United Nations Emergency Peace Service Bill Introduced

On March 5^th Representative Albert Wynn of Maryland introduced H.Res.213 in the House of Representatives. This bill, which Citizens for Global Solutions helped to draft, expresses the sense of the House that “a United Nations Emergency Peace Service [UNEPS] capable of intervening in the early stages of a humanitarian crisis could save millions of lives, billions of dollars, and is in the interests of the United States .” Citizens for Global Solutions has been a strong supporter of such a bill from the beginning.

Rep. Wynn introduced a similar bill during the last Congress, but it never left committee. As of March 28^th the new bill has seven cosponsors. Original cosponsors include Rep. Earl Blumenauer [OR-3], Rep. John Conyers Jr. [MI-14], Rep. Barney Frank [MA-4], Rep. Donald Payne [NJ-10], and Rep. James Walsh [NY-25]. Since the initial introduction in the House, both Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson [TX-30] and Rep. Michael McNulty [NY-21] have also become cosponsors. In late February Rep. Wynn and Rep. Walsh sent a “Dear Colleague” letter to members of the House stressing the importance of a United Nations Emergency Peace Service and asking other members to join them as cosponsors of this bill. In the “Dear Colleague” letter, Reps. Wynn and Walsh said, “As humanitarian crises erupt in Darfur, Somalia, and around the world, a rapid deployment force has become critical to global stability and security….The U.N. must have a permanent Emergency Peace Service that is capable of providing stability, peace, and relief in emergencies.” The UNEPS bill has now been referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Citizens for Global Solutions believes that UNEPS is vitally important right now because of the ongoing crises in Darfur, Uganda , the Democratic Republic of Congo, and other countries. These nations need an immediate response from international institutions in order to save lives and prevent full-scale wars. By deploying up to 15,000 civilian, police, judicial, military, and relief professionals within 48 hours, UNEPS would complement- not replace- existing peace operations and bridge the security gap until a coordinated international response takes place. In addition, it would enhance the security of the United States by ensuring that fragile states do not become failed states. UNEPS is a timely and important step in providing the world community with the international emergency service it desperately needs in order to fulfill its “responsibility to protect.”

 

To learn more about UNEPS please visit: http://www.globalsolutions.org/node/560