[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 146 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 146

        Recognizing the 64th anniversary of the United Nations.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              June 8, 2009

 Mrs. Maloney (for herself, Mr. Delahunt, Mr. Markey of Massachusetts, 
  Mr. Serrano, Ms. Lee of California, Ms. Bordallo, Mr. McGovern, Mr. 
 Hinchey, Mr. Towns, Mr. Kucinich, Mr. Farr, Mr. Honda, and Mr. Olver) 
 submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to 
                    the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
        Recognizing the 64th anniversary of the United Nations.

Whereas 2009 marks the 64th 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 United Nations Charter declares that the primary 
        objective of the United Nations is the maintenance of international 
        peace and security;
Whereas the relationship between the United States and the United Nations is 
        critical to the success of the United Nations in carrying out its 
        mandates;
Whereas, over the past 64 years, the United Nations has deployed 63 peacekeeping 
        operations in some of the world's most complex regions, including 
        Cambodia, Burundi, Sudan, East Timor, El Salvador, Angola, Haiti, 
        Liberia, and Sierra Leone;
Whereas United Nations peacekeeping currently has more than 100,000 peacekeepers 
        deployed to keep the peace in 17 conflict areas around the world;
Whereas United Nations peacekeeping missions 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 or territories through a transition to stable 
        government;
Whereas the United Nations is also dedicated to the development of friendly 
        relations among countries, based on equal rights and sovereign equality;
Whereas, in September 1960, the United Nations accepted 16 African countries as 
        members of the United Nations that had seceded from colonial rule and 
        established their independence;
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, in November 1947, the United Nations General Assembly, bearing in mind 
        millennia of Jewish history, including the tragedy of the Holocaust, 
        recognized the right of the Jewish people to establish an independent 
        state in their ancient homeland;
Whereas the United Nations has provided a forum for the achievement of 
        international cooperation in solving international economic, social, 
        cultural, and humanitarian problems, including addressing such 
        challenges as climate change, combating trafficking in humans, and 
        promoting cooperation to defeat global terrorism;
Whereas, in 1980, the United Nations and the World Health Organization reached 
        an extraordinary milestone when they declared the world free of 
        smallpox, following a 13-year eradication effort;
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 that struck 
        Southeast Asia on December 26, 2004, the United Nations and its 
        agencies, including the United Nations Children's Fund, the World Health 
        Organization, the World Food Programme, and the United Nations 
        Development Programme, began allocating emergency aid distribution to 
        the various countries impacted by the earthquake and tsunami;
Whereas United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has launched a multi-year 
        campaign to intensify action to end violence against women and girls 
        that aims to mobilize public opinion to ensure that policy makers at the 
        highest levels work to prevent and eradicate violence against women;
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 the image of the United Nations has been injured by the Oil-for-Food 
        Program, the election of egregious human rights violators to the United 
        Nations Human Rights Council, and allegations of sexual exploitation and 
        abuse among United Nations Peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of 
        Congo and elsewhere;
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 64 years, the world 
        body must commit to serious structural reforms in order to effectively 
        carry out its mandate into the next century;
Whereas the United Nations has already undergone significant reforms in recent 
        years, including the creation of a United Nations Democracy Fund, the 
        establishment of a United Nations Ethics Office, imposition of common 
        policy on whistle blower protection, institution of a new financial 
        disclosure policy, and a strengthening of the commitment to internal 
        oversight, including the creation of a Procurement Task Force;
Whereas United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's continuing commitment to 
        institute necessary reforms to improve the effectiveness of the United 
        Nations should be applauded and supported; and
Whereas United States participation and leadership in the United Nations reform 
        process is essential to securing American interests in international 
        peace and security: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That Congress--
            (1) recognizes the 64th anniversary of the United Nations;
            (2) urges the President to issue a proclamation calling on 
        the people of the United States to observe the 64th anniversary 
        of the United Nations with appropriate ceremonies and 
        activities; and
            (3) urges the President to exert United States leadership 
        to ensure that substantive United Nations reforms underway are 
        fully implemented and that further reforms are adopted in order 
        for the United Nations to effectively carry out its mandate 
        into the next century.
                                 <all>