2014 briefing book: The United States and the United Nations in the 113th Congress

DEDICATED TO A STRONG U.S.–UN RELATIONSHIP

The United States and the United Nations in the 113th Congress 2014 Briefing Book Update

The United States and the United Nations during the 113 th Congress

Dear Colleague: Last year, the Better World Campaign (BWC) and the United Nations Association of the USA (UNA-USA) developed a briefing book with information on the critical work of the United Nations. This year, we are providing an update to alert you to notable recent achievements and how the U.S. and UN continue to work together to create a more secure, prosperous, and healthy world.

The UN is not a perfect institution, but it serves a near-perfect purpose: to promote global cooperation and address some of the world’s most pressing challenges that no single country can resolve alone. By allowing our nation to share the burden of promoting international peace and stability with the rest of the international community, U.S. engagement with the UN helps buttress American interests and values around the world.

Among other things, the UN is a platform for joint efforts to counter terrorism, stem nuclear proliferation, and, through peacekeeping missions, maintain order in some of the world’s most dangerous places. The UN also plays a leadership role on a range of humanitarian, economic, and social issues—providing vital emergency aid in the wake of conflicts or natural disasters, addressing poverty through the Millennium Development Goals, coordinating global responses to public health challenges, and promoting democratic governance and human rights. In addition, through the international norms-setting work of its specialized agencies as well as the activities of the UN Secretariat in New York, the UN directly benefits the U.S. economy.

For these and many other reasons, it is absolutely critical that our nation maintain its seat at the table by engaging constructively with the UN. That means paying our peacekeeping and regular budget dues on time, in full, and without conditions. The American people understand this—indeed, according to recent research by a bipartisan polling team, nearly two-thirds of Americans support paying our UN peacekeeping and regular budget dues on time and in full. Unfortunately, after four years of fully meeting our financial obligations to the UN, the U.S. fell back into arrears this year. Specifically, the FY 2014 Omnibus Appropriations bill failed to designate funding for the new UN peacekeeping mission in Mali or address other peacekeeping-related shortfalls. Underfunding our UN peacekeeping dues not only imperils peacekeeping operations that are squarely in our national interests—it also undermines U.S. credibility on the Security Council and sends a poor signal to countries who contribute troops and police to these missions. As a result, it will be critical for Congress to fully fund peacekeeping and address current shortfalls in FY 2015.

We hope that you find the enclosed briefings helpful, and invite you to visit our websites at betterworldcampaign.org or unausa.org to obtain additional information. We look forward to working with you in the future to advance a strong U.S.-UN relationship.

Sincerely,

Peter Yeo Chris Whatley Executive Director Executive Director Better World Campaign United Nations Association of the USA

2014 Briefing Book update

table of contents 1 About Us

About BWC & UNA-USA

2 The Value of the UN

Delivering Around the Clock The UN: Benefiting the U.S. Economy

6 U.S. Dues & Contributions to the UN 9 UN Strengthening & Reform 12 Peace & Security Issues Peacekeeping Counterterrorism Nonproliferation

16 The UN on the Ground

Mali Democratic Republic of the Congo Syria Central African Republic

22 Development & Human Rights Post-2015 Development Agenda Human Rights Council

The United States and the United Nations during the 113 th Congress

About The Better World Campaign & UNA-USA

Our Mission The Better World Campaign (BWC) works to foster a strong, effective relationship between the United States and the United Nations to promote core American interests and build a more secure, prosperous, and healthy world. BWC engages policymakers, the media, and the American public alike to increase awareness of the critical role played by the UN in world affairs and the importance of constructive U.S.-UN relations.

The United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) is a grassroots organization with 120 chapters and 17,000 members nationwide devoted to strengthening the U.S.UN relationship through public education and advocacy. For more than six decades, UNA-USA and its chapters and regions have stood at the forefront of building American support for the UN. Together, BWC and UNA-USA represent the single largest network of advocates and supporters of the UN in the world.

2014 Agenda Each year, BWC and UNA-USA build support for U.S. policies that reinforce U.S. engagement in the United Nations and educate people about the real benefits the U.S. receives through our relationships with the UN. So that the UN can better address the transnational challenges of the 21st century, we are working with the Administration and Congress in 2014 to: • Ensure payment of our nation’s UN regular budget and peacekeeping dues on time, in full, and without conditions; pay back peacekeeping arrears resulting from the FY’13 Continuing Resolution and FY’14 Omnibus; and remove the arbitrary 25% peacekeeping cap.

• Promote greater U.S. assistance to UN peacekeeping operations to strengthen each mission’s capabilities in logistics, training, doctrine, and management expertise.

• Spotlight the value of UN specialized agencies in enhancing American interests; build support for fully funding their crucial mandates; and realize the restoration of funding for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

• Further constructive engagement on structural and management reforms at the UN and the continued implementation of ongoing reforms.

• Encourage active U.S. participation in the UN Human Rights Council.

• Promote advancement of the Millennium Development Goals.

• Advocate for Senate passage of key international agreements that the U.S. has signed but not ratified, such as the Conventions on the Law of the Sea, the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and the Comprehensive NuclearTest-Ban Treaty.

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The United States and the United Nations during 2014 the Briefing 113 th Congress Book update

The Value of the UN

Repatriation of North Darfur Internally Displaced Persons 2 An internally displaced mother and her child board the bus to return to Sehjanna in North Darfur, after spending seven years in a refugee camp. The repatriation is organized by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

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The United States and the United Nations during the 113 th Congress

Delivering Around the Clock Every day, around the clock, the United Nations and its family of agencies work to create a more secure, prosperous, and healthy world. Often with little fanfare or media attention, the UN does everything from providing lifesaving aid to victims of humanitarian disasters to promoting stability in some of the world’s most volatile regions. The UN’s work in these areas promotes fundamental American values and advances our nation’s core foreign policy, national security, and economic objectives. This fact is well-understood by the American people. In fact, recent bipartisan polling has shown that nearly nine in ten Americans believe it is important for the U.S. to maintain an active role within the UN. In addition, nearly two-thirds of all Americans support paying our UN peacekeeping dues on time and in full.

By working through the UN and sharing the financial burden with other members of the international community, U.S. interests are advanced at a much lower cost than if we attempted to carry out these activities alone. In addition, the U.S. derives significant economic benefits from the work of the UN. Facing financial constraints at home and increased instability abroad, that represents an exceptional level of return on a relatively modest investment.

