Romania’s contribution to UN efforts

Romania’s membership in the United Nations dates 14 December 1955, when by Resolution 995, after a difficult and time-consuming admission process, Romania became the 74th member of the United Nations.
In time, Romania’s successful cooperation with the United Nations materialized in its active participation in a series of committees, bodies and programs, such as: the Conference of Disarmament (headquartered in Geneva), the Committee for Peaceful Use of the Extra-atmosphere Space, the Special Committee for UN Peacekeeping Operations, the Ad-hoc Committee for Indian Ocean, the Human Rights Council, the International Law Commission, the Information Committee, the Committee on Contributions, the UN Economic Commission for Europe, the United Nations Program for Environment, etc.

In her UN membership of more than half a century, Romania was elected four times as a non-permanent member of the Security Council, in 1962, 1976-1977, 1990-1991 and 2004-2005, while membership of ECOSOC was held in the following periods: 1965-1967, 1974-1976, 1978-1980, 1982-1987, 1990-1998, 2001-2003, and 2007-2009. 
Romania’s portfolio in the United Nations system includes presidency of the General Assembly in 1967 and, in 2008, presidency of the Human Rights Council.

Contribution to UN peacekeeping operations

As of 1991, Romania participated in UN peacekeeping operations with over 7,000 men-at-arms and civil policemen (military observers, staff officers, liaison officers, military police, infantry troops, field-hospitals). The peak of its participation was from September 1995 to July 1997, when it ranked between the 8th and the 12th position among the 75 member states contributing to UN peacekeeping operations.

Romania’s peacekeeping operations portfolio includes:

• UN Observation Mission in Somalia (UNOSOM-II), June 1993 - October 1994
• UN Verification Mission in Angola (UNAVEM III), May 1995 - June 1997
• UN Mission in Bosnia & Herzegovina (UNMIBH), 1998 - 2002
• UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UN PK/UNMIK), since1999
• UN Observation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC), since 1999

Romania participates with military observers and monitors in UN peacekeeping operations in Congo, Kosovo, Ethiopia and Eritrea, Cote D’Ivoire, Afghanistan, Liberia, Georgia, Sudan, Timor-Leste, Haiti, and Nepal with a number of 281 military observers, liaison officers and gendarmes. In April 2008 Romania was ranked 46th among 117 contributing countries.

Taking on donor responsibilities

Following the passing into law of the National Strategy on International Development Cooperation in December 2006, Romania released a first ODA contribution to UNDP Lebanon at the end of the same year. In December 2007 Romania disbursed part of its ODA budget of EUR 5m as contributions to 12 UN funds and programmes. The UN system supported the country’s ODA policy development and implementation preparations and will continue working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at strengthening national capacity to manage ODA. To that end, MOFA provides funding of US$ 1,221,000 for UNDP project “Strengthening the national institutional and educational capacity to carry out ODA programs/projects”.

In implementing its ODA policy, Romania has also identified specific priority countries/areas: the Republic of Moldova, Western Balkans (the Republic of Serbia), and the Caucasus (the Republic of Georgia). The Government contributes US$ 2,220,000 to UNDP projects implemented in those priority countries.  Romania also provided funding to the “MDG Quick Wins”, a regional UN initiative.

These first steps as a donor are evidence for Romania’s capacity to operate as a reliable, proactive, and accountable actor in the international development arena.