Last week, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee convened for the confirmation hearing of Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), nominated to serve as the next U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. The hearing offered insights into Rep. Stefanik’s perspectives on U.S. leadership at the UN, the organization’s effectiveness and challenges she hopes to tackle while serving as America’s leading voice in the world’s biggest diplomatic arena.
While many anticipated topics took center stage – concerns over China’s expanding global influence and the urgent need to address ongoing crises in the Middle East, Sudan and Haiti – a message of UN reform permeated the discourse. “To increase the efficacy of UN programs, we must drive reform,” Rep. Stefanik stated.
Three key areas of reform were especially notable in her remarks, summarized below.
American Leadership
“Frankly, the world is looking for us to lead,” she said. “That is an important tool in our national security toolkit.” Stressing that the U.S. must maintain our position in the decision-making spaces of the UN, Rep. Stefanik memorably noted, “It’s very important that we stay in those rooms, particularly the technical organizations like telecommunications, intellectual property, civil aviation.” She followed with a commitment to strive to increase the number of U.S. citizens working within the UN system. This includes what she called a “human capital strategy” to counter China’s staffing up, as well as campus-based recruitment programs to bring early-career professionals into the ranks.
“It’s very important that we stay in those rooms, particularly the technical organizations like telecommunications, intellectual property, civil aviation.”
Return on Investment
Among the agencies earning the highest praise from the Ambassador-designate were the World Food Program and UNICEF, which she cited for their alignment with U.S. humanitarian goals and tremendous benefit to “the American people directly… [including] American farmers.” She stated, “The World Food Program is a very successful program. It’s results focused. Its significant voluntary funding piece is a testament to that and the significant bipartisan support. And it is beneficial to America from a natural security perspective but also from an agricultural perspective, business manufacturing perspective and American workforce perspective.” She emphasized that strong American leadership is critical to the success of agencies like the World Food Program, highlighting the value of strong, sustained engagement in the UN.
“The World Food Program is a very successful program. It’s results focused. Its significant voluntary funding piece is a testament to that and the significant bipartisan support.”
Accountability
While acknowledging the promise of the UN, Rep. Stefanik along with several Senators made clear the need to “ensure that our investments [at the UN] represent our values and answer the key questions does it make America safer, stronger, and more prosperous.” For certain Senators, they felt that if UN agencies cannot be reformed, our country should examine whether further contributions and indeed participation in the UN is beneficial to the American people. In her remarks, Rep. Stefanik suggested that the best way to start the process was through conducting a review of all UN agencies and increasing accountability measures at the UN. “Oftentimes the most successful agencies within the UN have transparency, accountability standards, and are led either with strong American leadership or allied countries,” she stated.
“Oftentimes the most successful agencies within the UN have transparency, accountability standards, and are led either with strong American leadership or allied countries.”
As we look ahead to the likely confirmation of Rep. Elise Stefanik in the coming days, we welcome our continued relationship with the U.S. Mission to the United Nations and the “great promise” of the organization when America remains fully engaged.