The UN Association of the UK (UNA-UK) is the UK's leading source of independent information and analysis on the UN. With members and supporters across the UK, we are a grassroots movement campaigning for a safer, fairer and more sustainable world.
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UNA-UK latest headlines
| 27 January - Holocaust Memorial Day - speak up, speak out | |
27 January is the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust. This year, the UN is focussing on the children of the Holocaust in its commemorative events, both those killed and orphaned, and the impact of mass violence on younger generations. In his message to mark the day, UN Secretary Ban Ki-moon paid tribute to the 1.5m children who lost their lives in the Holocaust and noted that children remain "uniquely vulnerable to the worst of humankind”, as witnessed daily by the UN’s humanitarian offices worldwide. UNA-UK is calling on its members to support the 'Speak up, speak out' campaign run by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust. |
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| 4 January - Durban reactions | |
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the new deal, saying; “Taken together, these agreements represent an important advance in our work on climate change”. He called on countries to “quickly implement these decisions and to continue working together in the constructive spirit evident in Durban.” Despite the new agreement being hailed as a breakthrough by some, others in the international community were disappointed that the conference didn’t go further in its commitment to act on climate change. Whilst acknowledging the progress made in Durban, Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), noted that the conference still left the world with serious and urgent challenges if a global temperature rise is to be kept under two degrees Celsius in the 21st century. One of UNA-UK's key concerns is strengthening the international climate framework. In two op eds published by the Huffington Post and the UN Environment Programme, UNA-UK Chairman Sir Jeremy Greenstock and Bonian Golmohammadi, Secretary-General of World Federation of UN Associations, make the case for a global environment organisation. Read the Huffington Post op ed | Read the UN Evironment Programme op ed |
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| 15 December - Sir Jeremy Greenstock on BBC Newsnight | |
On BBC Newsnight, Sir Jeremy was joined by historian Simon Schama, former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger, Egyptian activist Gigi Ibrahim and Nobel Peace Prize-winning Yemeni journalist, Tawakul Karman. The programme was be broadcast at on 15 December - click here to watch the programme. As the former UK Special Representative for Iraq, Sir Jeremy has also been interviewed by BBC World, BBC News Channel and the British Forces Radio on Iraq's transition towards stability in light of the withdrawal of the of the American troops. |
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| 15 December - Time for a global environment organisation? | |
In a comment piece released today, Sir Jeremy Greenstock, UNA-UK Chairman, and Bonian Golmohammadi, Secretary-General of the WFUNA, make the case for a global environment organisation. Excerpt from the article: On 15 and 16 December, governments, international agencies and NGOs meet to discuss hundreds of recommendations on sustainable development ahead of the major UN conference in June 2012 known as 'Rio+20'. At present, international environmental governance is weak and fragmented. A range of UN organisations – from the World Bank to the UN Development Programme – have substantial environmental portfolios [...] If we are serious about sustainable development, we need an overarching legal framework with a strong and well-resourced institution at its core to lead our efforts, not least in hammering out what Durban's "agreed outcome with legal force" will mean in practice. |
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| 13 December - Secretary General's Special Advisor on RtoP addresses UN APPG | |
UNA-UK was delighted to welcome Edward Luck, Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General on the responsibility to protect, to its offices in London on 13 December. Since its introduction at the 2005 World Summit, the ‘responsibility to protect’ principle (RtoP) has been refined and clarified by the work of Dr Luck who has been instrumental in its theoretical development as well as helping to create a path for putting the principle into practice. Dr Luck visited London to address the UN All-Party Parliamentary Group (UN APPG) on the importance of RtoP and its role in current and future international affairs. In the meeting, which was hosted by Lord Hannay, Chair of the UN APPG, Dr Luck described this year’s events in Libya as a watershed for RtoP. Despite controversies surrounding international action in Libya, he said that the implementation of RtoP had offered real hope and a promising opportunity to the people of that country. |
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| 10 December - UNA-UK pays tribute to ordinary people who defend human rights | |
2011 has been a landmark year for human rights activism. Thousands of people took to the streets in Egypt, Tunisia, and across the globe demanding change. In the Middle East and North Africa citizens asked for justice, dignity, equality and participation, often in the face of violence and further repression. For many people, the struggle continues but for others, this year has brought with it the first steps towards a fairer society.
UNA-UK’s Executive Director, Phil Mulligan, said “policy-makers in the UK and internationally need to take note of the brave commitment shown by human rights activists around the world in the last year. The challenge for the global community is to support the fulfilment of rights in the darker corners of the world where it is often uncomfortable and difficult to tread.” |
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| 1 December - States reject attempt to weaken cluster munitions ban | |
During the run-up to negotiations, UNA-UK Chairman Sir Jeremy Greenstock wrote to FCO Minister Alistair Burt urging the UK to reject the protocol (click here to read his reply), Lord Hannay, Chairman of the UN All-Party Parliamentary Group (UN APPG), made representations on the matter in the House of Lords, whilst UNA-UK urged all members of the UN APPG to sign an Early Day Motion against the protocol. Sir Jeremy commented "I am glad to see that what Members of UNA-UK wanted to happen, and what the overwhelming proportion of supporters of the UN worldwide were asking for, has emerged from Geneva." We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our members and supporters who took action on cluster munitions via the Avaaz petition, as endorsed by UNA-UK and the Cluster Munitions Coalition, and to those who used Sir Jeremy's letter as a template to write to their MPs on the matter. |
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| 29 November - UNA-UK takes a big step forward | |
At UNA-UK's General Meeting on 24 November, the membership voted by more than three-quarters in favour of UNA-UK and The UNA Trust merging into a new charitable organisation, subject to Charity Commission approval. ‘Striving for Change’ was also adopted by the membership as the organisation’s new four-year strategic plan. A message from the UNA-UK Chairman, Sir Jeremy Greenstock, along with a note on the process for implementing the merger and FAQs on what charity status will mean for the organisation, its members and branches, will shortly be sent by email to individual UNA-UK members, and to branches, regions, nations and youth branches by post. |
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| 22 November - UNA-UK calls on UK to reaffirm its support for UN agencies | |
Lord Judd, a member of UN APPG, argued that the UK must focus on pushing for collective international action on development and reaffirm its support for three UN agencies in particular. He urged the government to press the US over its stance on funding to UNESCO and the UN Population Fund, to examine further ways in which the UK can support UN Women, and to use DFID's Multilateral Aid Review (MAR) findings to stimulate a wider discussion with UN Member States and donors. |
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| 11 November - UNA-UK urges UK government to protect cluster munitions ban | |
Click here to read the letter. Cluster munitions pose the gravest threat to civilians since landmines, which were banned in 1997. They caused more civilian casualties in Iraq in 2003 and Kosovo in 1999 than any other weapon system, and can remain unexploded on the ground long after a conflict has ended – a particular danger to children. UNA-UK campaigned strongly for the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM), which has been ratified by 111 states, including the UK. We are deeply worried that the proposed new legislation risks weakening the Convention and reversing the progress made to date. Members of the public can take action by signing an Avaaz petition endorsed by the Cluster Munition Coalition, and by writing to their MPs using our Chairman's letter as a template. |
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| 28 October - New look New World magazine now online | |
Published to coincide with UN Day 2011, this issue of New World reflects on the Organisation's role in today's multipolar world, beginning with a candid piece by Thomas G. Weiss. Barbara Crossette, UN correspondent for The Nation, analyses the organisation's relationship with the media and Carl Soderbergh of Minority Rights Group International considers how well the UN's state-based structure has served minority communities. Oliver McTernan of Forward Thinking writes about Palestine's bid for UN membership. The issue also introduces the magazine's new design and format. Our six-month readers' survey produced many excellent suggestions. This issue incorporates a few - bite-size facts and figures and a 'Talking Points' feature - with more to follow. The new layout also provides for more editorial content from our members. UNA Birmingham's Ravi Kumar writes about caste discrimination, Sara Traubel of UNA Youth Aberdeen enthuses about our freshers' fair competition, and UNA-UK Young Professional Aaron Akinyemi reports on the UN NGO conference on sustainability. After receiving some passionate pleas from our membership, we are also pleased to retain New World as the magazine's title. Click here to read the online version, which features additional content We want to hear your thoughts on the UN's role in today's world More than 65 years after it was founded, is the UN still indispensable or has it been superceded by regional bodies or groups like the G20? The UN: indispensable or irrelevant - where do you stand? |
