[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.

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