117 STAT. 2968
CONCURRENT RESOLUTIONS—NOV. 22, 2003
Whereas Ralph Bunche served as a professor and established and chaired the Political Science Department at Howard University from 1928 to 1941; Whereas, in 1941, Ralph Bunche served as an analyst for the Office of Strategic Services; Whereas Ralph Bunche joined the Department of State in 1944 as an advisor; Whereas Ralph Bunche served as an advisor to the United States delegation to the 1945 San Francisco conference charged with establishing the United Nations and drafting the Charter of the nascent international organization; Whereas Ralph Bunche was instrumental in drafting Chapters 11 and 12 of the United Nations Charter, dealing with non-selfgoverning territories and the International Trusteeship System, which helped African countries achieve their independence and assisted in their transition to self-governing, sovereign states; Whereas, in 1946, Ralph Bunche was appointed Director of the Trusteeship Division of the United Nations; Whereas, in 1948, Ralph Bunche was named acting Chief Mediator in Palestine for the United Nations, and, in 1949, successfully brokered an armistice agreement between Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria; Whereas Ralph Bunche was deeply committed to ending colonialism and restoring individual state sovereignty through peaceful means; Whereas the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People awarded its highest honor, the Spingarn Medal, to Ralph Bunche in 1949; Whereas for his many significant contributions and efforts towards achieving a peaceful resolution to seemingly intractable national and international disputes, Ralph Bunche was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1950, the first African-American and the first person of color to be so honored; Whereas Ralph Bunche was named United Nations Under Secretary General in 1955, in charge of directing peacekeeping missions in several countries; Whereas, in 1963, Ralph Bunche was presented by President John F. Kennedy with the United States’ highest civilian award, the Medal of Freedom; and Whereas Ralph Bunche’s critical contributions to the attempt to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict and towards the de-colonization of Africa, and his commitment to and long service in the United Nations and numerous other national and international humanitarian efforts, warrant his commemoration: Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That Congress— (1) recognizes and honors Ralph Bunche as a pivotal 20th century figure and fighter in the struggle for the realization and attainment of human rights on a global scale; and (2) urges the President to take appropriate measures to
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