Origins
The United Nations Association of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, more commonly known as UNA-UK, is the successor to the League of Nations Union (LNU).

UNA-UK held its first meeting in London on 7 June 1945. At that time delegates of 50 nations were meeting in San Francisco to finalise the United Nations Charter. Just as the League of Nations Union had preceded the League, so the United Nations Association preceded the United Nations.

Work in the early months of the new Association centred on re-establishing national and regional structures to support the new and revived branches which were rapidly becoming active. In 10 October 1945, UNA-UK filled the Royal Albert Hall in London for a national inaugural meeting. Interest in the Association grew rapidly. By the annual meeting in 1951, 191 branches, 10 regional councils, the Council for Education in World Citizenship, the UN Student Association, national councils for Scotland and for Wales and 25 organisations affiliated at the national level were represented.

To read more, download a pictorial account of UNA-UK's milestones in the special supplement in the January-March 2006 issue of New World.

 

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UNA-UK Archives
UNA-UK has archived many documents from the period 1946-1975 in the library of the London School of Economics. You can read more about the library holdings by clicking here. In time, we will be adding a selection of relevant archive material to this website.

UNA-UK Today
UNA-UK is the UK's leading independent policy authority on the UN, combining grassroots membership activites with high-level engagement of government ministers, parliamentarians and the media. We work to promote ahderence to the United Nations and the ideals of multilateralism through four policy programmes: the Millennium Development Goals & sustainable development; Peace and Security; Human rights and humanitarian action and; UN Reform.

With its network of branches, regions and affiliated organisations, UNA-UK has a truly nationwide reach. UNA-UK has a dynamic Youth and Student Association and a Young Professionals Network. UNA-UK is also part of the World Federation of United Nations Association, a wider network of UN Associations around the world.

Read more about UNA-UK by selecting one of the following options:

• Events: including the January 2006 address by then UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan
• Campaigning: act to bring about change
• Engagement: with parliamentarians and government ministers
• Education: Model UN and citizenship
• Publications: magazines, briefings and reports

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For a fuller account of UNA-UK's origins, please download the pamphlet '60 Years of UNA-UK' written by former UNA-UK Director Frank Field.

 

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