Recognizing the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations.

IV 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. RES. 1024 Recognizing the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JUNE 25, 2020 Ms. LEE of California (for herself, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. MCGOVERN, Ms. BASS, Mr. COSTA, Mr. CASE, Mr. HASTINGS, Mr. RUSH, Mr. CARSON of Indi- ana, Mr. GARAMENDI, Ms. JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. CONNOLLY, Mr. COHEN, Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ, Mr. DEFAZIO, Ms. WILD, Mr. TRONE, Ms. MENG, Ms. NORTON, Mrs. LEE of Nevada, Mr. RASKIN, and Mr. HUFFMAN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs RESOLUTION Recognizing the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations. Whereas President Franklin Delano Roosevelt coined the phrase ‘‘United Nations’’ in January 1942; Whereas 50 countries met in San Francisco to draw up the Charter of the United Nations in 1945; Whereas, on June 26, 1945, the Charter of the United Na- tions was signed in San Francisco at the conclusion of the United Nations Conference on International Organi- zation, and came into force on October 24, 1945; Whereas, June 26, 2020, marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations; VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:59 Jun 26, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1024.IH HR1024 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 1024 IH Whereas, on September 10, 1948, the United Nations Gen- eral Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which is the cornerstone for modern-day human rights and the world’s most translated document; Whereas, in September 1960, 17 newly independent coun- tries, including 16 from Africa, joined the United Na- tions, marking the biggest increase in membership in any one year; Whereas the United Nations has greatly contributed to inter- national peace and security; Whereas the United Nations has provided a forum for the achievement of international cooperation to address inter- national economic, social, cultural, and humanitarian problems, including promoting cooperation on climate change, supporting human rights, and combating human trafficking; Whereas, since 1948, the United Nations has deployed 71 peacekeeping and observation missions in some of the world’s most complex regions and countries, including in Cambodia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Liberia, Cote d’Ivoire, Kosovo, Mozambique, Namibia, Tajikistan, and Timor-Leste; Whereas the United Nations peacekeeping missions have been charged with mandates to stabilize conflict zones after a cease-fire, assist in the implementation of comprehensive peace agreements, protect civilians from violence, facili- tate delivery of humanitarian assistance to vulnerable communities, and the creation of stable governing institu- tions in fragile states; Whereas the United Nations peacekeepers played an instru- mental role in stabilizing Liberia following two dev- VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:59 Jun 26, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1024.IH HR1024 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 1024 IH astating civil wars, paving the way in 2018 for the first peaceful transition of power between democratically elect- ed Presidents in the country since 1944; Whereas the United Nations peacekeepers helped to avert a genocide in the Central African Republic, continue to protect tens of thousands of civilians from ethnic and po- litical violence in South Sudan, provide security to health workers battling the second largest Ebola outbreak in history in eastern Congo, and play an important role in ensuring that calm and stability prevail along the Israel- Lebanon border; Whereas, in 2006, under the leadership of the United Na- tions, member nations adopted the first-ever global strat- egy to counter terrorism and subsequently other global agreements, including agreements against hostage taking, aircraft hijacking, terrorism bombings, and terrorism fi- nancing; Whereas the United States has used its permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council to push for the adoption of multilateral sanctions, including asset freezes, travel bans, arms embargoes, trade restrictions, and other measures, against terrorist organizations like al- Qaida, ISIS, and rogue states that seek to obtain weap- ons of mass destruction, like North Korea; Whereas the United Nations has provided electoral assistance to more than 100 countries and helped facilitate the transition to democracy in these countries, observing landmark elections in Cambodia, El Salvador, South Afri- ca, Mozambique, Timor-Leste, Liberia, Iraq, Nepal, Af- ghanistan, and Sierra Leone; VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:59 Jun 26, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1024.IH HR1024 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 4 •HRES 1024 IH Whereas the United Nations adopted the 17 Sustainable De- velopment Goals in September 2015, requiring member nations to commit to eradicating extreme poverty, fight- ing inequality, empowering women and girls, protecting natural resources, improving governance, and encour- aging sustainable and inclusive economic growth; Whereas the United Nations has played a critical role in im- proving global public health, including through the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS; Whereas the World Health Organization, a United Nations specialized agency, serves as a multilateral coordinating body responsible for monitoring and leading the response to outbreaks of infectious disease, spearheading vaccina- tion efforts, and developing campaigns to combat life- threatening illnesses like polio and malaria; Whereas the World Health Organization played a central role in the eradication of smallpox in 1979, to date the only human disease ever to be eradicated; Whereas the United Nations Population Fund aims to end unmet need for