United States Funding of the United Nations

Funding the UN: A Small Price For Peace

The United States needs to foster broad-based international cooperation to address the challenges of an increasingly complex and dangerous world.  Key issues on the international agenda make it clear that the U.S. cannot bear all the costs or risks of international peace and security—from stabilizing the Middle East, to ending the genocide in Darfur, or reaching international consensus on combating global climate change.  

The primary way in which the United States can increase engagement and cooperation at the international level is to work closely with international organizations.  Celebrating its 65th year, the United Nations has served as a pivotal mechanism for international collaboration regarding current global challenges.  For example, in 2008, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is able to provide basic immunization to 56 percent of the world’s children.  As climate change continues to be a pressing concern, the efforts of the U.N. help to alleviate the costs of developing clean and renewable energy sources through the Climate Convention.
 
It is not possible for the United States to act unilaterally in order to address the many pressing issues today such as terrorism, climate change, poverty, and peacekeeping.   One of President Obama’s FY 2010 priorities included enabling “the United States Government to…double U.S. foreign assistance by 2015.”  The primary manner through which to channel this objective is to revitalize the U.S. relationship with the United Nations.  A renewed partnership will allow the U.N. to tackle the difficult global problems we all face and bolster US diplomatic relationships.  In order to develop the relationship, the U.S. must act as a fully-engaged partner.  As Susan Rice, Ambassador to the U.N., stated, “We [the U.S.] must fulfill our financial obligations while insisting on effective accountability.”

To learn more, please click on the following links:

Debt to International Organizations

Debt to International Peacekeeping

Recommendations

For more information, please contact Abigail Long, Programs Coordinator, at Citizens for Global Solutions, at 202-546-3950 x 105 or along[at]globalsolutions.org or Don Kraus, CEO, at Citizens for Global Solutions, dkraus[at]globalsolutions.org (202) 546-3950 x 103.