Value of. The. The following provides a snapshot of the UN s work in a number of different countries. While this list is by

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1 The Value of the UN Delivering Around the World Every day, on a wide range of issues and in a diverse set of locations, the United Nations and its extensive family of agencies, programs, and funds work to create a more secure, peaceful, and healthy world. From UN peacekeepers, who help stabilize some of the world s most volatile conflict zones, to UN humanitarian agencies, who provide lifesaving food assistance, shelter, medical care, and other forms of aid to tens of millions of people every year, the work of the UN helps promote core American interests and values on a number of fronts. By working through the UN and sharing the financial burden for carrying out these activities with the rest of the international community, we are able to advance our foreign policy goals at a much lower cost than by acting alone. The following provides a snapshot of the UN s work in a number of different countries. While this list is by no means exhaustive, it does seek to illustrate the broad and far-reaching impact of the UN and various UN-affiliated agencies in an array of operational contexts. The U.S. and the UN in 2016: Congressional Briefing Book 1

2 Syria, Iraq, & Jordan Conflict in Syria and Iraq has created a massive humanitarian crisis in the heart of the Middle East, driving millions of people from their homes and leaving millions more dependent on aid in order to survive. Delivering humanitarian assistance in this region is complicated by a number of factors, including sieges imposed on civilian populations by parties to the conflict, and rapidly growing needs paired with persistent shortfalls in funding. Despite these challenges, however, various UN agencies are playing a central role in efforts to respond to the situation. The World Food Program (WFP), for example, is distributing food aid to more than 4 million people in Syria, 1.3 million Syrian refugees in neighboring countries, and 1.5 million displaced Iraqis every month. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is providing shelter, mattresses, heating supplies, counselling, and other forms of assistance to displaced people throughout the region. Meanwhile, the UN Children s Fund (UNICEF) is helping to provide more than 16.5 million Syrians with access to clean water, as well as hygiene supplies, educational support, winter clothing, and lifesaving vaccines to millions of children affected by the fighting. These activities are not only critical to the people who have been directly affected by the conflict, but also to countries in the region where displaced Syrians have sought shelter. For example, Jordan, a key U.S. ally, is currently hosting more than 600,000 Syrian refugees, placing an enormous strain on the country s infrastructure and finances. Food aid provided to refugees by WFP, in the form of electronic vouchers that recipients can use to purchase food in local stores, has helped inject nearly $400 million into the Jordanian economy and created 400 jobs in the food retail sector. As a result, international humanitarian aid provided through the UN contributes to the economic security of Jordan and other neighboring countries whose own stability is under threat. Ukraine Since April 2014, violence in eastern Ukraine has claimed the lives of more than 9,000 people and forced 1.6 million more to flee their homes, causing a significant deterioration in the country s humanitarian situation, particularly in the flashpoint provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk. UN humanitarian agencies have responded by providing aid to some of the most vulnerable people on both sides of the frontline. In December 2015, UNICEF supported a polio vaccination campaign that benefitted nearly 1.7 million Ukrainian children between the ages of 2 months and 6 years. As part of a winterization campaign, UNHCR is providing shelter and building supplies, blankets, winter clothing, heating fuel, and other critical materials to displaced Ukrainians. WHO is providing essential medicines which are in short supply in Donetsk and Luhansk to local hospitals, and the WFP is working to provide food assistance to nearly 575,000 civilians. Nepal In April and May of 2015, Nepal was struck by two major earthquakes, leaving nearly 9,000 people dead and several million more in need of emergency aid. Over the weeks and months that followed, the UN, international NGOs, and foreign governments mounted a major relief effort. Nearly two million Nepalese received food assistance via the WFP, including through a cash-for-work program designed to help clear earthquake rubble from community infrastructure. UNICEF provided safe drinking water, hygiene supplies, and temporary learning spaces to help hundreds of thousands of children in the earthquake zone. The World Health Organization (WHO) distributed emergency health kits containing essential medicines and supplies to Nepalese hospitals, coordinated the arrival and deployment of foreign medical teams to the country, and supported efforts to help health facilities damaged by the earthquakes resume services. south sudan In December 2013, civil war broke out in South Sudan between forces supporting President Salva Kiir and Vice President Riek Machar. Since then, the conflict has taken on ethnic overtones, killing tens of thousands of people, forcing more than 2.2 million to flee their homes, and leaving nearly 3.9 million people in severe food insecurity. Originally created to support South Sudan s stability and development following its independence from Sudan in 2011, this crisis forced the UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) to shift its focus, virtually overnight, from state-building to civilian protection. In an unprecedented move, 2016 Briefing Book 2

