Task Force on the United Nations

Short Description:

USIP was directed by Congress in December 2004 to create a Task Force on the United Nations. The task force assessed the extent to which the United Nations is fulfilling the purposes stated in its Charter and recommended an actionable agenda for the United States on the UN. While not an official U.S. government effort, the Task Force was obligated to provide its report to Congress.

How is the United Nations fulfilling its mandate? In December 2004, Congress directed USIP to create a Task Force on the United Nations [1] to assess this vital question and to recommend an actionable agenda.

The Task Force released its findings in a report [2] released in June 2005 and an update [2] released in December 2005.

Featured (HTML):

The Imperative for Action: An Update [3] (PDF, 451KB)
December 2005 | Report
This update tracks the progress of the Task Force and the ongoing issues that must be faced in reforming the United Nations.

Contents: Joint Statement of the Task Force Co-Chairs; Side-by-Side Highlights; Saving Lives, Safeguarding Human Rights, and Ending Genocide; In Need of Repair: Reforming the United Nations; Deterring Death and Destruction: Catastrophic Terrorism and the Proliferation of Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Weapons; War and Peace: Preventing and Ending Conflicts; Helping People and Nations: Development and Humanitarian Assistance.

American Interests and U.N. Reform [4] (PDF, 3MB)
June 2005 | Report
This first report by the Task Force calls for immediate action and attention for reforming the United Nations.

Contents: Foreword, by Newt Gingrich and George Mitchell; American Interests and the United Nations; Saving Lives, Safeguarding Human Rights, and Ending Genocide; In Need of Repair: Reforming the United Nations; Deterring Death and Destruction: Catastrophic Terrorism and the Proliferation of Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Weapons; War and Peace: Preventing and Ending Conflicts; Helping People and Nations: Development and Humanitarian Assistance.

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