Dear Member of Congress,
We, the undersigned organizations, write in support of H. Res. 213, the resolution calling for the
establishment of a United Nations Emergency Peace Service (UNEPS) capable of intervening in
the early stages of crimes against humanity or other humanitarian crises. We urge you to cosponsor and work for passage of the resolution with its champions, Representatives Albert Wynn (D-MD) and James Walsh (R-NY).
In recent years, the international community has been increasingly called upon to respond rapidly and effectively to emerging crises, yet lacks the tools to consistently answer this call. We believe the time has come for a permanent emergency response service, designed to complement the capacity of the United Nations to provide stability, peace, and relief in deadly emergencies. As envisioned, UNEPS would individually recruit, train and employ 12,000 - 18,000 personnel with a wide range of skills, including civilian police, military, judicial experts and relief
professionals. This ensures that missions would not fail due to a lack of skills, equipment,
cohesiveness, experience in resolving conflicts, or gender, national or religious imbalance. The
Service could have special expertise in peacekeeping, conflict resolution, environmental crisis
response and emergency medical relief. Upon Security Council authorization,
UNEPS would be immediately available to respond to a crisis, with first in – first out capabilities.
By intervening in the early stages of urgent situations, UNEPS could help prevent their
escalation into national or regional disasters. It is a tool that the international community
desperately needs in order to fulfill its “responsibility to protect.” Last spring, Chad’s
government requested a U.N. deployment of peacekeepers to slow the spillover of violence from
Darfur. However, while the U.N. struggled to prepare the mission, Chad’s government backed
away from the request.
UNEPS would also help to create a climate of stability so that confidence building measures can
take place. For example, on July 31, 2007 the United Nations Security Council unanimously
authorized the deployment of an African Union - U.N. hybrid peacekeeping force (UNAMID).
Unfortunately, reports indicate the UNAMID will not be fully operational until well after its
December 31, 2007 deadline. If UNEPS were currently in existence, peacekeepers could have
been on their way in days rather than months after the agreement, bringing greater stability to the region and perhaps forestalling a change of heart in Khartoum.
The job of building support and raising funds for each new U.N. peacekeeping mission has been
compared to that of a volunteer fire chief who is forced to raise funds, find volunteers and secure
a fire truck for each new fire. The U.N.’s goals for “rapid deployment” are 30 days for a
“traditional” peacekeeping mission (where all parties agree to allow in peacekeepers) and 90
days for “complex” missions (where spoilers attempt to derail a peace agreement). Unfortunately
the U.N. usually lacks the resources to meet these modest goals and will to need set the bar much higher to make an appreciable difference to the civilians caught in the crossfire of today’s
conflicts.
A United Nations Emergency Peace Service could save millions of lives and billions of dollars,
prevent small conflicts from growing into full-scale wars, and keep fragile states from becoming
failed states. It will also reduce the need to expend U.S. lives and resources while effectively
allowing others to share the burden. More than two-thirds of the American public supports the
U.N. having this capacity. We urge your serious consideration of this important proposal and
hope you will join us in support of H. Res. 213.
Sincerely,
3D Security Initiative
American Public Health Association
Americans for Democratic Action, Inc. (ADA)
Americans for Informed Democracy
Amnesty International USA
Better World Campaign
Center for American Progress
Center for International Policy
Center for War/Peace Studies
Centre for Development of International Law
Church Women United
Citizens for Global Solutions
Civitatis International
CivWorld
COLEAD
Community of Christ
Council for a Livable World
Democracy Coalition Project
Earth Action
ENOUGH
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Foreign Policy in Focus
Fund for Peace
Genocide Intervention Network
Global Action to Prevent War
Global Associates for Health Development
Global Exchange
Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of
Christ
Global Security Institute
Human Rights First
Human Rights Watch
International Crisis Group
International Rescue Committee
Lawyers' Committee on Nuclear Policy
Maryknoll Global Concerns
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
National Association of Social Workers
National Peace Corps Association
National Priorities Project
NETWORK: A Catholic Social Justice Lobby
Nuclear Age Peace Foundation
Peace Action
Physicians for Human Rights
Presbyterian Church, (USA), Washington Office
Rainbow/PUSH Coalition
Refugees International
Save Darfur
Union of Concerned Scientists
Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations
United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries
United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society
United Nations Association of the USA
Universal Human Rights Network
Women’s Action for New Directions
For more information contact Don Kraus, Citizens for Global Solutions at
dkraus@globalsolutions.org or 202-330-4103. Info is also available online at
www.globalsolutions.org/UNEPS
