Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon recently urged the international community to build the foundations for peace in Somalia by supporting U.N. political efforts and deploying a new multinational force. Endorsing an integrated approach capable of addressing the political, humanitarian, developmental, and security concerns, the Secretary-General acknowledged the need to create an environment in which ...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Earlier this month the United Nations met with its top donor nations in order to fulfill a request for $1.1 billion in additional funding over the next two years, largely to meet the Bush administration’s demand for a more ambitious role for the UN around the world, especially in Afghanistan and Iraq. The United States currently pays for 22 percent of the U.N. administrativ...

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour has announced that she will leave her position when her term ends in June. As United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Arbour has been extraordinary in her courage, energy and integrity in speaking out forcefully on human rights issues. “United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbou...

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- On Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed the Genocide Accountability Act by voice vote.  This move comes on the heels of Senate passage and now goes to President Bush for his approval before it becomes law. Statement of Citizens for Global Solutions Interim Director Raj Purohit: "Citizens for Global Solutions welcomes the...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – More than 50 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) urged Members of Congress today to co-sponsor H. Res. 213, the resolution calling for the establishment of a United Nations Emergency Peace Service (UNEPS). As envisioned, UNEPS would be capable of intervening in the early stages of civil conflicts, genocides or other humanitarian crises. Signatories include an array of NGO...

New:  Dec 3, 2007 - 54 organizations representing the peace and conflict resolution community, think tanks, civil rights, faith-based and human rights organizations send letter to Congress urging support for UNEPS.  What is the United Nations Emergency Peace Service? In order to address ever-increasing needs for the international community to respond rapidly and effectively to emerging c...

Washington, D.C. – President Bush’s nominee for Attorney General of the United States, Judge Michael Mukasey, in both his oral testimony and in follow up written statements to the Senate Judiciary Committee, refused to say whether waterboarding violates U.S. and international laws against torture.  Statement of Citizens for Global Solutions Interim Director Raj Purohit: “Citizens for ...

Interim Discussion Report: Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty In August 2006, WFI director Scott Hoffman sent the WFI Fellows Forum a brief query regarding the NPT and the future of nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament. In September, a second ...

The Chautauqua Declaration Last week an unprecedented gathering of international war crimes prosecutors met with little fanfare (and even less media coverage) in Chautauqua, New York. These nine men sounded an international clarion call to end impunity by perpetrators of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in drafting, signing and releasing...

United Nations - With the unchecked violence in Darfur exposing the United Nations’ continued inability to respond quickly to unfolding crises, several members of Congress have joined an international coalition of nongovernmental organizations in calling for a standing emergency peacekeeping force. The envisioned U.N. Emergency Peace Service would be 15,000 to 18,000 strong and include not on...