Promoting Peace and Democracy • The UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) oversees the second largest deployed military in the world, with nearly 120,000 military, police, and civilian personnel deployed on 16 peacekeeping missions in places like South Sudan, DR Congo, and Mali. Each day, UN peacekeepers work to end violence and promote stability by supporting the implementation of peace agreements, demobilizing combatants, facilitating humanitarian aid, and creating conditions for political reconciliation and free and fair elections. These activities are a boon to U.S. interests, as they help promote our nation’s foreign policy and national security goals and core values without requiring the commitment of U.S. troops. They are also extremely cost-effective, as other UN member states bear nearly three-quarters of their costs, and UN missions overall are eight times cheaper than U.S. forces acting alone.

• The UN Development Program (UNDP) and UN peacekeeping operations support, on average, one free and democratic election somewhere in the world every two weeks. In recent years, the UN has facilitated elections in South Sudan, Cote d’Ivoire, Afghanistan, Liberia, Iraq, Libya, and Mali, helping millions of people around the world exercise their democratic rights.

Supporting Global Nonproliferation Efforts • The UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) implements international nuclear cooperation agreements and monitors nuclear safeguard agreements in more than 150 countries.

Perhaps most notably, the IAEA is currently playing a central role in efforts to verify Iran’s nuclear program, particularly with regards to its compliance with the interim agreement signed

by Iran and the P5+1 in November 2013. The deal, which seeks to curb some of Iran’s most sensitive nuclear activities while the parties negotiate a more comprehensive agreement, provides IAEA inspectors with greater access to Iranian nuclear facilities, including centrifuge production facilities and uranium mines for the first time. While obvious questions remain about whether a final deal will be possible, the IAEA is the only organization with the technical and diplomatic capacity to monitor Iran’s activities and will play a key role in ensuring that Iran continues to implement the temporary deal – and comply with any future agreements.

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2014 Briefing Book update

Providing Vital Humanitarian Assistance • UN humanitarian agencies deliver lifesaving aid to millions of people affected by conflict and natural disasters every year. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) coordinates assistance to more than 36 million refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) worldwide and facilitates their eventual resettlement or return home. The World Food Program (WFP), the world’s largest humanitarian organization devoted to fighting hunger, provides food aid to an average of nearly 100 million people in 73 countries annually. With a focus on immunization, early childhood development, education, and HIV/AIDS, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) provides long-term humanitarian and development assistance to children and mothers.

Responding to and Eliminating Outbreaks of Infectious Disease • Every year, the World Health Organization (WHO) investigates and steers the international response to nearly 200-250 disease outbreaks, including the SARS outbreak in 2003 and the H1N1 virus in 2009 and 2010.

• UNICEF supplies vaccines to more than 36 percent of the world’s children. Over the last 30 years, UNICEF and WHO have increased the percentage of people worldwide who are vaccinated against preventable diseases from 5 percent to 80 percent.

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The United States and the United Nations during the 113 th Congress

The UN: Benefiting the U.S. Economy For more than six decades, U.S. engagement with the UN has advanced America’s core interests and values on the world stage. Perhaps less obvious is the fact that in addition to these larger strategic considerations, the U.S. also derives significant economic benefits from the work of the UN. In fact, for every $1 our nation contributes each year as part of our regular budget and peacekeeping dues to the UN, we receive more than $1.60 back in contracts for U.S.-based businesses and returns to the New York City economy. In light of the difficult budgetary choices currently facing our country, this level of return on our investment is noteworthy.

Procurement of American Goods & Services In 2012, the UN Secretariat, which includes the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and other core UN offices, purchased more than $694 million worth of goods and services from more than 4,300 American companies based in locations as diverse as Fort Worth, TX, Miami, FL, and San Jose, CA. Companies that have contracted with the UN include such pillars of the U.S. economy as Ford Motor Company, Caterpillar, and CISCO, providing everything from vehicles to engineering and electronic equipment to support UN field missions and other activities. American businesses benefit from the UN in a variety of ways, including through: • UN Peacekeeping Operations: In 2012, U.S.-based companies received $202 million in contracts to support UN peacekeeping operations. American contractors are supporting these critical missions through the provision of telecommunications lines, information technology services, earthmoving machines, and building materials, among other crucial supplies.

• The Capital Master Plan (CMP): The CMP is a project to renovate UN Headquarters in New York so that it complies with current standards for security, energy efficiency, and accessibility. The CMP was undertaken because the headquarters complex–most of which was nearly six decades old–had deteriorated significantly in recent years. As a result, the buildings were unable to adequately accommodate and protect the thousands of employees, dignitaries, guests, and tourists that pass through the UN compound every day. The CMP is scheduled to be completed this year, and American companies were awarded 83 of the 86 contracts associated with the project, providing an infusion of $2.1 billion into the U.S. economy over five years. As part of our assessed dues for the CMP, determined by the proportion of the UN regular budget we pay, the U.S. has contributed $400 million to cover direct costs of the project throughout its duration. Consequently, for every $1 we invested in the CMP as part of our dues payments, the U.S. economy got back nearly $5.25.

Benefiting the Big Apple New York City benefits greatly from the daily business of UN headquarters, with one past estimate putting the Big Apple’s total annual economic gain from the UN’s presence at $3.3 billion.

Visitors attending UN conferences held in New York infuse millions into the city’s economy, with the annual opening of the General Assembly session alone generating revenue comparable to a major international convention or sporting event. This type of annual conference is not affected by economic recessions, so these large expenditures will be made each year, which can be especially beneficial in a difficult economy. Finally, the UN plays an important role in boosting New York’s tourism industry. The world body hosts an average of more than 1 million visitors each year, providing business to local hotels and restaurants.

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2014 Briefing Book update

U.S. Dues & Contributions to the UN

Meets with New Permanent Representative of the United States 2 9 Secretary-General Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (left) meets with Samantha Power, new Permanent Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations.

