IV
105TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. RES. 21
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with respect to with-
holding United States financial support from the United Nations unless
that organization adopts certain reforms.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JANUARY 7, 1997
Mr. STEARNS submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the
Committee on International Relations
RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with
respect to withholding United States financial support
from the United Nations unless that organization adopts
certain reforms.
Whereas the United Nations, for the most part, has ignored
or evaded the clear purpose of section 143 of the Foreign
Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1986 and
1987, as enacted in August of 1985, which required the
United States to reduce its 25 percent share of the gen-
eral United Nations budget to 20 percent unless a
weighted system of voting on budget matters was adopted
by the United Nations and its specialized agencies;
Whereas there is a total lack of accountability of United
States tax dollars allocated to the United Nations, there
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is no reliable way to determine whether the various and
often competing specialized agencies within the United
Nations are accomplishing their objectives, and many
United Nations activities, even if they are of some value,
can be carried out more effectively and efficiently by
other groups;
Whereas the United Nations is overrun with mismanagement;
Whereas United States taxpayers pay 25 percent of the
United Nations budget, plus 31 percent of the budgets of
the specialized agencies of the United Nations, and addi-
tional billions of United States dollars go to the Inter-
national Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and other
United Nations-related lending agencies, where the funds
have been used for dubious United Nations projects;
Whereas the United Nations headquarters in New York City
provides foreign nationals with high-paying, tax-free jobs,
which amount to little more than subsidized positions
that are used at times for espionage activities;
Whereas these jobs are lucrative, the compensation for them
is out of proportion with compensation for similar jobs,
and the numerous perks that accompany the jobs, includ-
ing monthly rent subsidies and tax free education grants,
are costly;
Whereas the recommendations contained in the report issued
in 1993 by the then Under Secretary General for Admin-
istration and Management of the United Nations, Rich-
ard Thornburgh—namely, the establishment of an inspec-
tor general with meaningful authority, a common stand-
ard for accounting, and a code of conduct for senior man-
agement—have been for the most part ignored; and
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Whereas in all, 91 of 185 member countries, including the
United States, are in arrears in their payments to the
United Nations: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved,
SECTION 1. SENSE OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
It is the sense of the House of Representatives that
unless the conditions set forth in section 2 are met, the
United States should withdraw all financial support from
the United Nations and its specialized agencies.
SEC. 2. CONDITIONS.
The conditions referred to in section 1 are the adop-
tion and implementation by the United Nations and its
specialized agencies of all of the following:
(1) A comprehensive, independent audit of the
United Nations and its specialized agencies that is
conducted by an adequately staffed, completely inde-
pendent inspector general who has unrestricted ac-
cess to all records of the United Nations and those
agencies.
(2) An audit of the functions of the United Na-
tions that examines whether some of these functions
can be carried out more efficiently by other organi-
zations or within the private sector.
(3) Prompt and complete implementation of the
recommendations of the audits conducted under
paragraphs (1) and (2).
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(4)(A) The termination of New York City as
the permanent headquarters of the United Nations,
and, with that, the termination of the tax-free lucra-
tive permanent positions within the United Nations
and its specialized agencies.
(B) In lieu of the current headquarters system,
the implementation of a rotating system pursuant to
which member countries host the United Nations for
a limited period of time.
(5)(A) The prior approval by the primary donor
member countries of the peacekeeping operations of
the United Nations.
(B) The more careful definition and more effec-
tive execution of United Nations peacekeeping oper-
ations.
(6) A United Nations that under no cir-
cumstances is granted taxing power or the right to
raise revenues directly.
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