3 UNMISS opened the gates of its bases to those fleeing the violence, and soon saw tens of thousands of South Sudanese descend on them. Currently, UN peacekeepers are providing security and shelter to nearly 200,000 civilians in six UN-administered protection sites across the country. Côte d Ivoire Following national elections in 2010, the West African country of Côte d Ivoire was thrown into crisis when the incumbent president, Laurent Gbagbo, refused to concede defeat to his opponent, Alassane Ouattara, and launched a campaign of violence against Mr. Ouattara s supporters. During the four-month crisis that followed, the UN peacekeeping mission (known as UNOCI) and its base were attacked, nearly one million people were driven from their homes, and 3,000 were killed. In a proactive effort to protect civilians in the commercial capital of Abidjan, UNOCI teamed with French forces to destroy stockpiles of heavy weapons that Mr. Gbagbo s forces had been using against civilians. Ultimately, the joint UN operation with the French shortened the conflict, saving lives, and paving the way for Mr. Ouattara s inauguration. Since that time, Côte d Ivoire has made important strides in political stabilization and economic growth. For the last three years, the Ivorian economy has experienced remarkable annual growth. This growth is due in large part to an improved security environment, in which UNOCI has played an integral role. In another sign of progress, on October 25, 2015, the country successfully held its second presidential election since the 2010 crisis. While not entirely free of controversy, the election was nevertheless mostly peaceful, and nearly 5,000 national and international observers judged the voting process to be generally free, fair, and transparent. UNOCI and the UN Development Program (UNDP) provided crucial assistance to Ivorian authorities throughout the electoral process, helping the government design and implement a comprehensive security plan to prevent election-related violence, facilitating the delivery of election materials to and retrieval of results from polling stations across the country, and supporting efforts to increase women s participation. In large part because of this and other critical signs of progress, UNOCI is currently in the process of drawing down its force levels, and the mission may withdraw entirely from the country by the end of Briefing Book 3

4 Benefiting the U.S. Economy For more than 70 years, U.S. engagement with, and financial investments in, the UN have advanced America s core interests and values on the world stage. Perhaps less obvious is the fact that in addition to these larger strategic considerations, the U.S. also derives tangible economic benefits from the work of the UN on a variety of fronts. Research conducted by the Better World Campaign has found that corporations and organizations operating in the U.S. received contracts totaling $555 million with the UN Secretariat which includes the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and other core UN offices in These businesses provided a range of goods and services to support UN operations, including telecommunications, financial services, construction, food production, and production of armored vehicles. The UN contracts were executed in 30 states spanning more than 100 cities and communities including Missouri, Wisconsin, Washington, Virginia and Florida. The vast majority of the businesses are U.S.- owned, accounting for $513 million of the total sum awarded to companies operating in the United States. A sampling of the contracts include: Company Revenue City Accuity, Inc. $103,968 Skokie, Illinois Air Cargo $159,942 Seattle, Washington American Power Conversion $215,199 West Kingston, Rhode Island Colonial Hardware Corp. $66,172 Springfield, New Jersey Global Fleet $11,445,635 Bonita Springs, Florida Johnson Controls, Inc. $766,956 Milwaukee, Wisconsin Lenovo, Inc. $13,187,552 Morrisville, North Carolina Pacific Architects & Engineers, Inc. $14,948,563 Arlington, Virginia Skanska USA Building, Inc. $165,198,089 New York, New York The Newberry Group $535,742 St. Charles, Missouri 2016 Briefing Book 4

5 UN in New York = 5 Super Bowls Every Year The New York City economy benefits greatly as the permanent host city of the United Nations. Not only is the organization a leading source of local jobs, a 2015 study conducted by the NYC Mayor s Office for International Affairs found that the annual economic output generated by UN-related workers totals more than $2.3 billion. To provide some context, that figure is nearly five times higher than the economic impact a city would receive from hosting the Super Bowl every year Briefing Book 5

6 U.S. Support for the UN Year after year, nationwide polling conducted by the bipartisan research team of Public Opinion Strategies and Hart Research Associates has demonstrated that Americans strongly support a strong U.S.-UN partnership. UNFAVORABLE FAVORABLE 70% 63% 60% 53% 59% 58% 59% 54% 52% 48% 42% 35% 36% 30% 29% 31% 28% 28% 26% 19% Before Iraq war Launch 8/ of Iraq war 3-5/ October Briefing Book 6

7 In October of 2015, the poll once again found that registered voters strongly favor a foreign policy approach that embraces a partnership model. More than 8 in percent of Americans agreed that to achieve our foreign policy goals, it is better for the United States to work with major allies and through international organizations. By contrast, only 15 percent said the U.S. should act mainly on our own. Importantly, this support was across party lines, with 75 percent of Republicans, 82 percent of Independents, and 90 percent of Democrats favoring the partnership model. The poll also revealed that significant majorities of Republicans, Independents and Democrats believe it is important the United States maintain an active role within the United Nations : 81 percent of Republicans agreed, as did 84 percent of Independents and 98 percent of Democrats. Similarly, a strong majority of Americans, 67 percent, continue to support the United States paying our dues to the UN on time and in full with a breakdown of Republicans at 61 percent, Independents at 63 percent, and Democrats at 86 percent in favor. 9/10 americans believe the U.S. should play an active role in the UN. Polling Shows Voters Want U.S. Dues Paid in Full More than two-thirds of voters (67%) favor the U.S. paying UN dues on time and in full. Support Oppose Don t Know Other notable findings showed that voters are supportive of the UN s new global goals for sustainable development. Respondents were told that, working through the United Nations, American and world leaders have established a set of seventeen global goals to end extreme poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all as part of a new sustainable development plan. These goals set specific targets for all countries to achieve over the next 15 years, regardless of their current level of development. Twenty-two percent of respondents reported awareness of the global goals, while favorable impressions scored 69 percent, and 83 percent agreed the United States should participate in a worldwide effort to accomplish the global goals by Briefing Book 7