THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
(New York, New York)
________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release September 6, 2000
U.S. Support for the United Nations:
Engagement, Innovation and Renewal
At the start of a new Century and a new Millennium, the UN remains a
critical instrument for the advancement of important U.S. foreign policy
objectives.
U.S. Engagement with the United Nations. The United States is the largest
supporter of the UN, which is involved in critical issues relating to peace
and security, humanitarian assistance, development and health. In the
fiscal year ending September 30, 2000, the United States will have
contributed about $500 million to UN peacekeeping, some $565 million to UN
and development-related agencies and about $1 billion to UN humanitarian
agencies. The United States also contributes military observers or police
officers to seven UN missions, and U.S. troops work in cooperation with UN
operations in Bosnia, Kosovo and East Timor.
The Clinton Administration worked closely with the U.S. Congress to secure
enactment of UN arrears legislation in November 1999, which appropriates
$926 million to pay U.S. arrears to the United Nations in three tranches.
The Clinton Administration is working with the UN members to enact the
institutional reforms that will permit the full payment of this
appropriation.
U.S. Support for Innovation at the UN. The United States has promoted
innovation efforts designed to equip the UN to meet the challenges of the
new Century. These include:
? Peacekeeping. The Clinton Administration supports the major
recommendations of the Secretary General?s blue-ribbon panel on
peacekeeping reform, such as improved UN planning capacity, better training
and equipment for UN troops operating in uncertain environments and greater
efforts to develop the building blocks for political transitions --
judicial institutions, electoral systems, economic development -- so that
the end of war can be turned into lasting peace. The Clinton
Administration has been working hard to promote such enhancements through
initiatives to train peacekeepers from African countries, to the provision
worldwide of more than 800 civilian police (the largest contingent in the
UN)-- who are critical to ensuring community-level protection of civilians
in post-conflict environments -- to short-term transitional aid and longer
term development assistance through the U.S. Agency for International
Development.
? Accountability. The United States is the largest contributor to the
International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda and
has strongly supported establishment of special courts for Cambodia and
Sierra Leone.
? Human Dimension of Security Issues. The United States has
successfully pressed the UN Security Council and other UN institutions to
recognize more effectively the human dimension of security issues. The
U.S. focus on HIV/AIDS and the exploitation of women and children has cast
a light on a previously ignored dimension of human suffering, and the
United States is leading international efforts to enhance funding and
support to fight infectious diseases.
U.S. Support for Renewal of the UN. The United States has led efforts to
improve the institutional capacity of the UN to do its job. The United
States strongly supported the establishment of an Office of Internal
Oversight at the UN, which has worked to promote greater efficiency.
Through such efforts, the organization has cut its budget by about $100
million over six years and reduced its staff by about 1,000 over the past
four years. There is more to be done, and the Clinton Administration is
seeking additional institutional reforms through improvements in human
resource management, budgeting by objective and other means.
The United States also strongly supports efforts to reform UN assessments
and put the UN?s finances on a more secure footing, as the current
assessment regime is largely outdated and does not reflect the current
capacity or responsibilities of UN members. The United States has gained
support among many UN Members for such reform, designed to better equip the
UN to meet the challenges of the new Century.
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