[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 192 Introduced in House (IH)]






109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 192

        Recognizing the 60th anniversary of the United Nations.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 24, 2005

 Mrs. Maloney (for herself, Mr. Shays, Mr. Berman, Mr. Blumenauer, Ms. 
   McCollum of Minnesota, Mr. Honda, Mr. McDermott, Mr. Conyers, Mr. 
Emanuel, Mr. Farr, Ms. Baldwin, Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, Mr. 
   Grijalva, Mr. McNulty, and Ms. Bordallo) submitted the following 
     concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
                        International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
        Recognizing the 60th anniversary of the United Nations.

Whereas 2005 marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the United 
        Nations;
Whereas, on June 26, 1945, representatives of countries throughout the world, 
        including the United States, signed the Charter of the United Nations, 
        and on October 24, 1945, the Charter entered into force;
Whereas Article 1 of the Charter declares that a primary objective of the United 
        Nations is the maintenance of international peace and security;
Whereas over the past 60 years, the United Nations has deployed 59 peacekeeping 
        operations in some of the most complex regions of the world, including 
        Cambodia, Cyprus, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, East Timor, El 
        Salvador, Eritrea, Haiti, Kosovo, Liberia, and Sierra Leone;
Whereas United Nations peacekeeping operations have been charged with mandates 
        such as preventing the outbreak of conflict or the spill-over of 
        conflict across borders, stabilizing conflict situations after a cease-
        fire, assisting in the implementation of comprehensive peace agreements, 
        and leading countries and territories through transitional governments 
        to stable governments;
Whereas the United Nations is dedicated to the development of friendly relations 
        among countries, based on equal rights and self-determination;
Whereas, in 1948, as a result of the Holocaust, the United Nations created the 
        State of Israel by a vote that partitioned a section of Palestine to 
        make a permanent home for the thousands of Jewish immigrants who were 
        displaced by the Holocaust before and during World War II;
Whereas, in September 1960, the United Nations accepted 16 African countries, 
        each of which had seceded from colonial rule and established its 
        independence, as Member States of the United Nations;
Whereas the United Nations was a major factor in bringing about the downfall of 
        the apartheid system in South Africa by imposing measures ranging from 
        an arms embargo to a convention against segregated sporting events;
Whereas the United Nations has provided a forum for the achievement of 
        international cooperation in solving international economic, social, 
        cultural, and humanitarian problems;
Whereas, in 1980, the United Nations and the World Health Organization (WHO) 
        reached an extraordinary milestone when, after a 13 year eradication 
        effort, the organizations declared the world free of smallpox;
Whereas the United Nations continues to implement programs for the universal 
        immunization of polio, tetanus, measles, whooping cough, diphtheria, and 
        tuberculosis;
Whereas within 48 hours of the devastating earthquake and tsunami struck 
        Southeast Asia on December 26, 2004, the United Nations and its 
        agencies, including the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the 
        World Health Organization (WHO), the World Food Programme (WFP), and the 
        United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), began allocating emergency 
        aid to the various countries impacted by the earthquake and tsunami;
Whereas the United Nations has contributed to the peace and security of the 
        international community through diplomatic efforts and actions approved 
        by the Security Council;
Whereas, in June 1968, the General Assembly adopted the Treaty of Non-
        Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (commonly referred to as the ``Nuclear 
        Nonproliferation Treaty'' or the ``NPT''), a landmark accord that has 
        continuing relevance in a world in which countries must defend 
        themselves against the threat of terrorism;
Whereas the United Nations Electoral Assistance Division has provided key 
        logistical support for the recent successful elections held in 
        Afghanistan and Iraq;
Whereas, despite the central role that the United Nations and its agencies have 
        played in addressing global issues of human rights, hunger, health, the 
        environment, and the needs of children over the past 60 years, the 
        United Nations must commit to serious structural reforms in order to 
        effectively carry out its mandate for the next 60 years;
Whereas the legacy of the United Nations is becoming tarnished by the United 
        Nations' poor administration of the Oil-for-Food Program, the election 
        of egregious human rights violators to the United Nations Commission on 
        Human Rights, and sexual exploitation and abuse among United Nations 
        peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo;
Whereas United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan has presented a reform 
        package to the United Nations General Assembly for the General Assembly 
        to consider during the summit of the United Nations in September 2005; 
        and
Whereas the participation and leadership of the United States at the summit of 
        the United Nations in September 2005 is essential to ensure the adoption 
        of a substantive reform package: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That Congress--
            (1) recognizes the 60th anniversary of the United Nations;
            (2) encourages the United Nations to commit to structural 
        reforms to effectively carry out its mandate under the Charter 
        of the United Nations;
            (3) encourages the United States to serve in a role of 
        leadership at the summit of the United Nations in September 
        2005; and
            (4) requests the President to--
                    (A) issue a proclamation calling on the people of 
                the United States to observe the 60th anniversary of 
                the United Nations with appropriate ceremonies and 
                activities; and
                    (B) exert United States leadership to ensure that 
                substantive United Nations reforms are adopted at the 
                summit of the United Nations in September 2005.
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