We the undersigned believe:
The United Nations is facing a crisis. Strong differences of opinion about the direction of reform and governance at the UN threaten to collide with a rapidly approaching spending cap. Unresolved, these differences could paralyze the UN - paralyze diplomacy, paralyze operations, and paralyze the reform process. Some UN operations could even be curtailed or shut down.
Ongoing political crises, including the threat of the shutdown of some UN operations, does not serve the interests of any nation or group of nations and would represent a failure of diplomacy by all leaders and governmental representatives responsible for stewarding the United Nations' essential functions.
The United Nations has operated uninterrupted as a platform for global peace and progress for more than 60 years. A political stand-off, or shutdown of UN operations now, for the first time in its history, would have significant consequences for the UN's development, security and humanitarian efforts.
The UN is a work in progress, but remains the world's hope for international cooperation. All nations and peoples have a shared interest that its important work continues, uninterrupted. We, the undersigned, urge world leaders to forge the common ground necessary to allow the United Nations to continue its life-saving work.
