[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 16]
[Senate]
[Page 21313]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




      IN CELEBRATION OF THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNITED NATIONS

  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I am pleased to have this opportunity to 
recognize the 60th anniversary of the United Nations.
  In 1945, as World War II was ending, representatives of 50 countries 
met in San Francisco, CA at the United Nations Conference on 
International Organization to draft the Charter of the United Nations. 
On October 24, 1945, the Charter achieved the required number of 
signatories for ratification, and the United Nations officially came 
into existence. Today, 60 years later, I am proud to reflect on the 
United Nation's many successes. I would also like to use this occasion 
to highlight the vital importance of building an even stronger United 
Nations for the future.
  The United Nations was established with the primary purpose of 
providing a forum for the nations of the world to resolve issues 
without resorting to war. It has achieved many successes on this front, 
the greatest of which is that we have not had a world war since the 
United Nations was founded. For those regions of the world that have 
endured conflict, the U.N. Department of Peacekeeping Operation has 
facilitated more than 67 peacekeeping operations and is credited with 
negotiating more than 170 peaceful settlements that have ended regional 
conflicts.
  Through the World Health Organization, the U.N. has combated the 
spread of pandemic diseases and continues to provide lifesaving drugs 
and medical care to millions of people around the world. Another U.N. 
program, the World Food Program, has served as a lifeline to millions 
of people who would otherwise face famine. And the United Nations 
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has helped raise the 
female literacy rate in many developing countries around the world. I 
commend the United Nations for these outstanding achievements and the 
countless others it has made during the last 60 years.
  But despite these many successes, there is still a long way to go. 
First and foremost, the United Nations must be reformed from within. In 
recent months, there have been far too many troubling incidents 
involving the United Nations, ranging from the Iraqi oil-for-food 
scandal, and the tragic sexual abuse cases involving peacekeeping 
troops in the Congo and elsewhere--and rightfully so; these acts were 
most egregious. These types of activities cannot continue if the United 
Nations is to receive the support and legitimacy it needs to tackle the 
challenges of the 21st century.
  If the United Nations is comprehensively reformed from within, then 
it will find itself in an even better position to meet its larger 
goals. According to the United Nations' own figures, nearly a quarter 
of the children in the developed world are malnourished, and in a 
number of places in the world, the poor are actually getting poorer. I 
am pleased that the United Nations has embraced these challenges 
through the establishment of the Millennium Development Goals, which 
range from eradicating extreme poverty and hunger to combating the 
spread of HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases. But there is much work 
to be done if these goals are to become reality. The international 
community must commit to working together. The only way to achieve real 
progress on these fronts will require consensus, partnership, and unity 
of effort on the part of all nations of the world. For this reason, a 
strong United Nations is more important than ever.
  I congratulate the United Nations on its 60th anniversary and look 
forward to doing my part to ensure its continued success in the future.

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