Abbreviation UNA-UK Headquarters London, UK Website www.una.org.uk | Formation 1945 Parent organization WFUNA | |
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Head Lord Stewart Wood of Anfield | ||
The United Nations Association – UK (UNA-UK) is the leading independent policy authority on the United Nations in the UK, and a UK-wide grassroots membership organisation.
Contents
Programme of work
UNA-UK’s policy work can be split into three main areas:
Alongside these broad policy areas, UNA-UK’s work includes cross-cutting themes such as gender and UN reform.
All-Party Parliamentary Group on the United Nations
UNA-UK acts as the secretariat for The All‐Party Parliamentary Group on the United Nations (UN APPG), a cross‐party group supporting the aims and ideals of the United Nations. The UN APPG’s primary objective is to raise awareness among MPs and Peers – about the UN; about its myriad contributions across the areas of peace and security, development and human rights; about the scope of international law and its relevance to the UK; and about the applicability of the UN to the people who make up the British electorate.
In partnership with UN APPG Officers, UNA-UK sets out the strategic plan for the Group for each parliamentary session and reports back on the activity of the Group to its members.
The UN APPG meets six to eight times a year to provide a platform for high‐level international speakers.
The Sir Brian Urquhart Award
Each year, UNA-UK presents the Sir Brian Urquhart Award for Distinguished Service to the UN. The award celebrates Sir Brian’s unparalleled contribution to the UN, and is presented to individuals whose work reflects Sir Brian’s own dedication and endeavour. During his four decades of service to the UN, Sir Brian was instrumental in creating the organisation's administrative framework. He is now a member of UNA-UK’s expert advisory panel.
Past recipients of the award include:
In Larger Freedom in the UK
In early 2005 UNA-UK was tasked by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to conduct a public and expert engagement process on UN reform in the lead up to the UN Millennium Review Summit in September 2005.
A series of national and regional public debates were undertaken to examine the recommendations made in the UN Secretary-General's Report, In Larger Freedom. The purpose of the debates was to ensure the widest possible public input into the development of the UK government's priorities for the 2005 World Summit.
The events proved very popular, attracting a cross-section of society, including youth, trade unions, parliamentarians, NGOs, the armed services and academia. Common themes emerged: a clear and widespread support for a strengthened United Nations, and a reaffirmation of the UN's unique importance as both a forum for negotiating viable solutions to collective threats, and an instrument for taking collective action to meet diverse threats, from climate change to terrorism.
UNA-UK compiled a report based on the feedback received and supplemented this with expert input.
On 28 November at Portcullis House Foreign Office Minister Lord Triesman and UNA-UK Executive Director Sam Daws launched 'In Larger Freedom in the UK'. The launch took place following a talk by Edward Mortimer, Director of Communications and Chief Speechwriter in the UN Secretary-General’s Office, at the inaugural meeting of the United Nations All-Party Parliamentary Group. The audience included parliamentarians, UNA-UK members, staff from the UN family in London, civil servants and NGO representatives.
Publications
New World Magazine
New World is UNA-UK’s flagship magazine, providing news, analysis and commentary on a broad spectrum of UN issues. The magazine has a specialist readership of approximately 20,000 individuals and organisations in 100 countries: readers include academic institutions, some 10,000 students and young professionals, NGOs and think tanks.
The Association has been publishing news on the UN since it was founded, and has been producing New World in its current form since the 1970s. It is currently published four times a year, in print and online. Past issues of New World are available on UNA-UK’s website.
New World Double Issue - Autumn/Winter 2013
To coincide with UN Day 2013, UNA-UK released a special double issue of New World. The Autumn issue seeks to scope out the future trends and challenges set to feature on the UN’s agenda in the coming years, and role the organization may play in shaping them.
The special issue entitled ‘Urgent: Diplomacy Needed’, asks whether global solutions are still possible and examines why the year 2015 could prove a turning point for the world. The issue features an article by International Development Secretary Justine Greening, on the post-2015 development agenda, as well as contributions from former-MEP Stanley Johnson and Paul Ingram, the Executive Director of the British American Security Information Council.
After the Spring: Prospects for the Arab World in 2013
In Dec 2012, UNA-UK launched a major publication in collaboration with Witan Media, entitled After the Spring: Prospects for the Arab World in 2013. Aimed at scholars, practitioners and interested observers, the publication explores the effects and implications of the political uprisings that have swept the Middle East and North Africa since late 2010. It features contributions by over 50 experts from within and outside the region.
It covers the stories of change in Bahrain, Egypt, Libya, Syria, Tunisia and Yemen, and brings together an array of expertise on conflict resolution, reconstruction, development economics and national reconciliation. The volume seeks to bring us closer to an understanding of how the changes in the region have occurred and to offer insights into what may lie ahead.
Global Development Goals: Leaving No One Behind
In October 2013, UNA-UK published Global Development Goals: Leaving No One Behind, produced in collaboration with Witan Media. The publication provided analysis and recommendations for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as well as the insights into the development of the post-2015 development agenda.
Contributors included UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, UNDP Administrator Helen Clark, UK Secretary of State for International Development Justine Greening, alongside a host of other leading experts and commentators.
Key events
Kofi Annan speaks before the UNA-UK, January 31, 2006
In an historic speech in January 2006 at Central Hall Westminster, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan delivered a wide-ranging address under UNA-UK auspices to an audience of UNA-UK members, diplomats and civil society. Speaking of statesmanship and confidence-rebuilding, the Secretary-General outlined his vision of a UN capable of dealing with today's crises.
Ban Ki-moon speaks before the UNA-UK, June 13, 2008
On June 13, 2008, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon delivered a speech under UNA-UK's auspices in his first major public appearance in the UK. In the speech, entitled 'Securing the Common Good: The United Nations and the Expanding Global Agenda', Mr Ban praised UNA-UK's role in cultivating constructive UK government engagement with the UN and in 'explaining the UN to the UK while helping to convey the concerns of British citizens to the UN'.
UN Forum 2010
UN Forum was a major UNA-UK event held on 12 June 2010 in London, based around the theme: 'A more effective UN for a more secure and just world'. Over 1,400 people participated in the event, at which H.E. Helen Clark, head of the UN Development Programme; H.E. Mary Robinson, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; and Dr Hans Blix, former Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency delivered keynote speeches. A host of panel discussions took place, as well as films & workshops on peace, development & human rights.
UN Forum 2012
On Saturday 14 July 2012, two weeks before the London Olympic Games, the UNA-UK hosted UN Forum 2012. Topics of discussion included nuclear disarmament, population and human rights, among others. Speakers included former UN Deputy Secretary-General Lord Malloch-Brown, Sir Malcolm Rifkind, H.E. Karen Pierce CMG and H.E. Kamalesh Sharma. In a surprise appearance, UNA-UK Patron Sir Patrick Stewart also addressed attendees on the vital importance of the UN. With an attendance of over 1,000, the event was believed to be the largest civil society events on the UN to be held in the UK during 2012.
UNA Youth Conference 2013 ‘Nuclear Realities’, 23 February 2013
New Nuclear Realities, UNA Youth’s 2013 conference, took place on Saturday 23 February in North London. Participants enjoyed lectures and panel debates with high profile nuclear professionals, as well as UN careers guidance and networking opportunities. Speakers included John Ducan, former UK Ambassador for Multilateral Arms Control and Disarmament, and representatives of BASIC, IISS, ACRONYM and Chatham House. Lord Hannay of Chiswick, former UK ambassador to the UN, delivered the day's keynote speech.
History
Growing out of the League of Nations Union, UNA-UK held its first meeting in 1945 – before the UN Charter had been finalised. In 2006, UNA-UK published a comprehensive history of the organisation, written by former UNA-UK Director Frank Field.
A catalogued collection of the organisation’s publications, correspondence and other materials from 1945-2011 can be found in the archives of the London School of Economics.
UNA members
The UNA-UK, as a grassroots membership organisation, has a large network of volunteer-run branches which give individuals across the United Kingdom a chance to partake in UN activities. These range from speaker and fundraising events to film screenings and coffee mornings, these activities raise awareness and interest in the work of the United Nations at a local level across the country.
UNA Youth
UNA-UK has a very active youth and student programme. The UNA Youth, formerly known as United Nations Youth & Student Association (UNYSA), is a network of almost 50 university and college groups as well as individual members across the UK who exchange ideas and organise events to promote the work of the UN among young people. Branches coordinate most of UNA Youth's activities organising events such as workshops, panel discussions, conferences and Model United Nations that give attendees and participants a real insight into the work of the United Nations.
The UNA Youth Council
The activities of the UNA Youth branches are overseen by an elected council which is formed during the AGM. They serve as the link between the younger members of the UNA-UK and the organisation at large.
The 2013/14 council consists of:
President: Adam Badwari
Vice President: Kevin Harris
Young Professionals Network
UNA-UK's Young Professionals Network (YPN) brings together a diverse mix of young professionals in their 20s and 30s who support a strong role for the UN in international affairs. The Network provides opportunities for like-minded individuals to meet each other and to engage with politicians and influential members of the business community.