[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 137 (Tuesday, October 25, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11816-S11817]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
COMMEMORATING THE SIXTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNITED NATIONS
Mr. BIDEN. Mr. President, I recognize and pay tribute to the United
Nations on the occasion of its sixtieth anniversary.
During this week in 1945, fifty countries came together to found the
United Nations, a body created to advance two momentous goals: a world
free from war, and one in which the basic rights of citizens are
respected in all countries. Over the last 6 decades, with the help of
the UN, we have at least avoided the scourge of another world war. And
we have seen the advancement of democracy and human rights around the
world, as well as the provision of shelter, basic education, and
critical healthcare to millions that would otherwise have gone without.
Today, while the broad goals of the UN remain the same, global
threats and challenges are drastically different. Internal conflict,
terrorism, the spread of weapons of mass destruction, religious
hatreds, natural disasters, and disease pose great hardships and risks
to all people, regardless of country of origin, and require, more than
ever, coordinated international responses. By harnessing the resources
and collective expertise of its 191 member states, the United Nations
has the ability to address these concerns in ways that no single nation
can on its own.
[[Page S11817]]
We in the United States owe the UN our profound gratitude for the
assistance that has been provided to victims of Hurricane Katrina on
our gulf coast. Within days of the disaster, the United Nations
launched a campaign to coordinate relief assistance with federal
efforts. UN agencies have distributed life-saving supplies, are
supporting the surveillance work of the Centers for Disease Control,
and are assisting in evacuee registration and tracking of missing
children.
Day in and day out, we see evidence of the critical work that the
United Nations undertakes around the world. The organization continues
to lead humanitarian relief efforts in the wake of last year's tsunami
disaster in Southeast Asia and has launched an emergency response to
the devastating earthquake in Pakistan. Through UNAIDS, the
organization coordinates a comprehensive global response to the fight
against HIV/AIDS, working to halt and reverse the epidemic by 2015. The
UN women's fund, UNIFEM, supports women's empowerment and gender
equality, in particular through supporting local initiatives to end
violence against women. The UN Development Program is supporting
democratic governance projects in Iraq, Afghanistan, Sierra Leone,
Haiti and over 150 countries worldwide. Inspections by the
International Atomic Energy Agency have uncovered violations by Iran
and North Korea, and the agency's safeguards have assured the world
that other countries are not diverting nuclear material from their
peaceful nuclear power programs.
Finally, the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, extends protection and life
saving assistance to some 19 million refugees and other vulnerable
persons. In May 2005, I had the opportunity to visit the Oure Cassoni
refugee camp along the Chad-Sudan border, and was incredibly impressed
with UNHCR's work in providing direly needed food, shelter, and
education services for nearly 25,000 refugees. The agency's aid staff
is working tirelessly to serve this large population, and I witnessed
extraordinary dedication and professionalism.
For 60 years, the United Nations has been on the front lines leading
humanitarian stabilization efforts under conditions and in situations
that are the worst of the worst. Now the organization is focused on
another critical task: reforming itself. Many, including Secretary
General Annan, have recognized that the UN must change the way it does
business if it is to maintain the support of its members and
effectively address the challenges that the global community will face
in the future.
This reordering and restructuring is needed, significant, and moving
forward. To highlight a few items, as a result of the support
demonstrated at the UN Summit last month, member states are working to
create a Human Rights Council to replace the defunct Human Rights
Commission, in order to more effectively advance the rights and
freedoms that continue to be denied to far too many. The establishment
of a Peace Building Commission will make the UN, and the world, better
equipped to prevent post-conflict countries from relapsing into
violence, reducing the conditions that breed terrorism. And the dozens
of personnel, management and budget reforms that have been proposed and
endorsed by member states will make the organization more efficient in
the important work it does.
Now, as the United Nations moves into the next chapter of its
history, it is imperative that this momentum for change continues.
Implementing these reforms is the responsibility of the member states.
The United States can playa critical leadership role in securing their
support, and their action. The future effectiveness of the United
Nations lies in the balance, and I have every expectation that the
member states can and will deliver. I encourage the Members of this
chamber to fully support the efforts that are underway at the United
Nations.
Article One of the United Nations Charter states that the purposes of
the organization are to maintain international peace and security;
address international social, economic and cultural problems; and to
promote fundamental human rights and freedoms. Today, although
tremendous progress has been made, we still need the UN to advance
these goals. Therefore, I congratulate and thank the United Nations,
its current personnel and staff, as well as those who have served in
the past, for all that it has done to advance peace, security and
freedom around the world, and for all that it must do in the years
ahead to realize the vision of its founders.
____________________