The United States and the United Nations during the 113 th Congress

Funding for the UN system comes from two sources: assessed and voluntary contributions. Assessed contributions are payments made as part of the obligations that nations undertake when signing treaties. At the UN, assessments on member states provide a reliable source of funding to core UN functions through the UN regular and peacekeeping budgets. Voluntary contributions, on the other hand, are left to the discretion of individual member states. These contributions finance UN humanitarian and development agencies, including the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), World Food Program (WFP), UN Development Program (UNDP), and UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

Assessed Contributions: The UN Regular Budget and Payments to Specialized Agencies The UN Regular Budget finances the core bodies and activities of the UN, including political missions in Iraq, Afghanistan, Central African Republic, and Israel that are directly in our national interests and working to promote stability in key regions of the world. The current payment structure for UN Regular Budget dues sets maximum (22%) and minimum (.001%) rates for all nations based on their ability to pay. The U.S. pays the maximum rate and has negotiated several reductions in this rate over time, most notably from 25% to 22%. The assessment rate is primarily determined by gross national income, and since the U.S. has one of the highest in the world, its dues assessments are higher than those of other Member States.

The U.S. contribution to the UN regular budget is included in the State Department’s Contributions to International Organizations (CIO) account. In addition to the regular budget, the CIO account covers dues payments to more than 40 other international organizations, including NATO, and UN specialized agencies like the International Atomic Energy Agency and World Health Organization.

Assessed Contributions: The Peacekeeping Budget The UN funds its peacekeeping budget with assessments on member states similar to those made for the regular budget, but with greater discounts for poorer nations. The resulting funding deficit is compensated for by the five permanent members (P5) of the Security Council—the U.S., UK, France, Russia, and China. Under this formula, the U.S. is supposed to pay 28.4% of the peacekeeping budget – a level we agreed to pay and voted for in 2012. Currently, the U.S. only pays 27% of the cost for each mission, meaning we are underfunding every peacekeeping mission. Funding for UN peacekeeping missions is provided under the State Department’s Contributions for International Peacekeeping Activities (CIPA) account.

Since the P5 each have a veto over Security Council decisions, no new or expanded peacekeeping missions can advance without U.S. consent. While this unique responsibility for establishing and renewing missions means the U.S. pays a greater portion of the bill, the vast majority of personnel deployed on these missions come from developing countries like Bangladesh, Jordan, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Ghana.

Current Funding Levels for the UN Regular and Peacekeeping Budgets While the U.S. has been in good financial standing at the UN in recent years, FY 2014 was an unfortunate exception. The FY’14 Omnibus Appropriations bill failed to provide designated funding for the UN’s new peacekeeping mission in Mali (MINUSMA) or fully lift the peacekeeping cap to 28.4%. This, combined with increased needs in other critical missions, has left the U.S. facing a shortfall of more than $350 million this year in funding for UN peacekeeping.

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2014 Briefing Book update

Underfunding peacekeeping missions that we vote for in the Security Council sends a poor signal to international partners and denies reimbursement to countries who provide the bulk of the soldiers and police who serve on these missions. It also forces the U.S. to provide greater levels of funding in the future to pay off arrears. While the Administration’s FY’15 budget request for CIPA does represent a significant increase over FY’14, it does not address all current shortfalls.

As a result, BWC is requesting $2.625 billion for CIPA in FY’15.

BWC also supports the Administration’s FY’15 request for a Peacekeeping Response Mechanism (PKRM) in OCO “to support initial urgent and unexpected requirements of new UN and non-UN missions without compromising support for existing U.S. peacekeeping commitments.”

This funding could be used to support the new UN peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic (CAR), which was authorized unanimously by the UN Security Council on April 10, 2014. CAR has witnessed a surge of vicious interreligious violence recently, and the deployment of a UN peacekeeping force is necessary to help stabilize the situation and restore law and order.

The serious funding challenges facing MINUSMA demonstrate the wisdom of creating a source of flexible peacekeeping funding. Last year, the President’s budget did not include a request for MINUSMA (which was authorized by the Security Council after the budget’s release), and Congress declined to fund it. Clearly, crises requiring new or expanded peacekeeping operations can arise at any time, without regard to normal budgetary processes. As a result, the PKRM could be an effective way to deal with these needs. While the Administration is requesting $150 million for PKRM, the cost of a CAR mission, by all accounts, is likely to match that of MINUSMA last year, which was $250 million. As a result, BWC requests $250 million for the account in FY’15.

Account

FY’13 Actual

FY’14 Administration Request

FY’14 Estimate

FY’15 Administration Request

FY’15 BWC Request

CIPA

$1.913 billion

$2.094 billion

$1.765 billion

$2.518 billion

$2.625 billion

CIO

$1.472 billion

$1.57 billion

$1.34 billion

$1.517 billion

$1.517 billion

CIO – UN Regular Budget

$568 million

$618 million

$618 million

$620 million

$620 million

PKO

$490.2 million

$347 million

$435.6 million

$336.15 million

$501.65 million*

PKRM (OCO)

---

---

----

$150 million

$250 million

*This amount includes $165.5 million to pay U.S. assessments for the UN Support Office for the AU Mission in Somalia (UNSOA).

The Administration included UNSOA funding under its CIPA request.

Voluntary Contributions Voluntary contributions are payments left to the discretion of individual Member States. These contributions finance UN humanitarian relief and development agencies, which in turn help advance critical U.S. foreign policy priorities that would be difficult, if not impossible, for the U.S. to undertake alone. Voluntary contributions from UN member states help pay to: • • • • •

Provide lifesaving food aid to more than 100 million people in 73 countries; Strengthen democratic institutions and empower civil society in emerging democracies; Immunize 36% of the world’s children against deadly diseases like polio and measles; Assist refugees from countries like Afghanistan, Iraq, Sudan, Syria, and Mali; Tackle the AIDS pandemic.

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UN Strengthening & Reform

UN Peacekeepers Stand Guard over Congolese Towns at Centre of Conflict Indian peacekeepers with the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), deployed to the country’s North Kivu Province, stand guard over Bunagana and the rebel stronghold of Runyonyi, as fighting continues between the M23 splinter group and Government FARDC forces.

2014 Briefing Book update

In order to meet the challenges of the 21st century and ensure Member States’ resources are used efficiently and effectively, the UN continues to update its operations and management practices. Changes have taken place in nearly every area of UN operations, from the management of peacekeeping missions, to improved transparency, accountability, and financial reporting. Below is a selection of recently completed and ongoing UN strengthening and reform efforts.

