Lowey Opening Statement at Hearing on United Nations

Ambassador Power, I join Chairwoman Granger in welcoming you today.

I must begin by raising yesterday's media reports that Palestinian President Abbas applied for recognition from 15 UN conventions and treaties. This reckless effort signals a break down in the peace process, with far-reaching repercussions on the United States' relationship with the UN and specialized agencies. Madame Ambassador, I hope you will begin your remarks today by discussing the Administration's response to this news.

This is a highly distressing development because the United Nations plays an integral and indispensable role in maintaining international peace and security, promoting economic and social development, alleviating hunger, championing human rights and supporting efforts to address humanitarian crises.

Conversely, instances of the UN's negligence, or unwillingness to act by some members of the Security Council is unacceptable in the face of haunting images of victims of chemical weapons, gross violations of human rights, millions of refugees, and other tragic and eminently avoidable suffering.

While the UN is far from perfect, neglecting or refusing to pay our commitments leaves the United States in a position of weakness, not strength. Our robust engagement is necessary to better protect our credibility on the world stage as well as our national security.

Problems in remote areas now cross borders at alarming rates. We need to leverage the strength of this coalition of nations to prevent emerging threats abroad from reaching us here at home and to ensure the UN remains accountable and effective.

Nuclear proliferation, terrorism, drug trafficking, manmade and natural disasters, infectious disease, extreme poverty and suffering, and environmental degradation confront the entire world community, and no one nation should address them alone. Burden sharing remains the most cost-efficient use of our tax dollars.

For all these reasons, the U.S. must pay its bills in full and on-time – a responsibility both Republican and Democratic Administrations have consistently upheld.

In an increasingly globalized world, the UN continues to serve as a critically important tool for advancing U.S. interests and augmenting our own response to many international challenges.

For example, the UN Security Council imposed tough sanctions against Iran, which played a critical role in bringing about an interim deal. The IAEA is now monitoring, inspecting, and verifying that Iran is fully implementing the agreement's requirements. Given Iran's history of deception, I would like to hear an update from you on the IAEA's mission and your assessment of Iran's compliance thus far.

With regard to Syria, recent reports by the UN's Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons indicate that fifty percent of Assad's chemical weapons have now been removed. Yet, the Syrians missed a March 15th deadline for destruction of its production facilities. Ambassador Power, what timeframe can we now expect for their entire program's disposal?

Additionally, please update us on the UN's ability to deliver humanitarian aid. What options do we have should Assad continue to defy the UN Security Council and forbid aid workers to reach hundreds of thousands of innocent Syrians in need?

Finally, given the recent crisis over Crimea, I am particularly worried that Russian President Putin will never be a partner in ending this horrific war. What in your view can we do about Russia's ever-increasing intransigence?

Madam Ambassador, I look forward to hearing from you how the President's budget request will enhance U.S. global leadership at the United Nations. I hope you will highlight the successes since your confirmation as well as your strategies for overcoming the many challenges ahead of us.