1996
Call Your Senators and Representative
at (202)224-3121
and President Clinton
at (202)456-1111
Let Washington Know You Care About the UN!
The UN faces collapse because many member states have not paid their full dues assessments, owed as a treaty obligation. On December 31, 1995, these debts totalled $2.3 billion. The U.S. is the largest dead-beat nation currently owing $1.5 billion in back dues. The UN will be completely out of cash in just a few months and may then be forced to close its doors. This would be a terrible setback in efforts toward peace, human rights and social well-being for all peoples.
The UN's operating costs are surprisingly small. The current U.S. share of the regular UN budget--$321 million--is only a fiftieth of 1% of federal spending and less than 1% of New York City's annual outlays. The cost of the total UN system, including peace-keeping, health care, human rights, programs for children and women, food and humanitarian relief, comes to less than $10 billion per year--just $2 for each person on earth. By contrast, countries spent $36 billion in 1994 on the global arms trade and $850 billion on military forces.
THE UNITED NATIONS IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THESE BENEFITS:
- Peace Promoting Activities
- UNICEF Childrens Fund
- Outer Space Treaty
- World Weather Watch
- Education - Skills - Textbooks - Meals
- Cancer Research
- Radio and TV Regulation
- Global Action on Crime
- International Mail
- Protection of Patents & Copyrights
- Environmental Agreements
- Refugee and Crisis Relief
- Drug Control Fund
PLUS MORE!
Today 90% of war casualties are civilians, last year alone there were 39 wars, with at least 1,000 casualties. The UN's Peace-keeping and demining operations are essential to the world. Without a strong UN in the world we bequeath to our children, our children will suffer ever-greater violence and misery.