World Federation of United Nations Associations
United Nations Organisation | |
Predecessor | International Federation of League of Nations Societies |
---|---|
Formation | 2 August 1946 |
Founded at | Luxembourg City, Luxembourg |
Purpose | Promote and defend the values of the UN |
Headquarters | New York, U.S. Geneva, Switzerland |
Region served | World |
Official language | English, French |
President | Dr. Shawn Chen |
Secretary-General | Aziel Philippos Goulandris |
Key people | Jan Masaryk, Eleanor Roosevelt (founding members) Hans Blix (former president) Arthur Ross (donnor) |
Main organ | Plenary Assembly, Executive Committee |
Award(s) | Wateler Peace Prize (1965), Jan Masaryk Medal |
Website | wfuna |
Remarks | "WFUNA connects the United Nations to the people—and now, more than ever before, engaged global citizens shape history." Ban Ki Moon, Secretary-General, United Nations, April 2016 |
The World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA) (French: Fédération Mondiale des Associations pour les Nations Unies, FMANU) was founded in 1946 as a Federation of national associations. Its objectives are to promote the values of the
WFUNA is an international
WFUNA is the largest non-profit organization with the mission of supporting the principles and purposes of the UN.
History
The basis for the existence of a people's movement in favor of a global intergovernmental organisation was set by the International Federation of League of Nations Societies (French: Union internationale des associations pour la Société des Nations) which ceased operations in 1939.[1]
WFUNA was founded in
"We the representatives of the United Nations Associations in our respective countries,
Believing that since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed, and
Believing that the peace must be founded, if it is not to fail, upon the intellectual and moral solidarity of all peoples,
Have resolved to combine our efforts to form an association of the peoples to be known as the World Federation of United Nations Associations."[3]
Over the years, UNAs have been established in more UN member-States especially as new countries were formed and joined the UN.
Eleanor Roosevelt was an active participant in WFUNA and one of the leading figures in its creation.[4]
In practical terms, WFUNA played a crucial role by helping people in those countries where human rights were violated, such as Franco's Spain, some of the former communist countries in Eastern Europe and in the Middle East. WFUNA brought together people of divided countries – such as East and West Germany and Cyprus, and the opponents in conflicts, for example between Israel and Egypt in the late 1960s.
WFUNA helped promote "Security and Co-operation in Europe" (CSCE) by holding in 1967 the first conference on this topic. Other NGOs followed WFUNA's campaign which continued until 1975 when the Final Act was signed at Helsinki by 35 governments, including United States and Canada, establishing the CSCE process. Further campaigning led in 1994 to the CSCE process that consisted of a Biennial Review Conference being raised to a Permanent Organization (OSCE).
WFUNA, including its African UNA members, made significant contributions to the NGO campaign for the abolition of Apartheid. The 32nd General Assembly of the UN, in 1977, received a resolution from the 117th WFUNA Executive Committee meeting, which requested:
"The
WFUNA facilitated high-level informal consultations on disarmament issues between key experts of the US and
During its history, WFUNA has served as a forum for global dialogues on development. Several suggestions, like the establishment of an
WFUNA has actively supported reform of the UN and its capacity to meet new tasks and challenges. WFUNA has continually received recognition from the highest ranks of the UN. The sentiments in this statement by
For many years WFUNA conducted a fund raising program based on the sale of first day covers of UN stamps and lithographs produced by artists and celebrities, such as
to promote the ideals of the UN. This highly successful program ran for several decades during the 20th century.The
Leadership
Membership and Network
There are currently 92 UN Associations connecting hundreds of thousands of people to the United Nations. UNAs at the national level mainly play a role in:
- Disseminating information and educational materials about the importance of multilateralism and the UN
- Lobbying the government, political parties and interest groups
- Conducting Model UN conferences
- Stimulating the media to provide frequent and accurate coverage of the UN and its programs
- Facilitating the engagement of citizens of UN member-States in favour of the common values of the UN Charter
- Promoting Global Citizenship
A United Nations Association can only be recognized in a UN member-State and there can be only one in each UN member-State. All Associations are non-profit organizations, independent from one another. WFUNA is in charge of the coordination of the network and puts efforts in building the capacity of its existing members while trying to provide counseling to those groups willing to create new UNAs in member-State that don't have any.
The continent with the most UN associations is Europe immediately followed by Africa while South America has seen a rapid growth in numbers of UNAs in the last decade.
Areas of Work
WFUNA is involved with the UN system since its inception and has been working with most Member States through its activities and through its member Associations.
- Transparency at the UN: as part of WFUNA's mandate to strengthen and improve the UN, the organization implements initiatives that increase the transparency of established UN processes.
- Civil Society Working Towards the Sustainable Development Goals: as part of a belief that people's involvement in local, national, and global decision-making is essential to achieving the UN's goals, WFUNA ensures that civil society is involved in UN programs and events.
- Global Citizenship Around the World: as global citizenship is at the heart of WFUNA's mission, the organization facilitates regular programs that foster critical-thinking and problem-solving, and empowers people to act in their communities.
- Human Rights: since the adoption in 1948 of the High Commissioner for Human Rightswas on WFUNA's agenda for many years.
Art and Philately
Many renowned artists have dedicated works or art to WFUNA and to the values of the Organisation.
WFUNA's
In 2020, WFUNA also resumed with the traditional creation of art posters to commemorate specific events starting with the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations[6] and with idea of "fragile multilateralism" as a leading message.
Artists having signed works for WFUNA's Lithograph Program
- Victor Vasarely (France)
- Chaim Gross (USA
- Joan Miró (Spain)
- Salvador Dalí (Spain)
- Friedrich Hundertwasser(Germany)
- Greg Mathias (France)
- Norman Rockwell (USA)
- František Reichentál (Austria-Hungary/Czechoslovakia)
- Andy Warhol (USA)
- Richard Bernstein (artist) (USA)
See also
References
- ^ "Union of International Associations (UIA)".
- ^ "Genève Internationale".
- ^ "Constitution of WFUNA (pdf format)" (PDF). World Federation of United Nations Associations. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
- ^ "History | World Federation of United Nations Associations | WFUNA". www.wfuna.org. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
- ^ "WFUNA". Champion Stamp. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
- ^ Nations, United. "UN 75th Anniversary". United Nations. Retrieved 18 August 2021.