Increasing Cost Efficiency • In December 2013, the General Assembly approved the UN’s core budget for 2014-2015, cutting spending from the UN’s previous two-year budget, following the budget reduction trend seen in the previous biennium. The new budget also includes a two percent staffing cut, translating to approximately 221 posts, and a one-year freeze in UN staff compensation.

The U.S. Ambassador for UN Management and Reform referred to the budget as “a new commitment to real fiscal discipline at the UN at a tough time for hardworking families around the world.”

Strengthening Transparency and Accountability • In the spirit of transparency, the UN now makes all internal audit reports issued by the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) publicly available online. The U.S. Mission to the UN called this achievement a “turning point in how the UN does business.”

• The General Assembly adopted the International Public Sector Accounting Standards, holding the UN to the highest standard of financial reporting and accountability.

Streamlining and Modernizing the UN’s work • The UN continues to modernize through the Global Field Support Strategy (GFSS), a fiveyear project (2010-2015) aimed at improving the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of administrative and logistics support to UN peacekeeping and political missions. The strategy allows the Department of Field Support to do more with less, freeing up more resources for mandate implementation. GFSS also allows the UN to respond more rapidly to demands in the field. In 2012, by implementing reforms from the GFSS, the UN shaved nearly $400 million from the overall peacekeeping budget, giving peacekeepers the supplies they need at a lower cost to UN member states.

• The UN’s “Delivering as One” initiative to streamline the work of all UN funds and programs has proven to be effective. An independent evaluation of the program’s 8 pilot countries found that these reforms have made the delivery of humanitarian aid more efficient and encouraged those countries to take national ownership of their own development programs. As of March 2014, 37 member states had formally requested implementation of “Delivering as One” by the UN in their countries.

Innovations in UN Peacekeeping • Over the last year, the UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) has been a testing ground for two important peacekeeping innovations: the deployment of an “Intervention Brigade” with a strong mandate to neutralize armed groups in eastern Congo; and the deployment of unarmed unmanned aerial vehicles (UUAVs) to help improve the situational awareness of peacekeepers on the ground, potentially enhancing their ability to protect civilians.

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The United States and the United Nations during the 113 th Congress

• Recently, important changes have taken place in the way UN peacekeepers are evaluated and paid. Starting next year, as much as $50 million in annual bonuses will be paid to peacekeepers and UN member states that set a positive example—serving with distinction in risky areas or providing key services such as medical care, engineering, or air support. These are some of the UN’s first attempts at pay-for-performance, and could lead to better outcomes for UN missions and the people they serve.

Normalizing Israel’s Participation and Treatment at the UN • The last several months have seen some significant advances in Israel’s ability to participate fully in the UN system. In November 2013, the Western European and Others Group (WEOG) in Geneva, one of several regional groupings of countries represented at the UN, invited Israel to become a member. This ended Israel’s longstanding exclusion from all UN regional groups in Geneva, opening new doors for Israel to pursue its political and diplomatic interests within the UN, particularly at the Human Rights Council.

• More recently, Israel was admitted to the JUSCANZ caucus in New York, another core coordinating group for human rights and social policy at the UN. According to a State Department press release on the issue: “Israel is now able to fully participate in the main regional and core coordinating groups in New York and Geneva where much of the behind-the-scenes work at the UN gets done.”

Ensuring Continued Progress on Reform in 2014 and Beyond Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon remains committed to a strong reform agenda in 2014, promising to continue building upon efforts already in progress to ensure that the UN can meet new demands and deliver vital services in the most efficient and cost-effective manner. Nevertheless, additional measures are needed to further strengthen the UN, and making sure these reform efforts are successful requires strong, consistent engagement by the U.S. Withholding funding from the UN budget in order to force reform, as some advocate, would be more of an obstacle to reform than a catalyst to encourage it. This approach alienates our allies, whose support we need to push for additional changes, and sends a signal that the U.S. is more interested in weakening the UN than making it a more transparent and responsive institution.

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2014 Briefing Book update

Peace & Security Issues

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MONUC Peacekeepers en route to Sake in DRC Members of the Indian battalion of the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of 2 the Congo (MONUC) on route to Sake from North Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), as two young local boys salute the peacekeepers.

The United States and the United Nations during the 113 th Congress

Peacekeeping The UN oversees 16 peacekeeping missions with nearly 120,000 personnel, constituting the second largest deployed military force in the world. Every day, UN peacekeepers work to stabilize some of the world’s most volatile and underdeveloped conflict zones, protecting civilians from violence; monitoring the implementation of peace agreements; disarming, demobilizing, and reintegrating former combatants into society; facilitating the delivery of humanitarian assistance; training national police forces; and supporting free and fair elections and the creation of stable governing institutions.

Given its position as a permanent, veto-wielding member of the Security Council, no UN peacekeeping operation can be deployed without U.S. consent. Over the past two decades, both Republican and Democratic Administrations have used U.S. influence at the Council to champion new missions with more complex mandates. This bipartisan support stems from the fact that countries undergoing conflict threaten U.S. national security, risk becoming safe havens for terrorist and criminal organizations, and feature levels of deprivation and abuses of human rights that are an affront to American values. Some of the benefits of UN peacekeeping are described below.

• Effective: A 2013 study by researchers from the U.S. and Sweden found that deploying large numbers of UN peacekeepers “significantly decreases violence against civilians.” To support their hypothesis, the authors examined monthly civilian death tolls from intrastate armed conflicts in sub-Saharan African between 1991 and 2008. Their findings were striking: in instances where no peacekeeping troops were deployed, the monthly average of civilian deaths was approximately 106. However, in instances where at least 8,000 UN troops were present, the average monthly civilian death toll fell to less than two. The study concluded that ensuring UN peacekeeping forces “are appropriately tasked and deployed in large numbers” is critical to their ability to protect civilians.

• Cost-effective: According to a study by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), UN peacekeeping is eight times less expensive than funding a U.S. force. This point was backed up by former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who said that UN peacekeeping “is much more cost-effective than using American forces. And of course, America doesn’t have the forces to do all of these peacekeeping missions, but somebody has to do them.”

• Promotes Stabilization and Growth: A Columbia University study found that, in the postCold War era, deploying UN peacekeepers reduces the risk that a country will slide back into all-out war by 50%. Peacekeeping has also been shown to bolster GDP growth in conflictaffected areas. Indeed, one recent study found that in the first three years after a conflict, annual growth rates are nearly 2.4% higher in post-conflict countries where peacekeeping missions are present.

