Monitoring Policy Making at the United Nations |
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Congress Acts Latest News: 17 September 1996
Congress Acts on UN Funding, Eases Helms Ammendment
Conferees in the US Congress, reconciling the Senate and House versions of the foreign operations appropriation bill, agreed to higher than expected funding levels for UN voluntary agencies. UNICEF, the Children's Fund, especially benefitted and UNDP also saw an improvement in its funding. But because of continued pressure among Congressional conservatives on birth control issues, Congress left funding for the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) drastically cut.Conferees greatly eased the language in the notorious Helms ammendment, which proposed a gag on UN activities in support of global taxes and fees. The original ammendment, taken from a separate bill introduced by Sens. Helms and Dole in January, made US payments conditional on Presidential certification that the UN had not engaged in "any effort to develop, advocate, promote or publicize any proposal concerning taxation or fees on United States persons . . . " The ammendment had been adopted on 27 July by a vote of 70-28, after just 4 minutes of debate.
The Conference Committee modified the language so that it now requires certification only of "any effort to implement or impose any proposal concerning taxation or fees. . . " Observers believe this language will not be much of a nuisance to the UN in the near future.
In separate action, Congressional appropriations for FY1997 (UN fiscal year 1996), failed to provide funds to pay off US arrears to the UN regular budget. Further, the peacekeeping appropriation is so low ($282 million) that it will almost certainly prevent any substantial new peacekeeping missions in the near future.
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