wfn.org | Presbyterian U.N. Office to Hold Seminar

[PCUSA.NEWS@pcusa.org]

31-March-1997 
97135 
 
           Presbyterian U.n. Office to Hold Seminar on 
      The Relationship Between United States, United Nations 
 
                         by Julian Shipp 
 
NEW YORK, N.Y.--The Presbyterian United Nations Office will host a seminar, 
"The United Nations and the United States: Partners for the 21st Century?" 
here May 14-16. The seminar will focus on the current and evolving role of 
the U.S. at the United Nations.  
 
     Speakers will include U.N. officials, U.S. mission personnel and 
representatives from nongovernmental organizations such as the United 
Nations Association of the United States of America.  
 
     While the U.N. has progressed toward long-sought goals during its 
first 50 years, it is increasingly beset by challenges focused on matters 
of reform and financing. At stake are the authority, integrity and even the 
existence of the organization. 
 
     The U.S. has always played a critical role at the U.N. and is a major 
force in the organization's present crisis. Its calls for reform have 
become routine, focusing on financial, bureaucratic and structural 
management. More substantive matters related to charter reform and 
strengthening the authority and power of the organization do not appear to 
be the primary concerns of the U.S. 
 
     While opinion polls show that the American public continues to support 
the U.N., critics of the U.N. in Congress and groups that are opposed to 
the U.N. in principle are increasingly vocal. The refusal of the U.S. to 
meet its financial obligations has become the standard tactical tool used 
by the U.S. to try to force U.N. reforms. Criticism also comes from a 
different direction -- from those who see the U.S.  failing in its 
leadership responsibility or acting unilaterally on the global scene. 
 
     At this critical time in United Nations history, this seminar will 
examine the U.S. role at the U.N., the current U.N. crisis, reform efforts, 
and the security and social agendas of the U.N.  It will explore the 
dynamics created by the U.S. veto of a second term for Secretary-General 
Boutros Boutros-Ghali and the subsequent election of new Secretary-General 
Kofi Annan. 
 
     The seminar will also examine the implications for the United Nations 
of the new U.S. foreign policy team, with Madeline Albright as secretary of 
state and William Richardson as the new U.S.  ambassador to the United 
Nations. 
 
     The registration deadline for the seminar is April 16. The 
registration fee is $130, which includes most meals, briefings, resources 
and a tour of the United Nations. Total accommodation costs are $110 for a 
double room or $220 for a single room. The hotel is located in midtown 
Manhattan and is within walking distance of the United Nations.  
 
     For more information and a registration brochure, contact the 
Presbyterian United Nations Office at 777 U.N. Plaza, New York, NY 10017, 
or phone (212) 697-4568. The Presbyterian United Nations Office is part of 
the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program and is funded by the annual 
Peacemaking Offering. 

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  phone 502-569-5504             fax 502-569-8073  
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