistant Secretary Silverberg take a back seat. “There is a gap between what State is saying about the U.N. reform process and what Members of Congress are hearing,” said Don Kraus, Executive Vice President at Citizens for Global Solutions. “Members of Congress are receiving Bolton’s intentionally glass-half-empty analysis while Silverberg’s objective appraisal gets totally dismissed. Congress’s recent cuts of over $27 million dollars—funds that were requested by the Administration to meet our obligations to the U.N. and other international organizations—shows who Congress is listening to.”

This week, 188 U.N. member states—excluding the U.S. and two other member states—reached consensus on removing the cap on budget spending. The consensus vote in the Fifth Committee effectively averts a financial crisis that would have shut down the U.N. Secretariat and its political missions, including those in Afghanistan and Iraq. In public statements this week by Bolton and Silverberg highlight the gap in messaging.

Ambassador Bolton’s Response in a Washington Times article on 6/29/06: “I’m going to tell Congress the truth. The truth is that we haven’t made substantial process on reform because of the opposition of the G-77 and other countries.”

Ambassador Bolton’s Report to Congress, in a Reuters/Washington Post article on 6/28/06: Should Congress ask him about reforms, "I will answer honestly: not much," he told reporters earlier.

Assistant Secretary Silverberg on the U.N. reform process on 6/27/06:  “In our view, the United Nations does many good things…we need to recognize the important and good things the United Nations is doing…The secretary-general has been a good partner in this reform process. He really has helped lead the effort to promote a number of these reforms…”

Assistant Secretary Silverberg on the Budget Cap on 6/27/06: “…we welcome congressional attention to the issues…But we oppose any mandatory [financial] withholding legislation that will prevent us from meeting our obligations.”

"The Bush administration wants to preserve our 60-year relationship with the U.N. and step back from the brink of a crisis—a move that would be good for U.N. reform and U.S. foreign policy," said Don Kraus, Executive Vice President of Citizens for Global Solutions. “The financial threats of the past six months created a tremendous amount of resentment and distrust of the United States. Secretary Rice and Assistant Secretary Silverberg deserve credit for repairing some of the damage and for attempting to put us back on track to build a strong and effective United Nations. Now it’s time for Members of Congress to follow suit. The world needs us to be more than its sole superpower - it needs us to be a super-partner.”

The Bush administration’s support of the U.N. reflects the sentiment of the American people. As Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) stated recently, “The vast majority of Oklahomans believe in the function of the U.N. and recognize the positive contributions." Public opinion polls consistently show that a majority of Americans support the United Nations and believe it is important for the U.S. to work with the U.N.

Consequently, the responsible next-step for Members of Congress is to acknowledge, as the Bush administration and the American people have done, the indispensability of the U.N. and the need to support, not abandon, the reform process. It is time for U.S. policymakers to recognize what Secretary Rice understands—that substantial achievements are being made in the U.N. reform process. Achievements include:

Democracy Fund
Largely at the request of the United States, the U.N. created this fund to help promote democracy. The fund has received $44 million in pledges and will begin making grants by this summer.

Reviewing and Revamping U.N. Oversight Mechanisms
The U.N. has upgraded and created a number of mechanisms to improve oversight – from beefing up resources to the UN’s principal oversight office to recruiting Price Waterhouse Coopers to recommend broader improvements.

Human Rights Council
The U.N. has supplanted the old Commission with a new, smaller Council that will meet throughout the year, require a vote for admission and review all Council members’ human rights records.

Increasing Accountability
In December, the U.N. created a new ethics office and established whistleblower and financial disclosure policies that exceed U.S. standards.

Peacebuilding Commission
Inaugurating its first meeting in June of this year, the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) will facilitate the transition from war to nation building. The PBC was formed to improve the coordination of relevant actors within and outside the U.N. and to extend the period of attention given by the international community to post-conflict recovery.

Modernizing the Institution/Management Reform
The U.N.’s Under Secretary-General for Management, Chris Burnham, is in the midst of creating the first-ever, U.N.-wide, accounting and information technology system.

Reviewing Procurement Systems
The U.N. has launched several reviews of its procurement systems, including a forensic audit and criminal investigation of peacekeeping procurement and is soliciting recommendations for oversight improvements from Price Waterhouse Coopers.

For further analysis by Citizens for Global Solutions on the U.N. reform process click here.

Notes to Editors: Citizens for Global Solutions is a non-partisan membership organization that envisions a future in which nations work together to abolish war, protect our rights and freedoms, and solve the problems facing humanity that no one nation can solve alone.


Updated June 30, 2006

Howard Salter
Director of Communications
202 546 3950 ext 112