PRESS RELEASE: Broad Group of NGOs Urge Congressional Support for Peacekeeping

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 NGOs representing the peace and conflict resolution community, think tanks, civil rights, faith-based and human rights organizations. Among the groups signing the letter are: Save Darfur, Refugees International, the Center for American Progress, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Presbyterian Church, USA and Human Rights Watch.

H. Res. 213 was introduced by Reps. Albert Wynn (D-MD) and James Walsh (R-NY) and currently has 24 co-sponsors.  In a recent letter to their colleagues in the House, Wynn and Walsh noted, “If the United Nations Peace Service (UNEPS) that we propose were in existence today, the people of Darfur would be already enjoying the protection of a well-trained peacekeeping unit capable of accomplishing its mission.” 

Citizens for Global Solutions Executive Vice President Don Kraus added, “UNEPS is not just about Darfur. It is about preventing future Darfurs from spiraling out of control. If a few more Members of Congress agree to co-sponsor the resolution, we can put it on the agenda of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.”

As proposed by a global coalition of academics, defense specialists and peace organizations, UNEPS would individually recruit, train and employ 12,000 - 18,000 individuals with a wide range of skills, including civilian police, military, judicial experts and relief professionals.  It would be a permanent U.N. integrated mission with expertise in peacekeeping, conflict resolution, environmental crisis response and emergency medical relief. Upon Security Council authorization, UNEPS would be available to respond to a crisis within 48 hours.

Coordinated by Citizens for Global Solutions, a non-partisan foreign policy advocacy organization, the NGO letter states: “In recent years, the international community has been increasingly called upon to respond rapidly and effectively to emerging crises, yet lacks the tools to consistently answer this call. We believe the time has come for a permanent emergency response service, designed to complement the capacity of the United Nations to provide stability, peace, and relief in deadly emergencies.”

In a recent poll conducted by The Chicago Council on Global Affairs and WorldPublicOpinion.org, 72 percent of Americans agreed that the U.N. should have a permanent peacekeeping force. The NGO letter noted this public support and stressed the cost savings and effectiveness that UNEPS promises: “A United Nations Emergency Peace Service could save millions of lives and billions of dollars, prevent small conflicts from growing into full-scale wars, and keep fragile states from becoming failed states. It will also reduce the need to expend U.S. lives and resources while effectively allowing others to share the burden.”  The letter to Congress is available here.

Notes to Editors:
Citizens for Global Solutions is a non-partisan membership organization that envisions a future in which nations work together to abolish war, protect our rights and freedoms, and solve the problems facing humanity that no one nation can solve alone.