family planning, end preventable mater- nal deaths, and end gender-based violence and harmful practices such as child marriage and female genital muti- lation by 2030 in all countries, including those affected by conflict and disaster; Whereas the United Nations Population Fund has helped re- duce maternal mortality by half since 1990; Whereas the United Nations Children’s Fund is active in 190 countries and territories to reach the children and young people in greatest need; Whereas the United Nations World Food Program reaches more than 86,000,000 people in 83 countries annually; VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:59 Jun 26, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1024.IH HR1024 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 5 •HRES 1024 IH Whereas today, with global population displacement at the highest level recorded since World War II, the World Food Program, together with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, United Nations Children’s Fund, and other United Nations agencies, is feeding, clothing, and sheltering millions from Syria to Iraq to the Central African Republic and beyond; Whereas in Yemen, which has been on the brink of famine for several years and where 80 percent of the population relies on humanitarian aid to survive, United Nations agencies are working to reach 12,000,000 people each month with food and nutritional assistance, respond to a cholera epidemic that has sickened nearly 1,000,000 peo- ple since January 2018, rehabilitate irrigation systems and provide agricultural inputs to increase domestic food production, and provide reproductive health care and safe delivery services to women; Whereas the United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen, Mar- tin Griffiths, is working to broker a diplomatic solution to the conflict and organized the first direct talks be- tween the Yemeni Government and Houthis in December 2018, resulting in an agreement for a cease-fire and mili- tary redeployment from the port of Hodeidah; Whereas the Office of the United Nations High Commis- sioner for Human Rights plays a leading role in helping to elevate and advance human rights throughout the world; Whereas, in recent years, the Office of the High Commis- sioner has aided efforts to uncover and report on abuses in Syria, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, Sri Lanka, Yemen, Myanmar, Iraq, Belarus, and a host of other countries; VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:59 Jun 26, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1024.IH HR1024 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 6 •HRES 1024 IH Whereas these types of activities help raise public awareness of human rights violations, magnify the voices of dis- sidents and civil society organizations on the ground, and provide a tool for pressuring repressive governments and holding abusers accountable; Whereas United Nations Secretary General Anto´nio Guterres has implemented key reforms, and continues to be com- mitted to instituting necessary reforms to improve the ef- fectiveness of the United Nations and strengthen over- sight; Whereas 2020 marks the start of the decade of action and delivery for the Sustainable Development Goals, major conferences on climate change, biodiversity, nuclear non- proliferation and health, the 25th anniversary of the landmark Beijing World Conference on Women, the 20th anniversary of United Nations Security Council Resolu- tion 1325, and the 10th anniversary of United Nations Women, among others; Whereas the United Nations remains an indispensable part- ner for the United States as Congress works to protect our national security and foreign policy interests around the world; Whereas the United Nations conducts business with numer- ous United States corporations and organizations and in 2014 awarded United States businesses with $555,500,000 in contracts; Whereas these contracts were executed in 30 States and more than 100 cities and communities, benefiting hundreds of Americans who work to provide the United Nations a range of critical goods and services, including tele- VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:59 Jun 26, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1024.IH HR1024 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 7 •HRES 1024 IH communications, construction, food production, and mili- tary supplies; and Whereas the participation and leadership by the United States in the United Nations is essential to securing United States interests in international peace and secu- rity: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) recognizes the 75th anniversary of the es- 2 tablishment of the United Nations; 3 (2) recognizes the United Nations for the crit- 4 ical role it plays in maintaining international peace 5 and security; 6 (3) applauds the United Nations for its leader- 7 ship and ongoing efforts in addressing global health 8 crises, including the global fight against HIV/AIDS; 9 (4) applauds the United Nations for its re- 10 sponse to unprecedented humanitarian crises that 11 have resulted in staggering escalation of displace- 12 ments and suffering in countries such as Yemen, 13 Syria, Iraq, South Sudan, Somalia, Central African 14 Republic, and Democratic Republic of the Congo; 15 (5) commends the United Nations for its com- 16 mitment to eradicating extreme poverty and hunger; 17 and 18 (6) urges the President to issue a proclamation 19 calling on the people of the United States to observe 20 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:59 Jun 26, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR1024.IH HR1024 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 8 •HRES 1024 IH the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the 1 United Nations with appropriate ceremonies and ac- 2 tivities. 3 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:59 Jun 26, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR1024.IH HR1024 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS