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The has created a video about our organization, to view the video online click here >>
- Where are there United Nations Associations?
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For information about ,
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 On Monday 9 November 2009, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met with a delegation from WFUNA including President Park Soo-gil, Secretary-General Bonian Golmohammadi, Executive Committee Chair Kathryn White, Director of the Board of the Friends of WFUNA John C. Whitehead and Vice-President of UNA-Republic of Korea Amb. Chang-beom Cho. During the meeting in the Secretary-General's office, followed by a working lunch, the participants discussed a variety of topics relating to the relationship between UN leadership and WFUNA, as well as current global issues. Two points that were raised by WFUNA were: strengthening the role of the United Nations in the G20, and developing a funding scheme for UN climate change projects for implementation after the UN Climate Change Summit in December 2009. The Secretary-General agreed that both issues were very relevant, and welcomed the proposal of WFUNA to continue advocating for these goals in the future. WFUNA presented its new climate change project, Go Beyond, which is being developed in the context of the Global Citizen Campaign. Mr. Ban Ki-moon gave positive feedback on the initiative and agreed to consider an official endorsement.
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How many hours was the longest speech ever given at the UN?
The anti-gun statue at the visitor's entrance of the United Nations is a tribute to which music idol?
Why did Franklin D. Roosevelt once interrupt Winston Churchill in the bathtub?
.....think you know the answers? Find out by taking the
UN Quiz
This quiz was created for United Nations Day (24 October 2009). To check how UNAs from all over the world celebrated UN Day click here >>
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 The 39th Plenary Assembly of the World Federation of United Nations Associations was hosted by the UNA-Republic of Korea in Seoul from 10-12 August 2009. The Plenary Assembly, which is the highest decision making body of WFUNA, was chaired by the outgoing President, Hans Blix, and saw the participation of 122 delegates from 49 UNAs, representing every region of the world. In addition, 43 youth delegates from 24 UNAs held their meeting at the same time. The Plenary Assembly made decisions about the policy priorities and programmatic direction of the organization for the next three years; specifically it issued the Seoul Declaration and a set of Resolutions ranging in focus from the Responsibility to Protect to Climate Change. Additionally, the Plenary elected the new leadership of the Federation, most notably the new President, Park Soo Gil, who is the former Korean Ambassador to the United Nations. More information about the outcomes of the Plenary Assembly is available here >>
To read Amb. Park Soo-gil first article as President click here >>
WFUNA Launches Human Rights Website
In December 2008,  WFUNA launched a new website entirely dedicated to human rights:
www.humanrightsnexus.org
The website, available in all six UN languages, is intended to facilitate access to educational materials on human rights, enhance interaction and information sharing between UNAs, and to support closer engagement of UNAs with the work of the UN Human Rights Council and human rights treaty bodies. A strong focus will be placed on human rights education as 2009 will be the International Year of Human Rights Learning. The website is sponsored by the Russian Friends of WFUNA and UNA-Russia.
Read the full press release in English, French, Spanish, Chinese
WFUNA Partner on First UN/ DPI Organized Model UN Conference
 For the first time ever, the United Nations Department of Public Information with WFUNA as a co-organizer, held the Global Model UN (GMUN) conference for University students at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland from 5-7 August. The conference was a simulation of General Assembly plenary sessions and the Assembly’s Main Committees, on the theme “The Millennium Development Goals: Lifting the Bottom Billion out of Poverty.” We hope that GMUN will inspire the next generation of leaders to become involved in national and global issues. Please visit: www.un.org/gmun
Youth Voices Promote the MDGs through Film
 The Global MDG Summit – Mumbai 2008, organized by WFUNA, the Indian Federation of UN Associations and Jai Hind College, took place from 7-11 November in Mumbai. UN Under Secretary-General Kiyo Akasaka and other UN staff sent video messages to the opening ceremony, where officials from the partner and host organizations spoke. Over 300 participants from 13 countries representing every region of the world participated in a day of learning about the MDGs, followed by a strategy day when the student formed “MDG teams” and then two film-making days that included an opportunity for the students to spend a day with local NGOs in rural villages in India. The resulting 16 fully student-made videos (2 on each MDG) were presented at the closing ceremony that was attended by NGO activists, Bollywood stars and noted filmmakers.
