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Later this month in San Francisco, representatives from around the world will gather to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the signing of the United Nations charter. Over the decades, the U.N. has played a central role in alleviating the suffering of the hungry and sick, helping to maintain peace around the world and discouraging the spread of weapons of mass destruction, along with a host of other indispensable functions.
Yet despite these accomplishments, the world has often been disappointed and troubled by many serious scandals that threaten the organization’s ability to carry out its mission. I, like many Americans, am concerned about reports of the abuse of the Oil-for-Food Program, particularly when such abuses would have deprived thousands of Iraqi civilians the relief they so desperately needed under Saddam's regime.
The Oil-for-Food scandal is just the most recent high-profile example of the kind of corruption that is occurring in various United Nations sub-organizations. Investigations have turned up numerous instances of graft and corruption, including participation in human trafficking, theft and back-door funding of terror. A culture of concealment makes rudimentary oversight of the U.N.’s finances close to impossible and the U.N leadership's casual attitude toward conflict-of-interest rules undermines trust in the organization’s basic governance.
Last week the House voted on the Henry J. Hyde United Nations Reform Act of 2005, a comprehensive package that will address these and other serious failings. This legislation would establish a code of conduct for peacekeepers, mandate the creation of an independent auditing agent inside the U.N., streamline the U.N.'s budget that eliminates duplicative and obsolete priorities, strengthen the International Atomic Energy Agency, and require tougher criteria for serving on U.N. human rights bodies to prevent regimes such as Cuba, Sudan, and Zimbabwe from distorting their function and purpose. If this legislation is enacted, American dues will be withheld until it is clear that positive reforms are carried forward.
The legislation passed in the House will help restore faith and confidence in the U.N. It will enable the United Nations to return to the job it does best-- promoting peace and democracy and protecting those that need their protection. Just as important, it will restore confidence of the American people and the world community in the United Nations. Without that confidence the U.N. will lose the support it needs to be an effective force for good in a troubled world.
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