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Supporting the Work of the United Nations


WE THE PEOPLES OF THE UNITED NATIONS DETERMINED to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, and to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small, and to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained, and to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom.

from The Preamble to the UN Charter

When the Charter of the United Nations came into force on 24 October 1945, it heralded the birth of the United Nations as a universal international organization created to maintain world peace and security and to work for social progress. Although its failures and frustrations have received widespread attention, its successes in economic and social development, decolonization, human rights, disarmament and peace-keeping have clearly made a significant impact. A forum for all nations, the UN represents the highest aspirations of the world's peoples for a world free of war, poverty, repression and suffering. It remains a priceless inheritance. Many times it has been pointed out that however faulty the United Nations appears to be as a vehicle for world peace, we cannot imagine how much more serious the world condition would be without it.

To carry out its mandate, the UN must not only have the political and financial backing of Member States, but it also needs the support and understanding of its larger constituencies--the general public, non-governmental organizations, and the communities and groups which constitute civil society. In short, if the United Nations is to be as effective as it can be, it needs the support of people from every walk of life, for only through the mobilisation of a global public opinion in support of the work of the UN will Member States be moved to fulfill their responsibilities in the international community.

United Nations Day, celebrated every year on October 24, is an especially effective time for individuals, groups and organizations to show their support of the United Nations and to publicize its work. This day in particular can be used to present an evocative, realistic picture of the essential work the organisation is doing in all areas of human life, and to help clear up the many existing misconceptions and misinformation about the United Nations.

SUGGESTIONS FOR ACTION ON BEHALF OF THE UNITED NATIONS

Essentially, the problem is one of education. The public is underinformed as well as misinformed about the United Nations and consequently, has an incorrect and inadequate image of it.  The solution is the creation of an enlightened public opinion through education, and then the mobilisation of that opinion.  This begins with self-education. It extends to the influencing of all media which have an educational potential. On every level, from self-education to contacting community organizations, educators, governments and others, there are opportunities for individual and group action.

Below, you will find suggestions on how you can effectively contribute to the work of the UN.  At the end of this section there is a list of resources which we hope will be useful.

Educate Yourself About the UN

The creation of an enlightened public opinion begins with the individual. Educate yourself about the United Nations and its activities, as well as the requirements for a harmonious world order.  Learn what particular activities the UN has undertaken in your particular field of interest.  Some resources are listed below for your convenience. A good place to start is www.un.org/en/get-involved. Another useful starting point is the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which, until 2030, form an integrated programme at the heart of the UN’s work. (Cards of the SDGs for distribution are available from World Goodwill.) See also the SDG Lab, a multi-stakeholder initiative that contributes to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The UN is serving in a multitude of areas of human concern. Learn what the UN is doing in your area of interest and learn how you can actively cooperate with it. For example, should you be interested in human rights, you may wish to cooperate with the suggested activities for ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child or numerous other conventions. You may also want to look at the wide range of official UN Days and Years to see if any coincide with your areas of interest. 

Meditation, Invocation & Prayer

Groups and individuals that value the power of thought are encouraged to support the United Nations through meditation, invocation and prayer. Learn about the Meditation Room at the United Nations which is open to the public when the UN Headquareters building in new York is open.  From time to time World Goodwill’s Cycle of Conferences Initiative focuses on important meetings and summits at the United Nations. See also the Group for Creative Meditation’s, ‘Become a UN Delegate Through Thought’ ; the Spiritual Caucus at the UN in New York; the NGO-Alliance at the UN in Geneva; and the Aquarian Age Community web materials on the UN. 

Donate to UN Funds

The UN needs money for its various activities. Help meet this need by occasionally contributing to special UN funds which were established to receive assistance from the world's peoples and to UN Agencies.

Create a UN Study Group

Start a United Nations study group, which could study the UN in general, or focus upon a particular area of UN activity corresponding to the interests of the group members. There are many resources available which such a group can use. For example, the United Nations Associations provide outlines and materials for study groups. Some other materials are listed below as resources. If possible, the group should balance its study with some practical effort on behalf of the UN.

Establish or Join a Local UN Support Group

Organise a United Nations service group which will undertake activities in support of the UN.  Such organisations as World Goodwill, the United Nations Associations and the UN Department of Global Communications  can provide advice, materials and cooperation.  Clubs, societies, and service organisations can sponsor UN programmes, seminars, and panel discussions, perhaps focusing upon UN activity in their particular field of interest. Such organisations can also undertake community service activities designed to create a greater community awareness of the real nature of the UN and its importance in a changing world. Units of service can also incorporate into their programmes some UN-related activity.

Locate and cooperate with those groups and organisations which are actively working to support the UN and develop an enlightened public opinion. For example, many countries have a United Nations Association with which one can cooperate. Additional information concerning some of these organisations is given below under resources.

Contact Educators

Make contact with educators and share with them your thoughts about why education about the United Nations should be incorporated into the curricula of the educational institutions in your community. Suggest that schools have an annual assembly or programme concerning the UN, perhaps in annual observance of United Nations Day.

Where feasible, ask teachers to include in their courses materials concerning the UN. See the list of resources for teachers below.

