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Tell Congress: Honor our Commitments to UN Peacekeeping!

Sponsored by: Better World Campaign

Global spending on war is staggering, but UN peacekeeping is helping to maintain peace, foster reconciliation, promote democracy, and build the foundation for long-term stability in 18 missions around the world.

UN peacekeeping shares the burden of maintaining international peace and security for a fraction of what it would cost the U.S. to do so, while keeping American troops out of harm's way.

But the United States is failing to pay its fair share of UN peacekeeping even though we vote for every mission! The President's budget request this year shortchanges UN peacekeeping by $500 million.

Considering the U.S. has already accumulated $500 million in prior unpaid bills to UN peacekeeping alone, the United States could owe more than $1 billion to the United Nations by the end of 2007 a small fraction of the $168 BILLION that will be spent on wars in Iraq and Afghanistan this year!

Sign the petition below telling Congress to honor its commitments to UN peacekeeping. Peace. It's cheaper than war.

deadline: 5-6-2008
goal: 30,000

31,943
signatures!

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Success! Due to efforts from people like you, the United States Congress increased funding for UN Peacekeeping by $195 million for 2008. Thank you for making a difference! Please click here for more petitions.

Dear Members of Congress,

War and hostility are far too prevalent in today's world, exacting a huge economic, moral, and human cost. In contrast, the price of peace is a fraction of the cost of war. I strongly support UN peacekeeping as a fair and effective means of sharing the burdens for international security and stability. No nation should have to bear every burden, pay every bill, or take every risk; I urge you to act now to fully fund our promised contributions to the UN.

Today, the UN oversees a record 18 peacekeeping missions around the world, including in some of the world's most dangerous places, such as Sudan, Lebanon, Congo, and Haiti, all of which are critical to our national and international security, and the U.S. votes to approve.

The UN's lifesaving peace missions are in jeopardy because donor countries are not living up to their commitments to support UN peacekeeping, particularly the U.S. Growing shortfalls in U.S. contributions, policy restrictions, and long-standing unpaid bills threaten to put the United States more than $1 billion behind in peacekeeping obligations. Shortchanging UN peacekeeping has real impacts, forcing the UN to cobble together the necessary means for deployment and discouraging other countries from contributing their fair share of resources.

I urge you to take a leading role in fulfilling U.S. commitments to UN peacekeeping by increasing funding to the Contributions to International Peacekeeping Activities (CIPA) account by $500 million in the fiscal year 2008 appropriation process. The U.S. should also take steps to pay off prior U.S. arrears. Investing in peace serves our country better than paying for the soaring costs of war.

[Your comment]

Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your address]

We signed the “Tell Congress: Honor our Commitments to UN Peacekeeping!” petition!

# 31,600:

12:55 am PDT, Jun 22, Lynda LaSage, California

# 31,599:

12:49 am PDT, Jun 22, Dan Ford, New York

# 31,598:

10:56 pm PDT, Jun 21, Perri Pyle, Texas

# 31,597:

10:52 pm PDT, Jun 21, Name not displayed, France
peace, help us all.

# 31,596:

10:41 pm PDT, Jun 21, Marie-Claude Demers, Canada

# 31,595:

9:58 pm PDT, Jun 21, Pamela Boland, Georgia

# 31,594:

9:53 pm PDT, Jun 21, Lawrence Goldberg, California

# 31,593:

9:29 pm PDT, Jun 21, Leeza Monge, Colorado

# 31,592:

9:15 pm PDT, Jun 21, D. Iris Thor, New York

# 31,591:

9:04 pm PDT, Jun 21, Richard Martin, Nevada

# 31,590:

8:44 pm PDT, Jun 21, Jenny Eaton, Oregon

# 31,589:

8:33 pm PDT, Jun 21, Libbie Hambleton, Florida

# 31,588:

8:32 pm PDT, Jun 21, Maralee Ash, Maryland
Hey, we are a country after prosperity, so remember, "Blessed are the Peacemakers". Besides the difference in the cost of Peace and War there is the the fact that you really can't think of more than one thing at a time. If we promote positive, peaceful solutions to people around the World, including here, they are more likely to look for those things themselves and not become enemical to those countries who are helping them in their time of need. Project Reality, you know, "The Secret"....it works.....when we cheat others, we cheat ourselves...shame on us

# 31,587:

8:14 pm PDT, Jun 21, Elaine Mccall, Georgia
because it is our word

# 31,586:

8:13 pm PDT, Jun 21, Mary Maul, West Virginia
We need to contribute to supporting the UN "peacekeepers" program, so invaluable to worldwide stability & progress!

# 31,585:

8:08 pm PDT, Jun 21, Melanie Dorson, California

# 31,584:

8:00 pm PDT, Jun 21, Cynthia Rogan de Ramirez, Colorado
Peace is not just a buzzword: it makes a real difference in quality of life for us all (and for our children (and for our children's children)).