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24 October - UNA-UK celebrates UN Day |
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To mark UN Day, UNA-UK hosted a reception in partnership with the Australian High Commission, which brought together members of the diplomatic, political, corporate, NGO and academic communities to acknowledge the vital role of the UN. The event featured the presentation of the inaugural ‘Sir Brian Urquhart Award for Distinguished Service to the UN’ to Dame Margaret Anstee DMCG. |
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7 October - Towards Zero FCO event |
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On Friday 7 October selected students from all over the UK took part in a one-day conference at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). Jointly organised by UNA-UK and the FCO's Counter Proliferation department, students discussed the diplomacy and negotiation involved when furthering the cause of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation with a focus on the topical issue of a Middle East Nuclear Weapons Free Zone. Speakers at the event included , Lord Hannay, former UNA-UK chair, Robert Hannigan, Director General, Defence and Intelligence, FCO, and Mark Fitzpatrick, International Institute of Strategic Studies. Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Alistair Burt MP also recorded a video message for the occasion. |
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5 October - Security Council action on Syria blocked |
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China argued that the resolution would interfere with Syria's domestic affairs whilst Russia, a long-time ally of Syria, opposed the resolution on the grounds that it could be used to justify military action in the country, such as occurred in Libya after Security Council Resolution 1973. Non-permanent Council members India, South Africa, Brazil and Lebanon abstained. According to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the death toll in Syria has now climbed to 2,900. Click here to read more
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23 September - the UN: where do you stand? |
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After extensive negotiations in Durban in December, the 194 parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change agreed to work towards a legally-enforceable deal to take effect by 2020. However, a second Kyoto Protocol phase was accepted only by European Union countries, with others - notably Canada, Russia and Japan - opting out.
UNA-UK Chairman Sir Jeremy Greenstock has been called upon for a number of media appearances in connection with recent developments in Iraq and the Middle East. 
UNA-UK is pleased to report that a draft protocol
On 22 November the House of Lords held a debate on how to enhance the UK's role in the UN's specialized agencies. Ahead of the debate, UNA-UK provided a 
On 11 November, UNA-UK Chairman Sir Jeremy Greenstock wrote to FCO Minister Alistair Burt expressing the Association's grave concerns about proposed new legislation on cluster munitions being negotiated at the UN in Geneva this week.
Celebrated each year on 24 October, UN Day marks the entry into force of the UN Charter in 1945. Events in 2011 have demonstrated the enduring relevance of the UN, with the world body taking decisive action in Libya and Cote d'Ivoire, facilitating the peaceful secession of South Sudan and undertaking life-saving work in the Horn of Africa. In his message for UN Day, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted: “Never has the United Nations been so needed." (
China and Russia have vetoed a draft UN Security Council resolution condemning the brutal force used by Syrian authorities in cracking down on opposition protestors. Drafted by France in co-operation with the UK, Germany and Portugal, the text had already been amended three times to accommodate Chinese and Russian concerns. 
With conference season upon us, UK political parties are busy discussing their future priorities. As part of this discussion, and in preparation for UN Day on 24 October, we want to hear Click here to read about Towards Zero - UNA-UK's nuclear initiative>>> |
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