U.S. Senator Richard G. Lugar (R-in) Holds a Hearing On United Nations Reform

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U.S. Senator Richard G. Lugar (R-in) Holds a Hearing On United Nations Reform

U.S. SENATE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS HOLDS A HEARING ON UNITED NATIONS REFORM

MAY 25, 2006

SPEAKERS: U.S. SENATOR RICHARD G. LUGAR (R-IN) CHAIRMAN U.S. SENATOR CHARLES HAGEL (R-NE) U.S. SENATOR LINCOLN D. CHAFEE (R-RI) U.S. SENATOR GEORGE ALLEN (R-VA) U.S. SENATOR NORM COLEMAN (R-MN) U.S. SENATOR GEORGE V. VOINOVICH (R-OH) U.S. SENATOR LAMAR ALEXANDER (R-TN) U.S. SENATOR JOHN E. SUNUNU (R-NH) U.S. SENATOR LISA MURKOWSKI (R-AK) U.S. SENATOR MEL MARTINEZ (R-FL)

U.S. SENATOR JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR. (D-DE) RANKING MEMBER U.S. SENATOR PAUL S. SARBANES (D-MD) U.S. SENATOR CHRISTOPHER J. DODD (D-CT) U.S. SENATOR JOHN F. KERRY (D-MA) U.S. SENATOR RUSSELL D. FEINGOLD (D-WI) U.S. SENATOR BARBARA BOXER (D-CA) U.S. SENATOR BILL NELSON (D-FL) U.S. SENATOR BARACK OBAMA (D-IL)

WITNESSES: AMBASSADOR JOHN BOLTON, U.S. PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE TO THE UNITED NATIONS

[*] LUGAR: This hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will come to order. The committee meets today to review the progress of reform at the United Nations.

We're pleased to be joined by Ambassador John Bolton, who has been in the middle of the reform debate in New York, and he's working hard to advance reform that will improve the transparency and the efficiency of the United Nations and safeguard against all types of ethical and financial abuses that have occurred in the recent past.

On February 6th, Senator Coleman, Senator Voinovich and I went to the United Nations at the invitation of Ambassador Bolton. He graciously arranged meetings for us with the Security Council, ambassadors in the Group of 77, and other influential representatives.

And during each meeting at the U.N., we stressed that the Foreign Relations Committee remains united in the belief that the United States and the world benefit from an effective United Nations.

We underscored that most Americans want the United Nations to help facilitate international burden-sharing in times of crisis. They want the United Nations to be a consistent and respected forum for diplomatic discussions. And they expect the United Nations to be a positive force in the global fight against poverty, disease and hunger.

But we emphasize that the United Nations will have great difficulty achieving these objectives if its operations are encumbered by waste, corruption and excessive bureaucracy.

Americans are deeply concerned by the oil-for-food scandal and the evolving investigation of kickbacks and rigged contracts in the U.N.'s own procurement division.

The influence and the capabilities possessed by the United Nations come from credibility associated with countries acting together in a well-established forum with well-established rules. Profiteering, mismanagement and bureaucratic stonewalling squander this precious resource.

Prior to our visit, I wrote to Secretary General Kofi Annan advocating the resolute and timely implementation of 10 reforms that would go far to build confidence in the United Nations.

LUGAR: These 10 reforms do not conflict with the U.N. Charter or its mission. They would improve management practices and morale and they would enhance the U.N.'s global standings.

Several of the 10 reforms have already been initiated, including the funding of an Ethics Office that will enforce lower gift limits, the establishment of a zero-tolerance policy regarding sexual exploitation by U.N. personnel, the strengthening of the Office of Internal Oversight Services, the launching of a review of U.N. mandates that are more than five years old, and the creation of a whistleblower protection policy.

A number of the reforms, however, are still being discussed, including an overhaul of the U.N. procurement system to prevent bribes and kickbacks, the establishment of an oversight body that will be able to review the results of investigations, a one-time staff buy-out to allow for a more efficient use of personnel, and improvements in external access to all U.N. documents.

Adoption of these reforms would not end the reform debate, nor should it. Reform cannot be treated like a one-time event. Rather, it should be an inherent part of the United Nations operating culture.

How the United Nations addresses human rights issues is particularly important. The U.N. recently elected a Human Rights Council to replace the discredited Human Rights Commission.

Assistant Secretary of State for International Organizations Kristen Silverberg has said, "On the whole, we think it's an improvement over the commission," end of quote.

Nevertheless, many important U.S. objectives were not achieved with regard to the structure of the council, and the United States declin...

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