• Supports Burden-sharing: The U.S. cannot ensure international security alone, nor should it have to. By drawing upon the financial and human capacities of all UN member states, UN peacekeeping helps the U.S. share the burden of promoting global stability and reduces the need for unilateral intervention, thereby keeping U.S. soldiers out of harm’s way and saving American financial resources in the long run. This fact was validated by Admiral Mike Mullen, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who wrote that, “[United Nations] peacekeepers…help reduce the risks that major U.S. military interventions may be required to restore stability in a country or region. Therefore, the success of these operations is very much in our national interest.” Indeed, while the U.S. plays a pivotal role on the Security Council in authorizing the deployment peacekeeping missions, we currently provide just over 100 uniformed personnel to these operations, and other countries pay nearly three-quarters of their costs.

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2014 Briefing Book update

Counterterrorism Terrorism is a transnational threat that must be addressed through the combined efforts of the international community. As we learned after September 11, 2001, terror networks operate in countries that are frequently beyond the reach of American access and influence. The UN is therefore an important partner in global efforts to fight terrorism, because it can amplify and broaden the reach of our nation’s own counterterrorism initiatives.

For several decades, the UN system has played a central role in efforts to build an international legal framework to combat terrorism, including the elaboration of multilateral treaties criminalizing specific terrorist acts and terrorism financing, as well as the creation of binding international sanctions regimes by the Security Council targeting Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. The UN has also served as a critical forum for information sharing, the provision of technical assistance, and other cooperative activities to support global counterterrorism efforts. Provided below is a synopsis of the work of some UN bodies and agencies on this issue.

• Counterterrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED): The Executive Directorate of the Security Council’s Counterterrorism Committee has facilitated technical assistance to more than 60 countries to help address terrorism financing, border and customs controls, arms trafficking, transportation security, and a number of other issues. For example, over the last year, CTED has facilitated training sessions for customs officers from African countries on controlling the cross-border movement of cash to prevent terrorism financing.

• Al-Qaeda and Taliban Sanctions Committees: These Security Council committees oversee international compliance with legally binding Security Council-backed sanctions against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Currently, these bodies impose asset freezes, travel bans, and arms embargoes on hundreds of individuals and entities associated with these groups. In November 2012, the Taliban Sanctions Committee took a critical step by blacklisting the Pakistan-based Haqqani network, which has been responsible for numerous attacks on coalition troops in Afghanistan. For its part, the Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee has sanctioned key members of radical Islamist militant groups operating in northern Mali in recent months.

• International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA): Among numerous other critical activities, the IAEA supports international efforts to prevent nuclear materials from falling into the hands of terrorists through the improvement of nuclear security measures.

The IAEA’s efforts in this area include the provision of training and technical support to help countries secure nuclear and radioactive materials, as well as the operation of an Incident and Trafficking Database (ITDB) to facilitate information sharing regarding attempts to smuggle nuclear materials across international borders. In 2013, the ITDB catalogued 146 separate incidents.

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The United States and the United Nations during the 113 th Congress

Nonproliferation The UN serves as a key international platform for countries to work together to stem the proliferation of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons. The UN General Assembly, Security Council, and IAEA all provide venues for countries to share resources and information, address breaches of international agreements, and build unified fronts against rogue states. In recent months, there have been significant developments with regards to Iran’s nuclear program and Syria’s chemical weapons. The involvement of the UN and UN agencies in these issues is detailed below.

• Iran: On November 24, 2013, the P5+1 and Iran reached an interim agreement that curbs Iran’s most sensitive nuclear activities in return for modest relief from sanctions. The sixmonth deal, which went into effect on January 20, 2014 and is intended to give negotiators time to reach a more comprehensive accord, includes provisions requiring Iran to halt production of 20-percent enriched uranium, neutralize existing stockpiles of higher-grade uranium, refrain from installing new centrifuges, and freeze construction of a heavy-water reactor at the Arak nuclear site, among other limits. The IAEA, which has served as an important source of information and focal point for pressure on Iran for years, is currently playing a key role in verifying Iranian compliance with these requirements. The deal provides for unprecedented new monitoring activities by the IAEA, including daily inspections at the Natanz and Fordow enrichment facilities, access to centrifuge production plants and uranium mines, and more frequent on-site inspections of the Arak facility. On January 20th, the IAEA reported that Iran had completed the initial steps it promised to take before the agreement took effect. While much work remains to be done before the interim agreement expires in July, it is clear that the IAEA will continue to play an essential role in international efforts to ensure that Iran upholds its end of the bargain and doesn’t resume halted activities.

• Syria: In September 2013, following a horrific sarin gas attack on the Damascus suburbs, the U.S. and Russia reached a historic agreement to rid Syria of chemical weapons. The plan to destroy Syria’s chemical stockpiles, equipment, and facilities by June 30, 2014 received unanimous approval from the Security Council and is currently being overseen by a joint mission of the UN and Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

Since it began operations, the OPCW-UN mission has made important progress: by late October 2013, OPCW inspectors had verified the destruction of critical equipment at all of Syria’s declared chemical weapons production sites and mixing/filling plants, effectively rendering these facilities inoperable. Just over one month later, the mission was able to verify that Syrian personnel had destroyed the country’s entire stockpile of unfilled munitions designed for use with chemical agents, including missile warheads and aerial bombs.

Unfortunately, despite this initial progress, the Syrian government failed to meet several OPCW deadlines for shipping actual chemical agents out of the country for destruction.

As a result, the UN has called on Syrian authorities to speed up their efforts on this front.

The Syrian government has accelerated efforts to remove chemical stockpiles from its territory in recent weeks, and in late April, the OPCW-UN mission announced that Syria had transferred out or destroyed in-country more than 92% of its declared chemical arsenal.

Nevertheless, much work remains to be done, and continued U.S. engagement on this issue will be critical.

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2014 Briefing Book update

The UN on the Ground

MONUC Peacekeepers Work on Road Rehabilitation Project Military personnel of the Chinese engineering company of the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the2 Congo (MONUC) work on a 1.8 kilometer long road rehabilitation project to allow greater access to the Ruzizi One Dam Power Plant, the only source of electricity for the east of the country.

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The United States and the United Nations during the 113 th Congress

Mali The West African country of Mali was thrown into turmoil in March 2012 when its democratically elected president was overthrown in a military coup. In the security vacuum that followed, secular Tuareg rebels, who have long accused the Malian government of marginalization and neglect, seized control of the northern two-thirds of the country—a vast desert region roughly the size of Texas—and declared an independent Tuareg state. These forces were later pushed aside by a collection of well-armed radical Islamist groups, including Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). AQIM and its allies imposed a harsh interpretation of Sharia law in the territories they controlled, reportedly carrying out inhumane punishments such as floggings, stonings, and amputations.

The ethnic and political turmoil caused by this string of events took a devastating toll. The conflict left hundreds dead, forced nearly 500,000 people to flee their homes, and did serious damage to northern Mali’s rich cultural heritage. Just as disturbingly, Mali’s instability created space for extremist groups to organize and carry out attacks.

In early 2013, these groups launched an advance south, capturing several towns and threatening the Malian capital. At the request of Mali’s interim government, France initiated a military intervention and, together with African forces, drove militants out of Mali’s northern population centers. While these operations were largely successful, AQIM and other groups remain a threat to security in Mali, as well as to U.S. and Western interests in the wider region. On January 16, 2013, terrorists under the command of an Algerian militant based in northern Mali attacked a natural gas facility in Algeria, killing 38 hostages, including three Americans. As a result, efforts to promote stability in northern Mali are critical to U.S. counterterrorism objectives in the region.

In the wake of the French intervention, the Security Council voted to authorize a UN peacekeeping operation (known as MINUSMA) to help support longer-term stabilization activities in Mali.

The mission, which began deploying in July 2013, is currently working to secure key population centers and help reestablish state authority in northern Mali; support peace talks between the Malian government and Tuareg separatists; monitor, investigate, and report on human rights violations; collaborate with the European Union on efforts to reform the country’s security sector; and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance to civilians who have been affected by the crisis.

The Security Council also tasked MINUSMA with supporting efforts to restore democratic governance and constitutional order in Mali, an essential step in larger efforts to stabilize the country.

As part of this mandate, MINUSMA provided logistical support, technical assistance, and security to landmark presidential and legislative elections that took place in late 2013, ushering in a democratically-elected government for the first time since the 2012 coup. The UN helped transport election materials, facilitate the deployment of election observers, and secure nearly 21,000 polling stations. Overall, both elections proceeded in a relatively peaceful and orderly fashion, and international observers from the EU praised their transparency.

While UN peacekeepers are not themselves engaging in offensive operations against terrorist groups, they are working with a residual force of French soldiers who have remained in the country to conduct counterterror operations. The activities of the French, MINUSMA, and their partners are vital to improving the security situation in Mali over the long-term, as well as to denying groups like AQIM an important safe haven.

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2014 Briefing Book update

Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) For nearly two decades, the eastern provinces of the DRC have been wracked by instability due to a lack of firm government control and the presence of numerous armed groups, many of which were spawned in the wake of the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Further complicating the situation, eastern DRC is a massive, remote expanse of land covered with dense forests and few paved roads or other forms of basic infrastructure. Combined with the region’s substantial mineral wealth, porous borders, and long-running tensions between various ethnic groups, all of these factors have made sustainable peace and security in the DRC very difficult to achieve.

In April 2012, the eastern province of North Kivu was subjected to a renewed wave of violence when hundreds of Congolese soldiers defected from the army, formed the M23 rebel movement, and began an armed insurrection. In November 2012, M23 captured Goma, North Kivu’s capital, and held it for 11 days before withdrawing under international pressure. M23 was accused of carrying out serious human rights violations against civilians, and the rebellion forced nearly 800,000 people to flee their homes.

The UN peacekeeping mission operating in the DRC (known as MONUSCO) has long sought to restore calm by working to protect civilians, facilitate humanitarian access, and support efforts to disarm, demobilize, and reintegrate former combatants. Nevertheless, MONUSCO has faced a number of significant challenges, not the least of which are the difficulty of the terrain, its rules of engagement (as defined by the Security Council), and the ability of the Congolese military to actively confront the region’s multitude of armed groups. Given the most recent challenges posed by M23, the UN worked to modernize MONUSCO’s mandate in 2013 and has sought to pursue a comprehensive regional peace strategy. On March 28, 2013, the UN Security Council reauthorized MONUSCO and made several innovations to the mission, including: • Establishment of an Intervention Brigade: The Security Council created an “Intervention Brigade” of 3,000 troops to operate under the direct command of MONUSCO. The force, which began deploying in July 2013, is tasked with carrying out targeted offensive operations to neutralize armed groups in the region and reduce the threat they pose to civilians.

The creation of the brigade was an unprecedented step, as it represented the first time the Security Council has authorized a special force to carry out offensive military actions within the context of a traditional peacekeeping operation.

• Deployment of Unarmed Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UUAVs): The Council also endorsed a proposal to deploy unarmed UAVs in eastern DRC. Due to the difficult conditions in eastern DRC and lack of infrastructure, it can take peacekeeping troops 5-6 hours to patrol a 1015 mile radius. The deployment of UUAV technology to the DRC, which began in December 2013, is meant to serve as a cost-effective way to enhance MONUSCO’s situational awareness and, by extension, improve its ability to protect civilians. The UUAVs could also potentially have a deterrent effect on the activities of armed groups.

While MONUSCO still faces an array of challenges, these innovations, particularly the Intervention Brigade, have begun to have a positive impact. In November 2013, M23 announced that it would end its rebellion following a successful military offensive against its forces. While these operations were led by the Congolese army, the Intervention Brigade played a critical role in their success, supporting efforts to track down and drive out M23 fighters. Despite these advances, however, there remains a pressing need to confront other armed groups that have destabilized the region, and there have been troubling re18

The United States and the United Nations during the 113 th Congress

ports that M23 is still recruiting fighters in Rwanda and may have resumed some activities in northeastern Congo. As a result, MONUSCO will need sustained support as it works to take on other militant groups in eastern Congo and preserve the gains it has already made.

