USIP was directed by Congress in December 2004 to create a Task Force on the United Nations. The task force assessed the extent to which the United Nations is fulfilling the purposes stated in its Charter and recommended an actionable agenda for the United States on the UN. While not an official U.S. government effort, the Task Force was obligated to provide its report to Congress.

Task Force Members, Senior Advisors, and Partners

Image on right: From left: Task force Co-Chairs George J. Mitchell and Newt Gingrich open the first meeting of the task force in February 2005.

The members of the task force were a diverse and bipartisan group of distinguished Americans from a variety of professions and backgrounds. It was co-chaired by Newt Gingrich, former speaker of the House of Representatives, and George Mitchell, former majority leader of the Senate.

Other members included: Wesley K. Clark, Wesley K. Clark and Associates; Edwin Feulner, The Heritage Foundation; Roderick Hills, Hills and Stern; Donald McHenry, Georgetown University; Danielle Pletka, American Enterprise Institute; Thomas R. Pickering, The Boeing Company; Anne-Marie Slaughter, Princeton University; A. Michael Spence, Oak Hill Capital Partners; Malcolm Wallop, Asian Studies Center; and R. James Woolsey, Booz Allen Hamilton. The senior advisors to the task force were Charles Boyd, Business Executives for National Security, and J. Robinson West, PFC Energy.

As directed by Congress, the U.S. Institute of Peace organized the Task Force with the support and participation of leading public policy organizations, including the American Enterprise Institute, the Brookings Institution, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Heritage Foundation, and the Hoover Institution. These institutions provided experts to support the members of the Task Force.

Task Force Activities

The Task Force organized its work in five thematic areas. In addition to conducting research and taking testimony, members of the Task Force and experts undertook fact-finding missions to United Nations headquarters and to missions in the field. The five thematic areas were as follows:

1. Preventing and ending conflicts and building stable societies.
2. Preventing and responding to genocide and gross human rights violations.
3. Preventing catastrophic terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
4. Ensuring the effectiveness, integrity, transparency, and accountability of the UN system.
5. Fostering economic development and reducing poverty.