# 31,583:

7:53 pm PDT, Jun 21, Name not displayed, Washington
Use taxes for peace, not war!

# 31,582:

7:49 pm PDT, Jun 21, Name not displayed, Florida

# 31,581:

7:47 pm PDT, Jun 21, Robert Delirio, Italy

# 31,580:

7:39 pm PDT, Jun 21, Jennifer Koeller, Connecticut

# 31,579:

7:35 pm PDT, Jun 21, J. Huston, California

# 31,578:

7:13 pm PDT, Jun 21, Meribeth Bowden, Rhode Island
The UN has helped keep stability in the worl. The US needs to honor its commitment to the UN.

# 31,577:

7:10 pm PDT, Jun 21, Name not displayed, Pennsylvania

# 31,576:

6:41 pm PDT, Jun 21, Mark Diekmann, New Jersey
Diplomacy is the answer to resolving the differences that still divide the many peoples of this planet. War only exacerbates the problems for one and all; it creates more walls that have to be scaled over or torn down later. Let's spend just one tenth of what we spend on the military-industrial complex on peaceful solutions to world issues and we will see ten times the results.

# 31,575:

6:27 pm PDT, Jun 21, Diane Loomis Maliepaard, Michigan
The United Nations ideals should be ours as well. It is time to stop "warring" our way to peace.(After all we have seen that doesn't work.) We must promote fairness and peace in the world by example and support.

# 31,574:

6:05 pm PDT, Jun 21, Name not displayed, California

# 31,573:

5:57 pm PDT, Jun 21, Sigrid Kenkel, Florida
Keeping peace in the world should be one of the greatest values and goals of every nation, particularly of a rich and influential country like America. Every - financial -contribution to this goal should be of honor to the state, and not keeping promises made to help keeping peace is disreputable and undignified. Owing the United Nations money for peacekeeping is shameful. America needs to put this in order to be able to look into the face of all innocent people in the world living and dying in wars that America could help to avoid.

# 31,572:

5:43 pm PDT, Jun 21, Tracey Papiernik, Virginia

# 31,571:

5:34 pm PDT, Jun 21, Maia Grunert, California

# 31,570:

5:30 pm PDT, Jun 21, Yvonne Horgeshimer, California
too many things are funding the war and not enough thought for peace and the needs of those involved

# 31,569:

5:22 pm PDT, Jun 21, Name not displayed, Rhode Island

# 31,568:

5:18 pm PDT, Jun 21, Carol Sinclair, Washington
The U.N. often covers for a U.S. government who comes up short in sending a good amount of peacekeepers. Pay your UN bills, Uncle Sam!

# 31,567:

5:09 pm PDT, Jun 21, Richard Wahl, Arizona

# 31,566:

5:04 pm PDT, Jun 21, Mary Thorman, Ohio
Prevention ... better than the violence of war. Contribute to prevention.

# 31,565:

5:01 pm PDT, Jun 21, Jerry Cantrell, Tennessee

# 31,564:

5:01 pm PDT, Jun 21, Jerry Swaim, Ohio
The US loves to talk about peace. Why don't we support the international efforts of the UN to keep it? It's hypocrisy to vote for these measures and then not fund them when we easily could.

# 31,563:

4:55 pm PDT, Jun 21, Sheila Claus, California
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God." Jesus

# 31,562:

4:47 pm PDT, Jun 21, Mike Antone, Arizona

# 31,561:

4:34 pm PDT, Jun 21, M. Wood, Hawaii
I personally do not think we should be there in the first place however we are and we should at least help pay for it. We are the reason there is a war in the first place.

# 31,560:

4:25 pm PDT, Jun 21, M. Lynne Smouse, Oregon
We have lost much respect in the global community. When we honor our U.N. commitments, that will be a great step in helping us regain integrity as part of the global community.

# 31,559:

4:18 pm PDT, Jun 21, Cristina Corson, Maine
Help the people that need help!

# 31,558:

3:42 pm PDT, Jun 21, Adam Wood, Wisconsin
We need to lead by example, not bully the world around with our might.

# 31,557:

3:37 pm PDT, Jun 21, Jen Kruse, Arizona

# 31,556:

3:34 pm PDT, Jun 21, Donovan Wheless, Maryland

# 31,555:

3:33 pm PDT, Jun 21, Fern Libow, New Jersey

# 31,554:

3:19 pm PDT, Jun 21, Name not displayed, Minnesota
Definitely, peace is cheaper and moral compared to war. Plus, how about make the scummy Republicans pay the whole war bill. I think that because they wanted it, they should pay for it.

# 31,553:

3:19 pm PDT, Jun 21, Cynthia Hoel, Vermont

# 31,552:

3:06 pm PDT, Jun 21, Anita Zeidler, Wisconsin

# 31,551:

2:58 pm PDT, Jun 21, Maryann Alukonis, Rhode Island
Peace is the answer.

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