Washington, D.C. (Dec. 14, 2009) — United Nations Foundation President Timothy E. Wirth issued the following statement on the Obama Administration’s fiscal year 2010 budget request delivered to Congress today:
“By requesting full U.S. funding for the United Nations and affiliated international organizations in its fiscal year 2010 budget request, the Obama Administration is signaling its strong support for multilateral diplomacy and its commitment to paying these bills upfront and on time. It is time to move away from the practice of using supplemental appropriations funding cycles to pay these bills, causing late payments that disrupt and undermine the efficacy of these important global institutions.
“Full U.S. support of our UN commitments is more than an obligation; it’s a smart investment. UN peacekeeping and stabilization missions shore up security in some of the world’s most precarious places at a fraction of what it would cost the U.S. to send its own troops.
“These funds also will enable the steadfast work of UN agencies such as the World Health Organization—which is providing expert guidance to the international community during the ongoing swine flu crisis—and the FAO, whose work stabilizes and supports the community of nearly billion people living on less than $1 a day.
“In an era in which some of the great global challenges are truly ‘problems without passports,’ this budget restores multilateral diplomacy as the central part of U.S. foreign policy.
“I am confident that, if granted, the Administration’s request will support President Obama’s ambitious global agenda at the UN and beyond.”
About the Better World Campaign
The Better World Campaign works to foster a strong relationship between the U.S. and the UN to promote core American interests and build a more secure, prosperous, and healthy world. The Better World Campaign engages policymakers, the media, and the American public alike to increase awareness of the critical role played by the UN in world affairs and the importance of constructive U.S.-UN relations.
About the United Nations Foundation
The UN Foundation, a public charity, was created in 1998 with entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner’s historic $1 billion gift to support UN causes and activities. The UN Foundation is an advocate for the UN and a platform for connecting people, ideas, and resources to help the United Nations solve global problems. We build partnerships, grow constituencies, mobilize resources and advocate policy changes to support the UN’s work for individual and global progress. The UN Foundation’s work – focused on select global problems – is decreasing child mortality, improving disaster relief, protecting diverse cultures and environments, creating a clean energy future, empowering women and girls, and improving U.S.-UN relations. For more information, visit www.unfoundation.org.
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