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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!

# 350:

9:37 am PDT, May 11, David Freiberg, California

# 349:

9:37 am PDT, May 11, Sister Letitia Prentice, Wisconsin

# 348:

9:37 am PDT, May 11, Rodney Vliet, California

# 347:

9:37 am PDT, May 11, Albert Ritchey Jr, Alabama

# 346:

9:37 am PDT, May 11, Barbara Green, Oregon

# 345:

9:37 am PDT, May 11, Neil Freson, New York

# 344:

9:37 am PDT, May 11, James Gordon, California

# 343:

9:37 am PDT, May 11, Elin Defrin, New York
Why is it that we can find money to kill, and not find money to not kill? This is really not the way the US should behave. Aren't we supposed to be a beacon of compassion and democracy?

# 342:

9:37 am PDT, May 11, Georgiana J. Scott, California

# 341:

9:37 am PDT, May 11, Name not displayed, New York

# 340:

9:36 am PDT, May 11, Stephanie Seymour, New Jersey

# 339:

9:36 am PDT, May 11, Joelle O'Bryan, Michigan

# 338:

9:36 am PDT, May 11, Chris MacKrell, California

# 337:

9:36 am PDT, May 11, Name not displayed, Washington
War does not get us PEACE. Only more war and our loved ones and other world citizens dead. I will always be for PEACE. To honor ourselves is to honor our commitment to UN PEACEmaking. Where is our dept. of PEACE? Our energies should be in the making of PEACE. IF we all focused on PEACE then we would be a PEACEful world. When our leaders stop thinking of their first consideration, their pockets, then we can move forward and create PEACE. It is possible to do so w/o making war. I say yes to PEACE! Do you?

# 336:

9:36 am PDT, May 11, Erin Garrison, Texas

# 335:

9:36 am PDT, May 11, Michael Plumer, Washington

# 334:

9:36 am PDT, May 11, Gregory Nerode, New York

# 333:

9:35 am PDT, May 11, Dennis Feichtinger, Michigan

# 332:

9:35 am PDT, May 11, Basey Klopp, California

# 331:

9:35 am PDT, May 11, Kathy Mesch, California

# 330:

9:35 am PDT, May 11, Joanie Fritz Zosike, New York

# 329:

9:35 am PDT, May 11, Carol Broll, New York

# 328:

9:35 am PDT, May 11, Julie Andrzejewski, Minnesota

# 327:

9:35 am PDT, May 11, Scott Philbrook, New York

# 326:

9:35 am PDT, May 11, John Fischer, California

# 325:

9:35 am PDT, May 11, Laura Frazier, North Carolina

# 324:

9:35 am PDT, May 11, Virginia Newsom, Idaho
A show of respect for international work is the very least you can do for those of us who had hoped to travel the rest of the world without bullet proof vests.

# 323:

9:35 am PDT, May 11, Stephanie Bates, Michigan

# 322:

9:35 am PDT, May 11, Robert Livermore, Arizona

# 321:

9:35 am PDT, May 11, Linda Pike, Massachusetts

# 320:

9:35 am PDT, May 11, Tzipora Katz, New Jersey
Peace at any cost is priceless. War is never worth the investment.

# 319:

9:35 am PDT, May 11, Penelope Z. Andrews, North Carolina
The US must honor its commitments to UN peacekeeping. Peace. It's cheaper than war.

# 318:

9:34 am PDT, May 11, William Schmidt, Washington

# 317:

9:34 am PDT, May 11, Holly Gietl, Illinois
We need to support the UN and not just give it lipservice.

# 316:

9:34 am PDT, May 11, Jesse Williams, Colorado

# 315:

9:34 am PDT, May 11, Betsy Strazzarino, California

# 314:

9:34 am PDT, May 11, Katherine Lopez, Pennsylvania

# 313:

9:34 am PDT, May 11, Michel Wingard, Colorado

# 312:

9:34 am PDT, May 11, Susan Schimling, Washington

# 311:

9:34 am PDT, May 11, Rachael Hawkey, Texas

# 310:

9:34 am PDT, May 11, Lisa Henderson, California

# 309:

9:34 am PDT, May 11, Janell Tapia, North Carolina

# 308:

9:33 am PDT, May 11, Tamara Jaffe, Arizona

# 307:

9:33 am PDT, May 11, Kelly O'Donnell, California

# 306:

9:33 am PDT, May 11, May Lane, Minnesota

# 305:

9:33 am PDT, May 11, Tae Campbell, Iowa

# 304:

9:33 am PDT, May 11, Lisa Michelle Medina, Michigan
Billions and billions of dollars spent on war, but $500000000 has to be trimmed from UN Peacekeeping Missions??? Why? Why are we short changing efforts that are actually trying to promote Peace instead of war??? Who are we really? Or, the better question, is who are you people in Congress? Because you're voting for US. Speaking for an entire nation, not just yourselves. Are you war mongers? Or are you Peacemakers? I'd say it's better to have Peace then war. So please honor your commitment to Peace!

# 303:

9:33 am PDT, May 11, PG Bowden, Arkansas
All we are saying, is (you know the rest)...

# 302:

9:33 am PDT, May 11, Christen Schilling, California

# 301:

9:33 am PDT, May 11, Bryce Bermingham, New York
Isn't having a peacefull prosperous society worth more than waging endless wars?

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