Contact Local Media Outlets

The UN is not receiving sufficient coverage in the mass media. Such coverage is important for its educational value. Media experts suggest that the reason there is not greater UN coverage is that local media do not believe there is a local audience interested in the United Nations news, so it is suggested that those interested in receiving UN news should write to their local media and request that there be greater UN coverage. For example, write to your local press, radio and television media requesting that they prepare an editorial, or feature, or other programme on the United Nations in observance of this year's and every year's October 24th United Nations Day celebration.

When media have included UN materials in their formats or have editorialised in support of the UN, write a letter of appreciation. Let them know there is a supportive public opinion in their community in favour of the UN. So too, share your thoughts with the media when you think their coverage and commentary on the UN leaves something to be desired.

Social Media

Support the UN through social media. The UN, UN agencies and UN support groups all offer a number of active social media channels that you can engage with and share with friends. 

Encourage Organisations to Support the UN

Contact the organisations with which you are affiliated and ask them to take an active concern in the work the UN has undertaken in their particular field of interest. Request that these organisations actively support and cooperate, where possible, with the UN activities. Explore possibilities for them to apply for a formal association with the UN Department of Global Communications.

Many organisations have newsletters or other periodicals. Contact their editors, bringing to their attention the work of the UN in their field. Ask that these periodicals occasionally publish articles on the UN activities, or regularly publish a column on the UN activity or editorialise.

Encourage Government Engagement with the UN

The United Nations is an assembly of governments. As such, it will become more effective when its member nations become more effective participants in the international community.  Nations are responsive to public opinion. Contact your government expressing your views concerning the UN. Letter-writing campaigns can also be inaugurated for this purpose.

Share This Page

Share this page with friends and on social media or download the pdf and share by email.  Also share with them whatever other suggestions you may come up with to support the UN, and share your ideas with World Goodwill headquarters so practical suggestions for activity on behalf of the UN may be included into this page.

RESOURCES

UN Web Sites

The United Nations Web site,  www.un.org, is  a very useful resource. 'About Us' is a good place to start and two excellent introductory pages can be found at:

See also the International Geneva Perception Change project highlighting the work of all UN related institutions (including NGOs) based in Geneva.

UN specialized agencies all maintain their own extensive web sites. EG:

UN Information Centres 

Centres are located in all regions of the world. Check out the services provided and a full list of websites at: unic.un.org

United Nations Associations

In many member nations of the UN, there are United Nations Associations.  These organisations have been established for the express purpose of promoting public support of the UN.  They undertake educational and activist programmes.  There is a full list of national UNA websites at: wfuna.org/una-directory . The UNA-USA website contains a wealth of material on ways to support the UN. 

Teaching Aids & Resources

Numerous agencies provide resources for teaching about the United Nations. These include: The Committee on Teaching About the United Nations - teachun.org ; The UN Visitors Centre - www.un.org/en/visit/for-teachers; Educators 4 Social Change - educators4sc.org/topic-resources/teaching-about-the-united-nations. The SDG Academy provides extensive resources for teaching and learning about the Sustainable Development Goals: sdgacademy.org. Sustainable Development Solutions Network: www.unsdsn.org. Co-workers in Japan have developed an SDG game which has gained some popularity in Japan and was demonstrated during the World Goodwill Seminar at the UN in Geneva in 2018.

Hundreds of thousands of students worldwide take part every year at all educational levels in Model UN programmes. clubs and conferences. More information (and a list of resources) at www.un.org/mun . Co-workers from the Robert Muller School in Texas, USA have organized annual Global Elementary Model United Nations sessions, primarily for students from schools in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, for over 30 years and extensive information and resource lists are available at  gemun.org 

Newsletters About the UN

Reliable free sources of  reports and news about the UN include: news.un.org/en ; www.passblue.com; UN Wire; World Goodwill Newsletter ;  and World Goodwill at the UN Blog.

Organisations Supporting the UN

You may wish to also cooperate with the following organisations who in different ways have undertaken activities in support of the United Nations:

  • The World Federalist Movement seeks to invest legal and political authority in world institutions to deal with problems which can only be treated at the global level, while affirming the sovereignty of the nation-state in matters which are essentially internal.  Therefore, many of its efforts are in support of the United Nations as the most immediate means to achieve world law. www.wfm-igp.org.
  • The Business Council for the United Nations is a membership organization fostering collaboration between forward-thinking companies and the UN to further the aims and policies of the United Nations. www.bcun.org. 
  • The UN Global Compact is a diverse global network of companies working with UN agencies to implement universal sustainability principles and actively support UN goals and programmes. www.unglobalcompact.org.
  • The UN Foundation.  In 1997, businessman and philanthropist Ted Turner made an historic gift of $1 billion in support of UN efforts on global issues.  He chose to channel his historic global commitment through the UN because of the UN’s vital role as the primary forum for international cooperation recognized by all nations.  The UN Foundation’s mission is to support the goals and objectives of the United Nations and its Charter, in order to promote a more  peaceful, prosperous and just world – with special emphasis on the UN’s work on behalf of economic, social, environmental and humanitarian causes. www.unfoundation.org. 

We face colossal challenges. With global solidarity and cooperation, we can overcome them. That’s what the United Nations is all about. I ask people everywhere to join together. The United Nations not only stands with you… The United Nations belongs to you and is you: “we the peoples”. Together, let us uphold the enduring values of the United Nations Charter. Let us build on our advances across the decades. Let us realize our shared vision of a better world for all.

Secretary-General, António Guterres

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