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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!

# 400:

9:41 am PDT, May 11, Jessica Duggan, Maryland

# 399:

9:41 am PDT, May 11, Marcia Lovelace, California
Our national priorities are insanely reversed. Peace in cheaper than war in all ways--not just financial.

# 398:

9:40 am PDT, May 11, Catherine Smith, Texas

# 397:

9:40 am PDT, May 11, Theresa Tober, North Dakota

# 396:

9:40 am PDT, May 11, Lucy Wynkoop, Washington
If we could put our energy and money into peace making, we'd have something tangibly good for all of us.

# 395:

9:40 am PDT, May 11, Paul Stuart, California

# 394:

9:40 am PDT, May 11, Dana Whitney, Arizona

# 393:

9:40 am PDT, May 11, Maria Butler, Washington

# 392:

9:40 am PDT, May 11, Marvin Scherl, North Carolina

# 391:

9:40 am PDT, May 11, Holly Brown, California

# 390:

9:40 am PDT, May 11, Kelly Kramer, California

# 389:

9:40 am PDT, May 11, Angela Lees, Florida
Was this commitment just another lie?

# 388:

9:40 am PDT, May 11, Sharon Holt, North Carolina

# 387:

9:40 am PDT, May 11, Paul Impola, New York

# 386:

9:40 am PDT, May 11, Melissa Giovanni, California

# 385:

9:40 am PDT, May 11, Laura Redding, California

# 384:

9:40 am PDT, May 11, Brian Wood, Alabama

# 383:

9:39 am PDT, May 11, Janet Morrissey, Maryland

# 382:

9:39 am PDT, May 11, Storm Rise, Washington
Spend the money on something that benefits us all- not destroys us all.

# 381:

9:39 am PDT, May 11, Alphe' Williams, New York

# 380:

9:39 am PDT, May 11, J.b. Quinn, New York

# 379:

9:39 am PDT, May 11, Barbara Aswad, California

# 378:

9:39 am PDT, May 11, David Antos, Illinois

# 377:

9:39 am PDT, May 11, Patrick True, California
Without Peace and Nurturing our children will inherit a FAILED world! There is no alternative!

# 376:

9:39 am PDT, May 11, Cynthia Marugg, California
History has taught us something, I hope.

# 375:

9:39 am PDT, May 11, Betty Conley, New York

# 374:

9:39 am PDT, May 11, Linda Tesser, Connecticut

# 373:

9:39 am PDT, May 11, Jennifer Bunner, Wisconsin

# 372:

9:39 am PDT, May 11, Victoria Wahlman, Kansas

# 371:

9:39 am PDT, May 11, Garrett O'Hara, Kansas

# 370:

9:39 am PDT, May 11, Sachin Mahajan, Illinois

# 369:

9:38 am PDT, May 11, Elizabeth Carey, California

# 368:

9:38 am PDT, May 11, Irene Misconi, Florida
"Honor" our commitments says it all. US "honor" has been compromised by president Bush... 'used to be the "word" of the US meant something noble. The world will remain "suspicious" of US intentions until we can demonstrate, once again, ours is a "word of honor" not political stagecraft.

# 367:

9:38 am PDT, May 11, Olivia Schlosser, Connecticut

# 366:

9:38 am PDT, May 11, Maria Gonzalez, California

# 365:

9:38 am PDT, May 11, Mara McDonald, Wisconsin
Eisenhower warned us about the Military-Industrial Complex. It's taking over our souls. Pay for peace.

# 364:

9:38 am PDT, May 11, Aaron Hogue, Maryland

# 363:

9:38 am PDT, May 11, Veronica Blake, Michigan
In a global world what affects one affects all. Now, more than ever we need to give the money promised to the UN Peacemakers so that peace may grow across this earth for the sake of all.

# 362:

9:38 am PDT, May 11, Rebecca Shane-Wahl, Colorado

# 361:

9:38 am PDT, May 11, Joe Stein, California

# 360:

9:37 am PDT, May 11, Ana Pacheco, Texas

# 359:

9:37 am PDT, May 11, Karen Wyatt, Colorado
Peace cannot be measured by money alone. The human cost is immeasureable. We need to fund peace missions as much as any other modern endeavor.

# 358:

9:37 am PDT, May 11, Cynthia Torrey, Virginia

# 357:

9:37 am PDT, May 11, Maureen Mohrman, North Carolina

# 356:

9:37 am PDT, May 11, Martha Marcom, Ohio
Please honor the commitment to the UN. I want my country to do something honorable for the world.

# 355:

9:37 am PDT, May 11, Celena Chalkley, Florida

# 354:

9:37 am PDT, May 11, Elaine Jenkins-Wacey, Pennsylvania
Peaceful solutions should always be the first considered. The US should honor our commitments to the UN peacekeeping.

# 353:

9:37 am PDT, May 11, Thomas Baldridge, Iowa
Peace is indeed cheaper than war!

# 352:

9:37 am PDT, May 11, Linda Alvarez, California

# 351:

9:37 am PDT, May 11, Christine Klinger, Ohio

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