In December 2004, at the request of Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA), Congress directed the United States Institute of Peace to establish a Task Force on the United Nations. The 12-member bipartisan Task Force, chaired by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, cooperated with the support of leading public policy organizations to assess reforms that would enable the UN. to better meet the goals of its 1945 charter and offer Congress an actionable agenda to strengthen the UN.
Report recommendations include:
- Addressing urgently needed internal UN management reform by:
- establishing a single, very senior official in charge of daily operations and filling the role of Chief Operating Officer;
- empowering the Secretary General to replace his or her top officials;
- creating an Independent Oversight Board that has the audit powers to prevent another scandal like Oil-for-Food.
- Action by the U.S. government to call upon the UN and its members to "affirm a responsibility of every sovereign government to protect its own citizenry and those within its borders from genocide, mass killing, and massive and sustained human rights violations."
- Abolition of the current UN Human Rights Commission, and establishment of a new Human Rights Council, ideally composed of democracies and dedicated to monitoring, promoting, and enforcing human rights.
The Imperative for Action: An Update (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 (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.
The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s).
PUBLICATION TYPE: Report