In addition to supporting MONUSCO’s military operations, it is also crucial that the international community continue to support efforts to reach a diplomatic settlement to the political and humanitarian crisis in the region. The changes made to MONUSCO’s mandate last year are, in part, designed to help support the objectives of a regional political framework that seeks to address the underlying causes of conflict in eastern DRC. In late February 2013, the UN and 11 Central African countries signed the Peace, Security, and Cooperation Framework for the DRC, by which it was agreed that countries in the region will: (1) respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of their neighbors; (2) not provide support to armed groups or harbor persons accused of war crimes; (3) support efforts to reform the DRC’s military and police and work towards reconciliation and democratization.

To help strengthen the regional peace process, keep stakeholders at the table, and coordinate implementation of these agreements, Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland, was appointed to serve as UN Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region of Africa. The creation of this position was strongly supported by the U.S., other members of the international community, and NGOs.

Syria The conflict in Syria has taken an immense toll on its civilian population: tens of thousands have been killed, and more than nine million people have been driven from their homes, including 2.7 million who have fled the country. Over the last three years, UN humanitarian agencies have played an instrumental role in providing life-sustaining relief to both internally displaced Syrians and refugees. These types of activities are not without risk or challenge: heavy fighting and road closures, sieges on civilian neighborhoods, bureaucratic delays imposed by the Syrian government, funding constraints, and other obstacles have made humanitarian efforts within Syria itself logistically difficult and dangerous. Moreover, the pace at which people have been leaving Syria over the past year has surpassed all initial expectations, placing pressure on the already scarce resources of neighboring countries. In spite of these obstacles, however, the UN continues to work around the clock to help those whose lives have been upended by the conflict. The work of several UN agencies is profiled below.

• In March 2014, the World Food Program (WFP) provided food aid to more than 4 million people inside Syria, and is scaling up its operations to reach more vulnerable civilians, though humanitarian access remains a serious challenge in many parts of the country. WFP is also providing relief to more than 1.5 million Syrian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq, and Egypt. Assistance through WFP can take on several different forms, including in-kind food distributions and hot meals. In areas where food is available in markets but families do not have enough money to buy it, WFP uses vouchers that can be redeemed for a variety of items. In addition to feeding recipients, vouchers also benefit refugee host countries: since the beginning of 2013, WFP’s voucher program has injected more than $400 million into the economies of neighboring countries, helping them cope with the continued influx of refugees.

• The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is leading efforts to provide non-food items (NFIs) to Syrians who have been forced to flee their homes. Among other things, UNHCR is providing shelter, mattresses, blankets, clothing, fuel, cooking sets, hygiene supplies, cash as19

2014 Briefing Book update

sistance, psychological counseling, and other essential items and services to displaced Syrians. Overall, UNHCR and its partners provided NFIs to nearly 4.9 million inside Syria and 1.6 million Syrian refugees in 2013.

• The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and its partners have been working to respond to the needs of Syrian children. These activities have included ensuring access to safe drinking water for 10 million Syrians in 2013, vaccinating millions of children in Syria and throughout the region against polio, measles, and other diseases, and providing educational support, sanitation, recreational opportunities, and other critical services to the war’s youngest and most vulnerable victims.

• The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which provides a variety of relief and social services to Palestinian refugees in the Middle East, currently serves more than 525,000 Palestinians living in Syria, more than half of whom have been displaced by the fighting. As part of its emergency response, UNRWA is providing shelter and food to displaced Palestinian refugees, as well as sanitation services, health care, and education.

Central African Republic (CAR) CAR is one of the world’s most underdeveloped and politically unstable countries. While security conditions have never been optimal, the situation on the ground deteriorated significantly in March 2013 when a loosely organized coalition of armed groups known as Seleka overthrew President Francoise Bozizé. In the aftermath of Bozizé’s ouster, Michel Djotodia, the leader of Seleka, initially declared himself interim President. However, pressure from neighboring Central African states, France, and the wider international community prompted his resignation and exile earlier this year.

Following his departure, CAR’s transitional governing authority appointed Catherine Samba-Panza as interim President. She has now assumed the extremely difficult task of working to build functioning government institutions, which have been left in shambles by the crisis, and guide the country to presidential and legislative elections next year.

Unfortunately, prospects for a political transition have been seriously complicated by sectarian conflict. While Muslims and Christians had lived together in CAR for generations in relative peace, this most recent round of instability has led to the emergence of dangerous fissures between these communities. Following the overthrow of the Bozizé government, Seleka, which was founded by members of the Muslim community from northeastern CAR, carried out systematic killings and abuses against Christians. In retaliation, Christian-led militias known as Anti-Balaka (anti-machete) rose up throughout the country, attacking Muslim communities and causing a mass exodus of Muslim civilians into neighboring countries.

Thousands of people have been killed in the violence, more than one million have been displaced from their homes, and nearly half of CAR’s population is now in need of humanitarian aid. Disturbingly, as inter-communal violence has increased in recent months, senior UN officials have warned that the situation could devolve into outright genocide. On December 5, 2013, the UN Security Council authorized the deployment of a 6,000-strong African Union-led peacekeeping force (known as MISCA) to help stabilize CAR, and a French military contingent of 2,000 troops to support them. Unfortunately, the combined efforts of these forces has not been enough to stem sectarian bloodshed and restore order, and many members of the international community, including CAR’s interim government, France, and numerous international NGOs, called for the establishment of a robust UN peacekeeping mission to help stabilize the country.

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The United States and the United Nations during the 113 th Congress

On April 10, 2014, the Security Council voted unanimously to deploy such an operation. The new UN peacekeeping mission in CAR (known by its French acronym, MINUSCA) is authorized to include 10,000 soldiers, 1,800 police, and a substantial civilian component. They are charged with carrying out a number of critical activities, including protecting civilians from violence; providing assistance to help the country carry out free and fair national elections by February 2015; facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid; monitoring, investigating, and reporting on human rights violations; helping build the capacity of CAR’s police force and court system, which have effectively collapsed due to the ongoing chaos; and helping to disarm, demobilize, and reintegrate former combatants. In addition, the Security Council authorized French forces currently on the ground in CAR “to use all necessary means to provide operational support to elements of MINUSCA.” The Security Council resolution calls for many of the soldiers and police currently serving as part of MISCA to be integrated into the new UN force, a process known as “re-hatting” that will seek to ensure they meet UN standards on training, equipment, and human rights. Given this and other issues, MINUSCA will not formally take over from MISCA until September 15, 2014. However, in the meantime, the UN will deploy a transition team to help improve the AU force’s capacities with various forms of logistical support ahead of the transfer of authority in September. Such activities are critical to ensuring that MINUSCA will be able to quickly and effectively begin fulfilling its mandate.

