110 HRES 879 IH: Objecting to United Nations funding of the U.S. House of Representatives 2007-12-17 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

IV 110th CONGRESS 1st Session H. RES. 879 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES December 17, 2007 Ms. Ros-Lehtinen (for herself, Mr. Berman, Mr. Blunt, Mr. Engel, Mr. Rohrabacher, Mr. Smith of New Jersey, Mr. Burton of Indiana, Mr. Poe, Mr. Pence, Mr. McCotter, Mr. Chabot, Mr. Royce, Mr. Wilson of South Carolina, Mr. Fortuño, and Mr. Inglis of South Carolina) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs RESOLUTION Objecting to United Nations funding of the Durban Review Conference using the United Nations regular budget, and for other purposes.

Whereas the United States is opposed to racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance, and has long been a party to the Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination; Whereas expensive and politically skewed international conferences can disserve and undermine the worthy goals that they are ostensibly convened to support; Whereas the goals of the 2001 United Nations (UN) World Conference Against Racism held in Durban, South Africa, were undermined by hateful, anti-Jewish rhetoric and anti-Israel political agendas, prompting both Israel and the United States to withdraw their delegations from the Conference; Whereas on September 3, 2001, Secretary of State Colin Powell explained the withdrawal of the United States delegation by stating that you do not combat racism by conferences that produce declarations containing hateful language, some of which is a throwback to the days of Zionism equals racism; or supports the idea that we have made too much of the Holocaust; or suggests that apartheid exists in Israel; or that singles out only one country in the world—Israel—for censure and abuse; Whereas the UN General Assembly has initiated preparations for a Durban Review Conference (commonly referred to as Durban II) and has requested funding for those activities from the UN regular budget, over the objections of the United States, the European Union, Canada, Australia, and other prominent Member States; Whereas the United States is the largest contributor to the UN system, and is assessed for a full 22 percent of the UN regular budget, which is funded by assessed contributions from Member States; Whereas funding Durban Review Conference activities through the UN regular budget could result in millions of dollars from United States taxpayers being used for those purposes; Whereas the preparation and management of the Durban Review Conference has been committed to the UN Human Rights Council; and Whereas during the 110th Congress the House of Representatives has passed a prohibition on United States funding for the UN Human Rights Council, and has strongly condemned the Council for ignoring severe human rights issues in other countries, while choosing to unfairly target the State of Israel: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives— (1)strongly objects to any United Nations proposal to fund the Durban Review Conference and preparatory activities through the UN regular budget, which is itself funded by assessed contributions of Member States, including the United States; (2)urges that any proposal to fund the Durban Review Conference through the UN regular budget should be subject to a vote in the UN Fifth Committee on administrative and budgetary matters; and (3)urges the United States to use its voice and vote in the Fifth Committee to oppose any proposal for funding Durban Review Conference activities through the UN regular budget.