“I’m honored to have been nominated for this position,” said Delahunt. “This is a critical time for the U.S. at the UN, and I will do what I can to advance our interests there.”
Delahunt chairs the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights, and Oversight, the panel which has direct jurisdiction over U.S. involvement in the UN. Among his priorities at this UNGA, Delahunt said, would be promoting a coherent, global response to climate change; supporting efforts to streamline and improve the effectiveness of UN peacekeeping; furthering women’s rights, especially in conflict zones; and calling for continued effective UN involvement in election efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“The UN has shown time and time again that it is the pre-eminent international body for dealing with issues that no single country – not even the U.S. – can deal with on its own,” said Delahunt. “The fact is that if the UN didn’t exist, the U.S. would be called upon to address some of these issues – at a substantial increase in cost to Americans.”
As an example, Delahunt pointed to the UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti. A study he commissioned from the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that if the current UN peacekeeping mission there was replaced by a U.S.-only effort of the same size, the subsequent cost to U.S. taxpayers would be eight times as much as America currently contributes to the UN effort. “I am not blind to the UN’s failings,” Delahunt said, “but as this example shows, the UN is a cost-effective way to deal with problems that otherwise the U.S. might be called upon to resolve.”
Every year, two serving Members of Congress or Senators are selected by the Congressional leadership, nominated by the President, and confirmed by the Senate to serve concurrently as delegates to the UN General Assembly. Delahunt’s partner in this year’s efforts is Representative Christopher Smith of New Jersey, who is the senior Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health.
This week’s events will include a speech by President Obama to the UN General Assembly; meetings between Congressman Delahunt and foreign delegations to the UN; and a UN Security Council session chaired by President Obama.
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