The United Nations Foundation and United Nations Association of the USA, or UNA-USA, have joined forces in a bid to further boost citizen support for a strong U.S. engagement in the United Nations.
UNA-USA, a nonprofit membership organization that seeks to promote understanding of and support for the United Nations among the U.S. public, is now a membership program within UNF, the two organizations announced at the Global Leadership Dinner held Nov. 18 in New York.
“There have been no closer partners than the U.N. Foundation and UNA-USA, working hand-in-hand to strengthen and deepen citizen support for the United Nations,” UNF President Timothy Wirth, said during the dinner. “By formally joining our efforts, making UNA-USA a program of the U.N. Foundation, we will combine more than 100 UNA-USA chapters around the country with the U.N. Foundation’s strong and vibrant advocacy network to support U.N. causes.”
The Global Leadership Dinner brings together world leaders, policymakers, business leaders, celebrities and U.N. supporters to highlight the role of the U.N. in the global community. UNF and UNA-USA hosted this year’s dinner, which featured U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as an honored guest.
U.S. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe, television producer Simon Fuller and Microsoft were also recognized for their support for U.N. causes.