The following is one of a series of seven fact sheets describing U.S. goals at the 59th session of the United Nations General Assembly:

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Bureau of Public Affairs

U.S. PARTICIPATION IN THE UNITED NATIONS: OUR VISION AND PRIORITIES

"The founding documents of the United Nations and the founding documents of America stand in the same tradition. Both assert that human beings should never be reduced to objects of power or commerce, because their dignity is inherent. Both recognize a moral law that stands above men and nations, which must be defended and enforced by men and nations. And both point the way to peace, the peace that comes when all are free."

-- President George W. Bush, September 23, 2003

The U.S. Vision for the U.N.

The United Nations should be a forum where diverse countries and cultures of the world work together for freedom, democracy, peace, human rights, and prosperity for all people.

The United States adheres to three guiding principles for engagement with the United Nations:

-- The U.N. should live up to the vision of its founders to make the world more secure, democratic, and prosperous.

-- Effective multilateralism is guided by principled and consistent leadership with the engagement of all U.N. partners.

-- The U.N.'s vast resources must be managed carefully and effectively.

U.S. Priorities

-- Preserve peace and strengthen security, through peacekeeping, counter-terrorism, and counter-proliferation efforts.

-- Help those in need, by rallying the world to increased action on famine, refugee relief, and pressing health issues.

-- Promote human rights and fundamental freedoms.

-- Foster democratic governance and economic opportunity.

-- Advance good stewardship of the U.N.'s resources through better management and budget discipline.

U.S. Initiatives for the 2004 U.N. General Assembly

-- Advancing Economic Freedom: The U.S. will promote open markets and democratic governance in developing countries as a route to freedom and prosperity. The U.N. and its members should promote an environment of good governance and economic freedom, including policies that support private entrepreneurship.

-- Ending Child Sex Tourism: The U.S. seeks to strengthen collaboration to combat trafficking in persons, particularly to end child sex tourism. This modern-day slave trade must be stopped.

-- Promoting Democracy: The U.S. remains committed to increasing cooperation among democratic countries in the U.N., and supports the efforts of a Democracy Caucus to advance such cooperation on resolutions that advance international human rights standards and democratic principles.

-- Banning Human Cloning: The U.S. will co-sponsor a resolution calling for an international convention against human cloning. Human cloning, for any purpose, is unethical, morally reproachable, and an affront to human dignity.

-- Furthering the Roadmap to Middle East Peace: The U.S. continues to encourage Israel and the Palestinian Authority to take concrete steps toward the implementation of the Roadmap to Peace. The U.S. seeks to bring balance to Middle East resolutions to better support the peace process and implementation of the Roadmap.