As MINUSCA deploys over the coming months, UN humanitarian agencies will continue to play a critical role in providing life-saving relief to the population. For example, WFP is currently providing food aid to more than 1.25 million people in CAR. UNICEF and WHO have vaccinated tens of thousands of children in the country against polio, and UNHCR is assisting tens of thousands of refugees from CAR who have fled to Chad, Cameroon, DRC, and the Republic of Congo.

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The United States and the United Nations during 2014 the Briefing 113 th Congress Book update

Development & Human Rights

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UNAMID Police Facilitates English Classes for Displaced Women Women in Abu Shouk Camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) near El Fasher, North Darfur, attend English classes conducted by volunteer teachers and facilitated by the police component of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid 2 Operation in Darfur (UNAMID). Nearly 100 women, many with children, attend these classes three times a week in a school in the camp with materials (exercise books, notebooks, blackboards and chalk) provided by UNAMID Police.

The United States and the United Nations during the 113 th Congress

Post-2015 Development Agenda In 2000, all UN member states committed to the eight UN Millennium Development Goals, which aim to significantly reduce extreme poverty and disease, put the world on the path to greater environmental sustainability, and enhance international coordination around development by 2015.

The first and only international framework for improving the human condition of the world’s poor, the MDGs have made a huge impact in the lives of billions, but action must be accelerated in order for the world to achieve such targets by 2015 and beyond. Broadly, the MDGs commit the international community to: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger Achieve universal primary education

Improve maternal health Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases

Promote gender equality and empower women

Ensure environmental sustainability

Reduce child mortality

Develop a global partnership for development

With the MDGs’ target date fast approaching, discussion of what should succeed them—known as the “Post-2015 development agenda”— is one of the most important and impactful debates in international diplomacy today. Inside the UN, 193 countries are working to agree on a set of development goals that will enable the world’s seven billion-plus people to live lives of dignity without undermining the future of the planet. Governments seek to agree on an agenda that both builds on the successes of the current MDGs and takes into account many of the new global challenges that have arisen since 2000—all while considering inputs from civil society, business leaders, and other key stakeholders. Thus far, ending extreme poverty (defined as living under $1.25/day) has emerged as a central objective of the post-2015 development agenda, but to what extent environmental issues like climate change will also be tackled is still up for debate.

While formal intergovernmental negotiations to decide the agenda will be launched in September 2014, several processes are already underway. A member state working group has been exploring potential priority areas for the post-2015 agenda, and it will negotiate and deliver a report of recommendations in September 2014. An Intergovernmental Committee of Experts on Sustainable Development Financing is also expected to deliver its recommendations on the implementation aspects of sustainable development. A High-Level Political Forum, a mechanism agreed upon at the Rio+20 Conference in June 2012, will serve as the monitoring body to ensure regular reviews on the follow up and implementation of commitments toward sustainable development.

The UN Secretary-General will deliver a synthesis report of available inputs by the end of 2014, and in September 2015, heads of state and government will meet at a summit to adopt the new agenda.

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2014 Briefing Book update

Human Rights Council The UN Human Rights Council is an intergovernmental body made up of 47 member states responsible for promoting and protecting human rights around the world. Established by the UN General Assembly in June 2006, the Human Rights Council replaced an earlier UN human rights body which had been criticized as ineffective and politicized. Initially, the United States declined to run for a seat on the new body, and in its early years the Council struggled to fulfill its mandate.

In 2009, however, the U.S. changed course, successfully running for a seat on the Council with the goal of changing the body’s dynamics. In 2012, following an exceptionally active first term, the U.S. ran for and was overwhelmingly elected to a second three-year term by the General Assembly.

U.S. membership on the Council has produced tangible, positive outcomes on a number of core American foreign policy objectives recently. For example: • The Council established a Commission of Inquiry (COI) to investigate human rights violations in North Korea. In February 2014, the Commission released a 400-page report— unprecedented in scope—accusing the North Korean regime of a wide range of crimes against humanity, including murder, torture, rape, enslavement, forced abortions, and knowingly causing prolonged starvation. The report called on the Security Council to refer North Korea to the International Criminal Court and adopt targeted sanctions against North Korean officials.

• The Council established a COI on the human rights situation in Syria, which has helped gather evidence against specific individuals for their involvement in crimes against humanity. In March 2014, the head of the COI stated that this “perpetrators list” includes the heads of Syrian government detention facilities and intelligence branches involved in torture, military commanders and leaders of armed groups who target civilians, and officials overseeing airports from where barrel bomb attacks are launched, among other violators.

The evidence gathered against these individuals could eventually be used in prosecutions, should they be brought to trial.

• The U.S. worked with other Council members to establish a special rapporteur to scrutinize the human rights situation in Iran. The special rapporteur’s March 2014 report detailed how Iran continues to arbitrarily detain individuals “for peacefully exercising their fundamental rights to expression, association, assembly, belief and religion,” and subject them to torture and other forms of inhumane treatment. The report also expressed alarm about a recent rise in executions in Iran, recording 687 executions, including 57 public hangings, as having taken place in Iran in 2013 alone.

• The efforts of the U.S., other UN member states, and civil society groups in opposing the candidacies of Sudan, Iran, and Syria for seats on the Council led to these states withdrawing from Council elections in the face of certain defeat.

• Council membership has aided U.S. efforts to normalize Israel’s treatment at the UN. While there is still an inordinate amount of focus on Israel in some parts of the UN system, the proportion of Israel-specific resolutions in the Council has declined. In 2014, Israel also officially joined a key UN regional group in Geneva, where the Council is based. This will provide a new platform for Israel to pursue its interests and collaborate with relevant partners in the Council.

• In September 2013, the Council unanimously adopted a resolution creating a mechanism to “prevent and eliminate” child, early, and forced marriage.

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The Better World Campaign (BWC) works to strengthen the relationship between the United States and the United Nations through outreach, communications, and advocacy. It encourages U.S. leadership to enhance the UN’s ability to carry out its invaluable international work on behalf of peace, progress, freedom, and justice. In these efforts, BWC engages policymakers, the media, and the American public to increase awareness of and support for the United Nations. For more information, visit www.BetterWorldCampaign.org.

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