UNA-USA MEMBERSHIP E-NEWS -- Washington Edition
September 21, 2007
Opening of 62nd General Assembly
Bush Nominates Congressional Delegates; Administration Holds Briefings
Last week, President Bush nominated Reps. Bill Delahunt (D-MA) and Ted Poe (R-TX) to serve as congressional representatives on the US delegation to the 62nd session of the General Assembly, which opened on September 18th. Bush also nominated former New York Governor George Pataki, Kelly Knight, and Rodger Young to serve as public delegates. Find more information by clicking here.
President Bush will attend the UN's high-level meeting on climate change next Monday and will address the General Assembly on Tuesday. The White House held a press briefing today in advance of his trip. During the briefing, Senior Director for International Organizations on the National Security Council Michael Kozak noted that the President "believes that the UN plays a vital role in the world" and said that the President plans to discuss with top UN officials the importance of "full implementation" of ethics and transparency reforms and the need to "promptly" improve the work of the Human Rights Council. To read the full briefing, click here.
Also today, Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs Kristen Silverberg briefed the press about Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's visit next week to the United Nations and general US-UN issues. For a transcript, click here.
UN Funding
Senate Passes UN Spending Bill; UNFPA Funds Withheld
As we mentioned briefly in our last e-newsletter, the Senate two weeks ago adopted its FY08 appropriations bill containing US contributions to the UN system. While the bill increases the President's budget request for UN peacekeeping and assessed and voluntary contributions to international organizations, including the United Nations, it also contains several amendments that may lead to the withholding of UN funding. For a detailed summary of UN aspects of the bill, click here. Within this article are links to several votes on UN amendments. Please take a minute to let your Senators know how you feel about their votes -- you can call them by asking the Capitol Hill operator (202.224.3121) to connect you with their office, or click here and e-mail them.
Administration Again Announces UNFPA Withholding
For the sixth consecutive year, the Bush administration has decided to block congressionally-appropriated funding for the UN Population Fund (UNFPA). In informing Congress of its decision two weeks ago, the Administration explained that it was withholding the $34 million appropriated for UNFPA in FY07 because it believed the agency was indirectly supporting coercive Chinese government family planning policies. For more information, click here.
If you are interested in helping to compensate for the US decision to defund UNFPA, please visit the 34 Million Friends Campaign.
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
"Stand Up" for the MDGs!
On October 17th, millions of people around the world will help raise awareness about the MDGs by attempting to set an official Guinness World Record by simultaneously "standing up" against poverty. Just last year, 23.5 million people "stood up" to remind their governments to keep their promises to achieve the MDGs. Help break last year's record by visiting www.standagainstpoverty.org to find, or organize, "stand up" events in your area.
Treaty for the Rights of Women (CEDAW)
Help Support Basic Human Rights for Women Around the World!
Next week, individuals across the country will be meeting with their Senators to build support for US ratification of CEDAW, the most comprehensive international agreement promoting basic human rights for women. The United States is nearly alone in failing to ratify CEDAW - help urge the Senate to allow the United States to join the rest of the world in supporting this important tool for women's rights. ACT NOW to join a delegation for an already-scheduled meeting near you by clicking here.
Featured Bills and Resolutions
One of the newest sections of our website spotlights UN-related bills and resolutions introduced during the current Congress that directly impact the issues on the annual UNA-USA advocacy agenda and substantive resolutions adopted at our Biennial National Conventions. It is designed to provide you with detailed and updated information on important legislation impacting US-UN relations as it moves through Congress. To view our Featured Bills and Resolutions, click here .
