[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 19]
[Senate]
[Page 27614]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                           UNITED NATIONS DAY

 Mr. GRAMS. Mr. President, as Chairman of the International 
Operations Subcommittee, which has United Nations oversight 
responsibilities, and having been appointed by the President to serve 
two terms as a congressional delegate to the United Nations, I have 
focused significant attention on the United Nations. On the anniversary 
of the founding of the United Nations, I think it is appropriate to 
take time for us all to reflect on that important institution.
  Fifty-four years ago this week, the members of the United Nations' 
founding delegation met in San Francisco for the signing ceremony that 
created the United Nations. There was great anticipation and a 
collective enthusiasm for this new, global institution. Delegates spoke 
of hope, of expectation, of the promise of peace. President Truman 
echoed the thoughts of those founding members when he told the 
delegates they had, ``created a great instrument for peace and security 
and human progress in the world.'' Fifty-four years later, however, the 
United Nations is struggling to meet its potential.
  In Congress, the need for the United Nations to reform itself often 
overshadows the activities United Nations does well. As we saw in the 
Persian Gulf war, the United Nations can play a useful role in building 
coalitions to address matters of international security. Moreover, the 
United Nations has the ability to effectively conduct traditional 
peacekeeping operations, such as those in Cyprus and the Sinai 
Peninsula, where hostilities have ceased and all parties agree to the 
U.N. peacekeeping role. In the areas of humanitarian relief, child 
survival, and refugee assistance, much of the work of UNICEF and the 
U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees deserves praise. And many of the 
U.N. agencies that focus on technical cooperation play a crucial role 
in establishing and coordinating international standards for 
governments and businesses, including the International Civil Aviation 
Organization, the International Telecommunications Union, the Universal 
Postal Union, and the World Intellectual Property Organization.
  However, the ability of the United Nations to live up to the goals 
stated at its founding has been stymied by its massive, uncoordinated 
growth. Fortunately, a consensus appears to be building that the United 
Nations needs to reform in order to be a viable institution. As 
Secretary-General Annan noted, ``a reformed United Nations will be a 
more relevant United Nations in the eyes of the world.'' To this end, 
the United States must help shape the United Nations to be an 
organization that the United States needs as much as the United Nations 
needs the United States.
  In an effort to push the United Nations toward reform, the Senate has 
passed a comprehensive package that links the payment of arrears to the 
achievement of reform benchmarks. These are achievable, common-sense 
reforms. We are calling for a code of conduct with an anti-nepotism 
provision; a mechanism to sunset outdated and unnecessary programs; and 
transparency in the budget process. We do not need to micro-manage the 
United Nations, but we need to make sure a proper structure is in place 
for the United Nations to be able to manage itself.
  We must pay our arrears to the United Nations. In doing so, however, 
we should put the arrears in perspective. Throughout the history of the 
United Nations, the United States has always been its most generous 
donor. The United States contributes around $2 billion to U.N. 
organizations and activities every year. This is three times more 
generous than any other permanent member of the Security Council. I do 
not believe success in any of the areas where the United Nations excels 
would be possible without a high level of U.S. support.
  The U.S. mission will have a difficult job implementing reforms when 
a massive U.N. bureaucracy and numerous member states have a vested 
interest in resisting reform and maintaining the status quo. And I 
recognize the U.S. mission's job is more difficult without the arrears 
package signed into law. But Ambassador Holbrooke has shown that it can 
be done. He has already won a seat for an American on the budget 
committee of the United Nations and is making progress in getting our 
assessment rates reduced.
  As I renew my commitment to champion the arrears package in the 
Congress, I want to underscore that the reforms proposed by the United 
States are critical to ensure the United Nations is effective and 
relevant. Any reforms that improve the effectiveness of
the United Nations must be viewed in this light. We must reform the 
United Nations now and the United States has the responsibility to play 
a major role. If we do nothing, and the United Nations collapses under 
its own weight, then we will have only ourselves to blame.

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