MDG 1: Eradicate poverty and hunger
MDG 2: Achieve universal primary education
MDG 3: Promote gender equality and empower women
MDG 4: Reduce Child Mortality
MDG 5: Improve maternal health
MDG 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
MDG 7: Ensure Environmental Sustainability
MDG 8: Develop a global partnership
  
Who We Are
Inspired by the opening words of the United Nations Charter "We the Peoples", the World Federation of United Nations Associations was established in 1946 as a peoples’ movement for the United Nations.
Today the World Federation is a global network of hundreds of thousands of people linked together through United Nations Associations (UNAs) in over 100 nation states. They have many and diverse programs, such as Adopt-a-Minefield, the Millennium Development Goals, Model UN conferences, human rights education and as well they provide regular media and parliamentary briefings on UN matters. As testimony to their valuable role, UNAs are the only national level organizations entitled to use the UN emblem.
The Plenary Assembly, the supreme organ of the World Federation, is held every three years. It is in effect a peoples’ assembly for the United Nations, where priority issues of concern to the international community are addressed and elections are held for the leadership positions.
Today, the World Federation has an ever more important role to play in fulfillment of its primary objective of being a ‘peoples’ movement for the UN’. We have inherited a great responsibility to help make the United Nations an ever more effective instrument for world peace and security, development and human rights and to bring the United Nations ever more closer to the real concerns and interests of “We the Peoples”.
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UNA of the Month: Croatia
 UNA-Croatia is a young non-governmental organization dedicated to promoting the values, goals and work of the United Nations among Croatian citizens. Its aim is to raise awareness about the significance of international cooperation, based on the values enshrined in the UN Charter, as a means to achieving long-lasting worldwide peace, security, and respect of human rights.
 The Croatian UNA was first established in 1992, when it brought together academics interested in UN issues. In June 2008, prompted by the organisation of the first Model UN in Zagreb and the first-ever Croatian membership of the Security Council, the Association was revived by an enthusiastic group of students from Zagreb and joined by experienced international relations practitioners. In the past year, with support from other UNAs, the group created a structure and became a full member of WFUNA.
 Currently, the work of UNA-Croatia is focused on three projects: the UN Academy project, a two-month educational programme for students and young graduates on UN topics; the UN in Croatia, Croatia in the UN project, consisting of a series of events such as the simulation of the work of the Security Council, and aimed at informing the public about the work of UN institutions and Croatia’s involvement in the UN; and the UN- Informed project, which is a part of the Making Commitments Matter initiative, an international research and development initiative. UNA-Croatia marks important UN dates, such as the anniversary of the signature of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The importance of the UNAs contribution to the development of Croatian civil society and its role in foreign policy issues, particularly in the implementation of international commitments, has been recognized and is supported by the President of the Republic of Croatia Stjepan Mesić, the Society of University Teachers, Scholars and other Scientists, the local UNDP mission, the Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, and numerous diplomatic missions.
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Events
Committee against Torture
2 - 20 November, Geneva
Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, forty-third session
2 - 20 November, Geneva
Universal Children’s Day
20 November
Fourth High-level Dialogue on Financing for Development
23- 24 November, New York
International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women
25 November
International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People
29 November
Conference of the States Parties to the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
30 November - 4 December, The Hague
UN Climate Change Conference – COP15
7 - 18 December , Copenhagen, Denmark
(View our events calendar 2009 >>)
Recommended Websites
Check out the WFUNA-youth website at: www.wfuna-youth.org
 Take a look at an exciting new socially responsible social networking/ email site. BluMail offers free email accounts and make-a-difference content to those in developing countries who will be coming online in upcoming years. Content will be provided by partnering United Nations organizations and global non-governmental organizations through Google's email platform. www.blumail.org
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