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B.A. Gilman: Making an “Indispensable Organization” More Effective: A Congressional Perspective
Written by Benjamin A. Gilman United States Congressman (R-NY)
Friday, August 22, 2008
Delivered at an International Symposium on the United States and the United Nations, “Exploring the Future of U.S.-U.N. Relations,” January 23, 2002
Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright liked to refer to our nation as “the world’s indispensable nation.” In the wake of the vicious terrorist attacks of September 11, I would add that the United Nations is an indispensable organization. Its humanitarian and diplomatic efforts are essential to bringing peace and stability throughout the world and to driving the scourge of terrorism from some long-suffering countries, particularly Afghanistan, at the present time.
The United Nations has translated these words into action with the passage of resolutions in the U.N. General Assembly and the Security Council that put all of its member states on record as condemning these despicable barbaric attacks and demanding that the perpetrators be brought to justice. The Security Council’s unanimous adoption of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1373 on September 28 demonstrates the international community’s resolve to deny support to terrorists wherever they may be found. The United Nations is undertaking additional initiatives to combat international terrorism. One hundred and twenty-six member states have signed the U.N. Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime (TOC). Nearly all U.N. members are implementing the 12 pending international conventions and protocols specifically targeting terrorism.
Living up to promises
All these efforts put the United Nations on the front lines of the global anti-terrorism campaign by making certain that criminal laws and procedures will be updated and enforced by sharing valuable technical expertise assistance and by assuring greater cooperation among law enforcement agencies. The United Nations can help uncover the close connections that exist between international terrorism and transnational organized crime and help cut the financial legs out from under these organizations. We also need to strengthen the money-laundering provisions of the United Nations Convention “Against Transnational Organized Crime” and the U.N. program against money laundering, while helping other nations implement all of the U.N. drug conventions.
With very modest contributions to the U.N. Drug Control Program (UNDCP) by member nations, we are able to clearly identify Afghanistan as the origin of most of the world’s opium production. Moreover, this key organization can play a vital role in a post-Taliban Afghanistan by controlling illicit drug production in that country and in other areas around the world, thereby helping to end key financial support for Osama Bin Laden’s terrorist networks and other terrorist organizations that depend on the illicit drug trade for their financial support.
However, key elements remain to be addressed in the relationship between the United States and the United Nations. First and foremost, we need to ensure that U.N. member states and observers live up to their promises, their signatures, on these various conventions and protocols. It is easy to create words; it is more difficult to provide the deeds that support those words. While American blood and treasure are irrevocably committed to the fight against global terrorism, there are lingering doubts that some of our erstwhile partners are as fully committed as we are to this effort. For example, Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Somalia may continue to support the terrorist actions of Hamas and Hezboolah.
Avoiding bigotry and politicization
Second, the United Nations must not allow itself to become a forum for bigotry against a people, particularly the Israelis, and the attempts to delegitimatize Israel. For example, the hijacking of the U.N. World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Other Forms of Intolerance occurred with the support of the Arab nations and Iran. We must remember that the United Nations itself arose in part from the understanding that hatred such as anti-Semitism must not be permitted to embroil mankind in future conflicts.
U.N. agencies have been spending far too much time debating the Palestinian issue and interjecting that conflict into virtually every facet of U.N. policy. Bear in mind that there are many other conflicts around the world, and yet we hear far too little about them. Of the 189 member nations in the United Nations, 59 of them are embroiled in hostilities at the present time. The result of this kind of politicization of the U.N. agencies, which could otherwise be used as vehicles to address critical needs, diverts their attention from their intended mandates. This approach is not helping the United Nations.
Devising peacekeeping options
Third, the United Nations needs to devise viable peacekeeping options for maintaining peace and security in a post-Taliban Afghanistan. Even as U.N. relief agencies continue to provide vitally needed food and humanitarian supplies to millions of Afghanis, a more arduous task confronts the United Nations as it helps to shape a new government and a new civil society. As U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell noted, “The U.N. can be a facilitating body that would provide a sense of order and perform some interim role as they are organizing themselves in gathering their strength and developing the capability that they need to govern themselves.” We must all work together. Many of us in the Congress are committed to work with the United Nations, but there are problems that have to be corrected, and we have to give attention to those problems.
Toward a more responsible United Nations
We should not allow the U.N. to become just a debating society on one portion of the world, as they have far too often, concentrating only on the Middle East and forgetting other problem areas. We must not forget the other essential problems that exist: health problems, narcotics problems, terrorist problems, education problems and so many other important problems that too often the United Nations neglects, as they get embroiled in very partisan debates. I, for one, along with many of my colleagues, support the United Nations. We have paid our U.N. dues and we are going to continue to pay our dues, but we want the United Nations to be a proper functioning organization. Let us not be distracted by the other problems that I cited.