[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 180 Introduced in House (IH)]






109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 180

  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that a United 
  Nations Emergency Peace Service capable of intervening in the early 
stages of a humanitarian crisis could save millions of lives, billions 
       of dollars, and is in the interests of the United States.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 17, 2005

    Mr. Wynn (for himself, Mr. Leach, Mr. Towns, Mr. Cummings, Ms. 
 Kilpatrick of Michigan, Mr. McGovern, and Mr. Frank of Massachusetts) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                       on International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that a United 
  Nations Emergency Peace Service capable of intervening in the early 
stages of a humanitarian crisis could save millions of lives, billions 
       of dollars, and is in the interests of the United States.

Whereas genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity have occurred 
        repeatedly in Rwanda, Cambodia, the former Yugoslavia, East Timor, 
        Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, and 
        elsewhere;
Whereas the House of Representatives has found that genocide, war crimes, and 
        crimes against humanity are occurring in the Darfur region of Sudan;
Whereas there is a growing consensus that when countries are unable or unwilling 
        to prevent genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, the 
        international community has both a right and an obligation to intervene;
Whereas failed and failing states provide breeding grounds for terrorism, crime, 
        trafficking, humanitarian catastrophes, and other threats to the United 
        States;
Whereas preventing failed and failing states is in the interests of the United 
        States;
Whereas numerous studies have shown that early intervention in humanitarian 
        crises could save millions of lives and billions of dollars;
Whereas the international community spent approximately $200,000,000,000 on 
        conflict management during the 1990s;
Whereas of that amount approximately $130,000,000,000 could have been saved 
        through a more effective preventive approach to conflict management;
Whereas the United Nations does not have a rapid deployment capacity to 
        intervene to avert humanitarian catastrophes;
Whereas there is a need for a United Nations Emergency Peace Service (UNEPS) 
        that could be rapidly deployed during the early stages of a humanitarian 
        crisis to save lives;
Whereas UNEPS would complement but not replace existing peace operations of the 
        United Nations, regional organizations, and national governments; and
Whereas UNEPS could be created for a start-up cost of $2,000,000,000 and annual 
        costs of less than $1,000,000,000: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives 
that--
            (1) the United States should use its voice and vote at the 
        United Nations to facilitate and support the creation of a 
        United Nations Emergency Peace Service (UNEPS); and
            (2) the UNEPS should--
                    (A) be a permanent entity to be based at designated 
                sites of the United Nations, include mobile field 
                headquarters, and be able to act immediately to address 
                an emerging humanitarian crisis;
                    (B) be comprised of individuals who are recruited 
                from among United Nations member nations and who are 
                carefully selected, expertly trained, and coherently 
                organized;
                    (C) be a dedicated service with a wide range of 
                professional skills within a single command structure, 
                prepared to conduct multiple functions in diverse 
                United Nations operations; and
                    (D) be able to provide an integrated service 
                encompassing 10,000 to 15,000 civilian, police, 
                judicial, military, and relief professionals.
                                 <all>